Yoga For Grief Support
  • Home
  • Classes
    • Group Yoga For Grief Support >
      • FAQ
    • Online Yoga Programs >
      • January-April-Schedule
      • Navigating Grief
      • FAQ and Policies
    • Guided Audio Practice - Online >
      • FAQ and Policies
    • Workshops and Speaking Engagements
    • Mentorship for Yoga Teachers
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Contact

Telling Your Story and Silent Support

11/9/2011

0 Comments

 
After the death of a loved one, there is such power and healing in simply telling your story, over and over…retelling it as much as you need or want to.  When you tell the story of your loved one, it re-affirms them as part of your life – even in their death.  Sharing your experience, bit by bit, makes death real, and draws people into your life to support you.  Overtime, and through the lifelong journey through grief, it’s important to find compassionate ears that will continue to hear about your loved one, and how the loss has impacted your life.

In the “olden days,” it was customary to wear black during a period of grief and mourning.  This custom had multiple functions.  One was to function as an outward marker of the person’s loss – and so, people would approach the ‘greiver’ and inquire about who died, and offer their support.  This simple interaction created an avenue to continue to talk about the loss and receive support on an ongoing basis.  In this day-and-age, we have lost this custom to wear black for an extended period of time, but we haven’t lost our need to tell our story.  However, in my experience, and in the experience of people who have shared their story with me, it is increasingly difficult to openly talk about death and our experiences of loss.

I was listening to a podcast this week that talked about the silent support of meditation groups.  The speaker was trying to portray how being present, silently and without ‘having to do anything,’ created a sense of confidence and understanding in both the hard work of mourning and grief, and the ability to ‘sit’ in the muckiness of life. When we can be together as a group – each silently and individually experiencing our own present truth (even if the truth is painful) there is a sense of perseverance and  mutual support – where we hold each other up though both the commonality and universality of our own experiences. She really put words to a sense of support I have felt both in meditation groups and in yoga classes.  Silent, non-doing support.  Where we can connect with other people without the verbal and/or extroverted pressure.

In your journey through grief, continue to express your grief and your story outside yourself.  Talk, write, sing, dance it out.  Recognize that this need may not necessarily diminish over time, although it may change.  Ask yourself what would feel the best in your body and mind when it comes to expressing your grief.  Telling your story verbally is very powerful, and so is the silent support of all the other people (known to you or not) that have experienced deep pain.

“Healing means, first of all, the creation of an empty but friendly space where those who suffer can tell their story to someone who can listen with real attention.  As healers we have to receive the story of our fellow human beings with a compassionate heart, a heart that does not judge or condemn but recognizes  how the stranger’s story connects with our own.  We have to offer safe boundaries within which the often painful past can be revealed and the search for a new life can find a start.  Our most important question as healers is not, what to say or to do? But, how to develop enough inner space where the story can be received? Healing is the humble but also very demanding task of creating and offering a friendly empty space where strangers can reflect on their pain and suffering without fear, and find the confidence that makes them look for new ways right in the center of their confusion.”      – Henri J.M. Nouwen, “Reaching Out”

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Get new posts by email:
    Powered by follow.it

    Author

    Sandy Ayre
    Occupational Therapist
    Yoga Instructor
    Death and Grief Studies Certificate

    Sandy offers in-person Yoga for Grief Support classes in Edmonton, and world-wide online. 

    ​Learn more about her here.


    Categories

    All
    About The Class
    Authenticity
    Book Recommendations
    Care-givers
    Coping With Grief
    Guest Posts
    Inspiration
    Mind Body Connection
    Mind-Body Connection
    Music
    Nature
    Prayer Flags
    Spirituality
    Taking Yoga Off The Mat
    Videos
    Yoga Philosophy
    Yoga Poses


    Archives

    December 2022
    March 2022
    August 2021
    May 2021
    December 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    June 2017
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    December 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

Classes

Group Yoga for Grief Support
Online Yoga Sessions
Guided Audio Practice
Workshops

Helpful Info

Resources
Blog
Newsletter

About Us

About Sandy
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
© Yoga for Grief Support in Edmonton
  • Home
  • Classes
    • Group Yoga For Grief Support >
      • FAQ
    • Online Yoga Programs >
      • January-April-Schedule
      • Navigating Grief
      • FAQ and Policies
    • Guided Audio Practice - Online >
      • FAQ and Policies
    • Workshops and Speaking Engagements
    • Mentorship for Yoga Teachers
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Contact