Sadness, anger, guilt and anxiety are four of the main symptoms of grief, although there are many other expressions of this universal human experience. These states can get amplified during the holiday season when the spaces vacated by that which has been lost become like black holes pulling you into their vortex, and other people's joy reminds you how distinctly 'un-joyful' you feel. If you dread the holiday season, this series may help you not just cope but possibly even thrive throughout the month of December.

Grief is not a pathology; it is the natural response to loss. Some say that grief is the second most prevalent emotion in the human heart, exceeded only by love. In a world governed by impermanence we all must reconcile the fact that we will lose everything we love. And our losses are not confined to death. We lose faith, trust, hope; we lose jobs, relationships, social standing; we lose youth, prowess, dreams. And there is death. Although it may be more accurate to say that grief is a consequence of attachment, not of love itself, we all must grapple with the reality of grief even as we progress on the path of non-attachment, unconditional love and liberation.

In this 4-week series we will use time-tested yoga techniques to address some of the manifestations of grief. Using breathwork, yin and gentle yoga, visualization and meditation we begin to realize that grief is a largely untapped source of deep self-discovery revealing timeless truths. Rather than working with the ‘stages of grief’ model which implies a linear path, we will consider the ‘tasks of grieving’ which occur in any order and may be revisited over and over again. Ultimately we realize that grief must be integrated into who we are becoming as we increase our capacity to hold it, which then increases our capacity to live life ... possibly even experience joy.

This series is open to all levels of yoga practitioner from the seasoned yogi/ni to the brand new beginner. You will not be required to share. In the privacy of your own home you could build an altar to acknowledge what you are grieving. This series will not 'cure' your grief but hopefully will normalize it, allow it to move, and help you integrate the reality of the loss while empowering you to create new ways of being in the world.