Modern Grief Therapies - Yoga

How can yoga benefit widows?

This is the question I put to Ariel Young, a registered yoga teacher at Seattle's Yoga on Beacon, when I learned that a yoga workshop for grievers was taking place last month.

Ms. Young started with explaining what yoga is.

“Yoga literally means ‘to yoke’ in Sanscrit, as in ‘yoking’ oxen together to pull a cart. It is often translated as 'union.' Union of the mind and body, of breath and movement, but most importantly, union of Atman—your individual consciousness—with Brahman, the eternal, unchanging 'That' from which all existence proceeds and eventually returns. The course of life often separates us from this natural state of union into which we are born."

What about its applicability to grieving individuals?

“The immense disruption of a death loss can leave us feeling profoundly disconnected. The practice of yoga—particularly restorative yoga, where the body is fully and effortlessly supported by gravity and props—is the journey back to that state and beneficial to the bereaved.”

For many years, talk therapy and group support were the only resources that were perceived to be helpful to widows. Modern therapies such as yoga, however, are gaining more visibility.

In the greater Seattle area, there are more than 150 dedicated yoga studios, several of which include a focus on grief in their practices.

In addition to yoga classes, the owner of Yoga on Beacon, Danielle Fraser, supports periodic workshops such as the recent "Yoga for Loss" offering. For more information about Yoga on Beacon, click HERE.

Besides teaching yoga, Ariel Young is also a licensed independent clinical social worker and certified grief counselor. She has openings for therapy clients and specializes in issues of chronic illness, loss, and grief. Both in-person and telehealth appointments are available. For more information, click HERE.

“Modern Grief Therapies - Yoga” is the second in a series. To read my blog post “Modern Grief Therapies – Art,” click HERE.
 
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