Learning to release resistance to grief's waves, finding liberation not through control but through allowing the full spectrum of emotion to move through.
Mirabai's radical freedom came through emotional surrender—she renounced social constraints and devoted herself entirely to her feelings of love and loss. For children facing grief, this offers a countercultural practice: freedom emerges not from "being strong" or "staying positive" but from complete permission to feel. Many children are pressured to contain their grief for adults' comfort, leading to fragmentation and embodied trauma. Mirabai's model suggests that true freedom—psychological and spiritual—requires surrendering the need to manage others' discomfort with their pain. Supporting young people through this means actively inviting tears, rage, confusion, and despair without trying to fix or minimize them. Practices include creating "grief altars," movement practices that release held emotion, or simply sitting with a child's feelings without offering platitudes. This framework teaches that the child's emotional freedom paradoxically requires constraint-release: letting go of the constraint that they must be okay for others' sake. As Mirabai danced in the temple wearing her grief like devotion, children can learn that their tears are not failures but evidence of their heart's freedom to love completely and mourn completely.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
Explore related journeys or tell Peri what you're working through.