Because Yoga had served me well when I was dropped out of a 4-story window in the suburbs of Paris, France, I instinctively returned to Yoga. All online. We were still in the throws of uncertainty concerning the pandemic. Online Yoga classes became my lifeline to an hour of peace, crying, resting, distraction, emotions, everything. But on the Yoga mat, I felt safe and welcomed.
I took 3 to 5 classes a day, every day for several months. And when I couldn’t do it daily I suffered. The slightest problem with my internet connection would throw me into a tailspin. I didn’t care that there were videos on YouTube. I wanted and needed it live in the privacy of my bedroom. I had become part of a community. Yogis. But not in the sense that we could bend ourselves into pretzels or meditate all day. But Yogis in the sense that Yoga was changing us, it was sustaining us. That’s why we showed up every day and every week.
At some point during my desperate attempts to prevent grief from consuming me, I was “called” to take Yoga teacher training. I thought, if I can’t get into a class I can lead myself. I also wanted to know why Yoga was such a balm for me.
And thus a new journey began. It was and still is one of the most rewarding journies of my life. In addition to the 200-hour yoga teacher training, I have completed 200 hours of additional Yoga continuing education units, handpicking topics including grief, depression, and trauma-informed. The experience was too transformative to simply write about.
Then the opportunity presented itself to teach with the organization that saved me. Who showed me and with their additional training, taught me what Mindful Resistance Trauma Recovery is. Being able to pay it forward goes way beyond what I thought was possible the first time I got on the Yoga mat after Daddy died.
I am called to help others grieve using Yoga. Grieving is a process and one Yoga class is not meant to make you feel all better. But starting with one Yoga class, you can get through your grief and reclaim something that looks and feels like you will be OK.
It worked for me and so many others. I’ve curated my workshops based on what I learned while grieving combined with what I learned through Yoga teacher training.
Read the Science behind why Yoga for Grief Healing works.
