Grieving is Healing

Out beyond the idea of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I will meet you there. ~Rumi

This line has been on repeat in my mind lately.  I find myself reciting it and imagining the field that sits out beyond judgment.  That notion seems wildly beautiful to me.  I think that there are very few things that feel as magical and moving as deep love and acceptance.

I Bow My Head to God and God took all of me. Every imperfection. God took all of me. ~Yogi Bhajan

Being judged whether by your own self or by others is a horrible feeling. It holds us separate and makes us feel less then.  After working as a healer for the past decade I can honestly say that worthlessness and self -loathing are epidemic in this world. In truth we are our own worst critics.  In all actuality we damn ourselves.

That is why actively creating a field of peace in your life – through interacting with others or simply through practice – is so important.

 

I have been lucky enough to have several relationships throughout my life that represented a field of acceptance.  Recently someone whose hand I held for many years in the beautiful meadow of our friendship passed away. Losing someone who stands beside you – hand to hand – in the best of times and in the worst of times, leaves an awfully large hole of longing.  My grief has been a tidal wave because of it.

Rest easy friend. Grieving is a healing. ~ smoke shop guru

I hate this idea but I know that it is right. Grieving is what we call the process of healing from the death of someone we loved. Grieving is an undergoing, it is a suffering – it has its own time frame – its own evolution. I know with time the intensity of my grief will lesson, that a transformation will happen and the wounds will scar over.  It will take time, patience and compassion. It will take a field of healing.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It is for times like these that I continually cultivate a field of peace within myself.  That field was shaped, tilled, and sowed through my practice. Because of that I choose to walk there daily with gratitude. Allowing it to simply reflect where I am at that moment.

My practices shifted when my beautiful friend died. It evolves with me because I let it. There is nothing rigid about my daily practice because I harbor no expectations. My practice is merely a reflection. How I practice tells me a lot about where “I am at.”

Lately my focus has been on resting deeply and letting my yoga practice be restorative in nature. I do simple poses that let me breathe and help my body to tap into its natural relaxation response – the powerful zone of healing available to each and every one of us.

I trust in my being’s ability to heal. Because of that I embrace the discomfort and sit still with this dark time  – I trust that the dawn is coming. To make room for the light, I carve out space each day to rest easy on my mat, my feet firmly planted in my personal field of peace. Healing, with each breath of my practice.

It would be wonderful to hear from you! What you do to create a field of healing and peace within yourself?

Here is a four minute practice – of one simple restorative yoga pose – accompanied by cellist Kristin Ostling: Constructed Relaxation