So, have you ever felt your heart break? Just right open? You know that sensation you feel. Physically. Is it sharp or dull? Does it run deep towards the pit of your stomach or high up in your throat making it so that you can't breathe?
I've felt it before. I've seen people suffer physical consequences of the emotional trauma. Working with Deborah Heart and Lung and fifteen years in the long term care industry, one becomes quite acquainted with death and grief. Never enough to prepare me for my own mother's death of course, but definitely a deeper understanding of the process of life. I've sat with many people as they passed. It was an incredible comfort to have been able to do so. Today I went through a few photos of my Mom and the people surrounding her as she left this world. They are so beautiful. If you're dealing with grief at the moment I can recommend a few things for you:
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
and
So What do you do with the grief?
I've been figuring that one out. I still am. Thanks to some of the incredible teachers in my life ~ Sudha, Melissa, Trish, Jennifer ~ among many others, I'm learning to walk this path with as much grace as I can muster and I try to create a life of compassion and integrity, truth and beauty. They inspire me to keep working at it. The more I heal the more I can serve. So Thank you <3.
Below I'm sharing a yoga class and some inspiration for dealing with grief. I hope it helps. If you have questions about it please feel free to connect with me via Facebook or email.
Pranayama For Grief
Breathe into the cave of your heart: Begin by inviting your students to take a deep, conscious breath, directing it into the heart space. This imagery connects with the Hridaya, the spiritual heart, which is often seen as a sacred cave or lotus in ancient texts.
Pranayama Techniques:
Begin with Deerga Pranayama (three-part breath) to ground and center. Follow with Bhramari Pranayama to soothe the nervous system and immerse the heart in an ocean of bliss, as described in the Shiva Samhita.
Mudra & Sound
Vajrapradama Mudra:
This mudra, symbolizing unshakable trust and self-confidence, strengthens the Manomaya Kosha (mental sheath). It's particularly beneficial for those experiencing depression or low self-esteem due to grief. It also stimulates the thymus gland, boosting immunity and supporting the heart chakra's energy.
Chanting 'Yum': The seed sound Yum resonates with the heart chakra, vibrating through the heart space and helping to release stagnant emotions.
Asana To Tend To Grief
Restorative and Grounding Postures:
Supported Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose): This gentle opener allows the heart space to release, encouraging the softening of any held grief. Support under the knees and head can offer additional comfort.
Restorative Heart Openers:
Poses like supported Balasana (Child’s Pose) and arch-supported Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) help in gently opening the chest, creating space for the heart to heal.
Yin Hips:
Including poses like Pigeon Pose or Dragon Pose to release deep-seated tension in the hips, which often hold emotional stress.
Grounding Postures:
Salabhasana (Locust Pose) and prone breathing practices are excellent for stabilizing Vata, bringing the body and mind back to a state of calm and focus.
Meditation
Visualization of the Heart Flame:
Guide your students into a meditation where they visualize a small, steady flame within the heart, symbolizing the eternal presence of love and light. Explore the four chambers of the heart, inviting them to fill each with compassion, forgiveness, joy, and peace.
Yoga Philosophy for Those Grieving
Pratyahara:
Pratyahara as a way to turn inward, encouraging students to withdraw from external distractions and listen to the sound of their own heartbeats. Offer them the option of keeping an external anchor, like a soft sound or their breath, to return to if emotions become overwhelming.
Santosha (Contentment):
Encourage the practice of contentment, even in grief, recognizing the presence of love and connection that continues beyond physical loss.
Boundless States:
Discuss the transformative power of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. These practices can purify the turbulent heart, turning it into a refuge of calm, focused awareness.
“There is in this city of Brahman an abode, the small lotus of the Heart, within it is a small space. Now what exists with that small space, that is to be sought after, that is what one should desire to understand.” — Chandogya Upanishad
Environment/ Visualizations
Creating a Sacred Space:
Use rose-colored lighting to evoke a sense of warmth and love.
Play soft ocean waves or sound bowls to provide a soothing auditory backdrop.
Encourage students to visualize the heart as a lotus blossom, opening petal by petal, representing the unfolding of their grief into acceptance and love.
Thai Assists & Marma Chikitsa:
If appropriate, gentle Thai assists can help in releasing physical tension, and Marma Chikitsa can be used to activate healing points on the body, aligning with Ayurvedic principles to restore balance.
Aromapoint Therapy
Application of Rose Oil:
Touch Tap Hridaya, placing a drop of rose oil on this point. This practice soothes Sadhaka Pitta, which governs the emotions and heart, offering a calming effect on the emotional body. Also, applying rose oil to Pericardium 7 can help release stored grief and balance the emotional heart.
Helichrysum on Heart 7 and CV17:
Known for its emotional healing properties, Helichrysum helps in mending a broken heart and bringing in resilience. Applying it to these points helps balance Vata, which can become vitiated in times of grief, leading to anxiety and a feeling of instability.
Breathe in Love
Breathe out Pain
Breathe in Peace
Breathe out Heartache
Breathe in Peace
Breathe out Peace
Breathe in until you're completely full
Breathe out until you're completely empty
Dance between these places, notice the space between the inhalation and the exhalation, gently release the space just letting one breath flow into another.
From the Radiance Sutras:
The life essence carries on its play
through the pulsing rhythm
of outward and inward movement.
This is the ceaseless throb, the rhythm of life -
terrifying in its eternity, exquisite in its constancy.The inhalation, the return movement of breath,
sustains life.
The outgoing breath
purifies life.
We breathe out the old air, the old thoughts, the old feelings.These are the two poles
between which respiration goes on unceasingly.
Between them is every quality you could ever desire.As the breath turns from in to out,
and again as the breath
curves from out to in -
through both these turns, absorb intensity.Enter these turning points
In the play of respiration and expiration,
Where the rhythms of life transform
Into each other.Breath flows in, then surrenders to flow out again.
In this moment, drink eternity.Breath flows out, emptying, emptying,
Offering itself to infinity.Cherishing these moments,
Mind dissolves into heart,
Heart dissolves into space,
Body becomes a shimmering field
Pulsating between emptiness and fullness..
With Love,
Jeanette
