09/30/2026
Making Room for Grief and Grace
Sometimes an invitation to cultivate gratitude or a more positive perspective can bring up questions: Is this spiritual bypassing? How can I feel happiness when there is so much suffering in the world? What happens to my grief if I turn my attention toward something else?
At the recent retreat in Kentucky, I had an experience that helped me understand this more deeply.
During one of our TriYoga® Flow sessions, I felt grief beginning to rise. I continued to move through the gentle movements as tears streamed onto my mat. I quietly cried through yoga nidra, too. It was painful, but some part of me understood that the tears were cleansing and healing.
When we moved into alternate nostril breathing, my nose was too runny from crying to do the practice. So I simply sat and allowed my breath to be gentle.
Then, as my teacher guided us into meditation, I heard the words, “Allow the mantra to replace the thoughts.”
Immediately, something inside me resisted. But I don’t want to replace these thoughts. Even though they are painful, they are my connection to the loved ones that I’ve lost.
Still, I began repeating the mantra. Something inside of me understood that both could be there: my heartache and grief, and the mantra. Both could exist.
What came next astonished me.
The mantra began to feel like a loving embrace, as though it were saying, I am right here with you. You are not alone as you feel this pain.
Pretty quickly I felt the intensity of the grief softening. Yet the love and connection were still there. In fact, I could feel that more clearly as the painful emotions began dissolve.
That experience showed me that I could receive comfort while honoring my grief. The love remained, even as the pain eased. It also showed me once again the power of mantra repetition.
As we explore living in gratitude this season, I want to make room for the fullness of our lives. We can acknowledge what hurts and also receive what sustains us. Sometimes, the practice is simply allowing ourselves to feel the loving presence that accompanies us through it all.
Starting Thursday will be an 8 week course to support you in opening to joy while being present with what is. See link in comments.
