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Hello and welcome to

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12 minute meditation, a weekly

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podcast from mindful and mindful.org

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that offers mindfulness meditations

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backed by neuroscience. If

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you've been practicing, you know that

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12 minutes of meditation a day

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can yield benefits like

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increased attention, focus, creativity,

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calm, resilience, and compassion.

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The latest scientific research supports

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this knowledge. So

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on this podcast, we invite

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you to do your 12 minute practice

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with guided meditations from today's

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leading mindfulness experts. There's

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a new practice each week and

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a new way to experience some of those

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benefits day to day. I'm

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Chelsea Arsenal, director

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of advertising at

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mindfulandmindful.org and this

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week Elaine Smugler invites us into

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a space of reflection and

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gentle exploration with

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her guided meditation on coping with

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grief. Grief, a

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complex and often overwhelming emotion

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shows up in unique ways for each of us,

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forming deep within and expressing

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itself through our thoughts, feelings,

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and even our physical bodies.

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It arises from varied losses, whether

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from the death of a loved one, the

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end of a significant relationship or

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the alteration of a familiar way of

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life. Elaine

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guides us through a mindful exercise designed

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to help us find personal anchors of

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stability, whether in the

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grounding sensation of our feet, the

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steady pressure of our seat, or

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the calming rhythm of our breath. Each

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step gently guides us back to our

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core, establishing a

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secure space where we can

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acknowledge our losses and engage with our

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own. with the present moment with openness.

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As we navigate our grief, acknowledging

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its depth with compassion, mindfulness

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techniques help us ride the waves

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of sadness without being

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swept away. Whether

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you are grappling with a profound

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loss or simply navigating

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the echoes of change, this

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practice provides essential tools to find

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peace and resilience.

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This practice reminds us that

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it's never too late to return to

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oneself, to taste life

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fully, and to allow

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oneself the space to heal

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and thrive amidst the

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waves of change. Elaine

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Smuchler has been a mindful practitioner for

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over 20 years and

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is a mindfulness teacher and

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registered psychotherapist to individuals

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and corporate clients. You

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can subscribe to 12-Minute Meditation while you're

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on mindful.org or wherever you

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find your favorite podcast. And

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if you're moved to leave us a review, we'd

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be grateful. And so will

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other listeners. See,

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your review helps them to decide

3:17

whether 12-Minute Meditation is for them. But

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for now, for you,

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here's Elaine Smuchler. Welcome

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to this meditation on coping

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with grief. Grief

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is a natural and normal response to

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loss, but it can

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also feel painful and overwhelming. It's

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a wonderful and comfortable and quiet place to

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sit. If

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it feels helpful close

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your eyes and breathe

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in for a count of three and

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out for a count of five three

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times. When

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your thoughts come in that's okay.

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When you notice gently

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refocus on the counting. It

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can be helpful to find

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some stability. Let's

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do some exploring. Begin

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by bringing your attention to

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your feet. And

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again when thoughts come in that's okay.

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Just redirecting your attention to your feet

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right now and

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noticing if you feel any sense of

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grounding or connection

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or calm that

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comes when you allow yourself to

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bring your fullest attention to

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just being there with the sensations

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of contact tingling

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or whatever you might feel right now

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in your feet. We

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may find stability in different places

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at different times, so

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right now your feet might not offer you

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what you need, so let's explore some

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other possible anchors of attention. On

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your next in-breath bring

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your attention to your

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seat, feeling

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this real-time sense of pressure,

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presence, contact.

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And let's explore now the hands

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as a possible anchor for attention.

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We started with the feet and

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then explored the seat and now we're

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noticing whether the hands offers us a

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place to stabilize

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right now. Feeling

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inequalities in the hands, pulsing.

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See the touch of your hand on your legs. And

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now let's explore one more anchor for today

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which is the breath. Be

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noticing the rise and fall of

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the belly, the

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rib cage expanding

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and contracting or

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the sensations of the breath moving in

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the nose, mouth or throat. Feeling

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it focusing on the breath brings you

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any comfort or ease right

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now. You

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might also want to experiment

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with placing your own hand on

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your chest or

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cheek. This

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contact helps induce the flow

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of oxytocin, the bonding chemical. To

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the best of your ability, feel

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this warm bond. Imagine

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if you're able a

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light in your heart radiating

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love and

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compassion. Feel

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this light expanding and filling

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your whole body with

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peace and

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ease. Now

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if it feels manageable, bring

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your awareness to the person or

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thing that you are grieving for. It

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could be a loved one who passed away. A

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relationship that ended. A

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beloved pet that has died. A

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job that you lost or

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anything else that caused

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you pain. Whatever

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it is. Hold

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it gently in your mind and

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heart. Notice

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what emotions arise. It

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could be sadness. It

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could be

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anger. Guilt.

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Fear. Loneliness.

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Or anything else. Whatever

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you feel, know

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that it's okay to feel it.

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If you can, just let them

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be. Maybe

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saying to yourself, it's

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okay. Let

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me feel this. It's

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already here. Let

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me feel it. Now

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as you do this, you may also notice

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some thoughts or memories related to your

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loss. They

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could be positive or negative. Happy

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or sad. Pleasant.

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or unpleasant. Whatever

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they are know that they are

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also okay and

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if you can just let them be. Maybe

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imagining you're lying on a riverbank and

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the thoughts are the sticks and leaves

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floating by, watching

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them as they come and go. And

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as you continue to breathe naturally

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or focusing on your hands or

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feet or anchored in your seat or

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wherever you feel stability right now.

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You may also notice sensations

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or impulses in your body

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related to your grief. This

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could be tightness, heaviness,

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numbness, restlessness

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or something different. Whatever

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these sensations are know that

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these sensations are also okay.

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If you can just let them be. As

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you practice in this way you're allowing yourself

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to experience your grief as fully

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and freely as you're able. Noticing

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is your jaw tight, the

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belly, the sphincter.

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You're simply trying to be with it as it is.

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Now bring your attention back to

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wherever you placed your hand on

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your body and feeling this warm

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and soothing contact. And

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seeing if you can expand this

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feeling of comfort or care or

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stability to include the entire body.

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Please send yourself some love

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and compassion. Maybe

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saying to yourself I

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love you. I'm

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here for you. I'm

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sorry for your loss. I

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understand your pain. I

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support your well-being. Now

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think of the person or thing that you're

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grieving for and perhaps send them some love

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and gratitude saying to them, I

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love you. I

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thank you. I

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honor you. I

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remember you. And

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maybe even, I release

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you. I

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love you. Taking

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a moment to feel the connection

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and compassion between you and

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all beings who are grieving.

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Know that you are not alone in your grief.

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Take a few more deep breaths and

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gently open your eyes, noticing

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how you feel after this meditation.

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You may feel lighter, calmer,

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or more peaceful. You

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may feel residual sadness, anger,

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or other

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emotions. Whatever

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you feel, know that it's okay.

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Know that you've done something good for yourself

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and others by

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being with your grief in this way. You

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are not alone. Please

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love yourself and meet everything that

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comes your way with

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kindness. Thank

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you for joining me in this meditation

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on coping with grief. May

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it bring light to the journey. Thank

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you for listening to this episode

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of 12 minute meditation from mindfulandmindful.org.

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I hope you enjoyed practicing with us.

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We'll be back in seven days with

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another meditation practice for you.