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Week 5 · March 20 - 26

{Biosphere} Moving with Grief

“Animals. They are the most profound doctors for loss, mostly because animals are practically a molecular presence in our psyches and souls, but also because in a sense animals are the grief of the world's losses. They are the tears and songs of the heart of the divine turned into powerful, walking, flying, swimming, furry, hunting, hiding beings whose spirits have never been compromised by having a choice to be other than the powerful beings they already are."

—  Martin Prechtel, The Smell of Rain on Dust

Main Movement Meditation

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Planning and Pairing Ideas:

  • Pre-plan at least one or two walks/rolls/strolls with the guided meditation alongside a group of people (family moving together, two families/couples, social/groups, colleagues and teams). Have each individual listen to the meditation together at the same time. You might consider doing this in a large park or have a simple route identified so people can easily find one another after the meditation. You can have everyone listen and move together like a flock of birds or have everyone spread out on their own while moving and then return to set place at a set time. In either case, you might have people pair up while walking/rolling after the meditation to share what came up for them. You can then switch walking/rolling partners after 20 minutes to share and listen. Continue switching walking/rolling partner every 10-20 minutes depending on your time together.
  • You can also set this up virtually. Invite a group of people to participate in this mediation at a set time. You know that energetically your group, family, and collective are out moving to this at the same time. Then, after, you can set up a conference call or zoom call to continue walking/rolling and processing together while on the phone.
  • If you are in a situation where you are with kids and children, you (adults or young adults) might listen and practice the meditation beforehand for yourself. From there, you can find ways to help your kids (while moving) honor and be with what is hard. It can be anything. What makes them sad or what is confusing or what is troubling. Come up with your own questions and keep it simple. They don’t need to have an answer. The asking alongside the movement can do so much for making it okay (giving permission) for children to move with what is hard and to not have to hide it, shame it, or cover it up.

Additional Practices & Meditations

  • Bold Love Pledge Walking/Movement Mediation on Insight Timer
  • Walking as a Human Right: One of the loudest forms of grief, in my opinion, that can be felt and noticed while moving relates to the White Supremacy harm being done to our bodies, health, and ecosystems related to transportation. Take some time with this video and invitation. Feel out your own way of noticing and taking unique action around helping to make your own streets safer and more comfortable for those who have no choice but to walk, ride a bus, or use a wheelchair in this time.
  • Walking as Earth Care: Alongside my dear friend and herbalist, Monticue Connally of A Root Awakening, we invite people to more radically connected to Earth Care, planet stewardship, trees, and plant-relating.

Additional Resources:

Prompts: 

Consider writing one or a few of these down on a piece of paper. Take them with you both and if you are curious and interested, pull one out and read it first silently to yourself and then again out loud to your walking partner. You might cut them into pieces and randomly draw/split the prompts to read and guide some of your movement. Be open and attentive to what arises. Release the need to solve anything or arrive somewhere.

  • Where is my grief? How is my grief?
  • Where is there grief around me? Energetically? Physically as I move?
  • Is my personal grief blocking some of my ability to more fully move with and help heal the collective grief around me?
  • I will pause as often as I can to breathe in self-compassion, fully and deeply into my lungs, as I move with grief.
  • I will rest my hands on the wounds of trees to honor the wounds I carry. I will rest my hands on the wounds of trees to honor and wake me up to the grief all around me.
  • I invite the sky, air, and sun to keep me from hiding or suppressing my grief in ways that harm me and others.
  • I invite the sky, air, and sun to help me share and offer my grief to trusted peers and sound of flowing water.

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