Like love, grief is universal. We all experience it, sometimes daily. We become most aware of it after a significant loss: a beloved person or pet, a divorce, a significant illness, job loss. We also experience grief in less acknowledged moments like when we transition from one job to another, when a friendship ends, when our children reach milestones, when we have to forgo our current plans for a new path.

 

Finding opportunities to dive deeper into listening to our grief can be difficult but when we do, the effect on our lives can be profound.

The practices incorporated in this series will allow our nervous system to slow and calm, to restore and balance. Using movement, rest, journaling, aromatherapy, breathing techniques and more, we will take the time to be present with whatever phase of grief we find ourselves in right now.

 

During the 4 weeks you’ll open up to grief in several ways:

• Guided meditation and breath awareness

• Hatha and Restorative Yoga

• Journaling with weekly prompts (notebooks & pens provided)

• Aroma Acutouch with essential oils — from Monica, a LMT

• Listening to poetry (read by instuctors)

(Note that within each of these activities you can choose to be present and/or still, taking time for quiet reflection.)

 

Sitting meditation with breath awareness will set the tone, allowing our sensations and emotions to be calmed and centered. Moving our bodies while listening to poetry can help release what we are holding. We will also pause at moments, taking the opportunity to listen, process and integrate our full experience. Journaling with prompts will allow us to express our grief in yet another way – through the written word, helping us learn more about ourselves and create deeper meaning about our experiences.
 

Monica will offer Aroma Acutouch: a gentle touch to head, hands or feet during the restorative portion of class. This practice synergizes the healing power of essential oils with acupressure's potent points. You can easily opt out of this treatment and/or the oils, however, if you are sensitive to certain plants or smells this series may not be for you. Please contact us with questions or concerns.

We will offer time for sharing briefly with the group. You are not obligated, only if you choose to. Sharing can be something as simple as saying a name, sharing a picture or momento, or even something you have written during our journaling time.

This is a 4-week workshop limited to 13 attendees and is in-studio only. We will be creating a circle of trust and request that each of us honor each other's privacy and any shared confidences must stay in the studio.

 

About the co-leaders:
Rebecca Mendez (500-Hour Certified YT) has been teaching at Sellwood Yoga since 2022. She currently teaches Yoga for Healthy Aging on Mondays and Wednesdays. She also teaches Chair Yoga via yogawithreb.com. Studying and practicing yoga has supported her in the processing and understanding of her own grief – yoga is a powerful tool that has kept her rooted down. Thanks to her mother's influence she reads poems to finish every class.
 

Monica Welty (LMT) has been practicing massage since 2006 and offers gentle and restorative touch during this series, utilizing essential oils and acupressure points. She is a writer with a primary focus on grief, a wellness coach, and death doula.
 

Questions can be emailed to yogawithreb@gmail.com or visit the FAQ page.

PLEASE NOTE: This class is for those wanting to connect with whatever grief they might be experiencing with these practices/tools of meditation, yoga, breathwork and gentle touch. This is not a therapy workshop or session and we encourage anyone needing individualized grief support to contact a professional therapist.