10 Proven Ways Yoga Can Help You with Grief
Grief is a deeply personal experience and a natural reaction to loss. It manifests in various ways, affecting our emotions, physical health, and cognitive functions. While we each navigate our grief journey differently, finding tools and practices that provide comfort and healing can be essential. For me, yoga has been one of those tools, and I want to share with you 10 proven ways that yoga can help you in your grief journey.
You might be wondering, why “proven” ways? It's important to know that these techniques are backed by evidence-based studies and insights from grief therapists. So whether you're skeptical or simply curious, I hope these insights can offer some relief, whether for you or someone in your life who may be struggling with grief.
1. Meditation for Grief
According to the American Brain Foundation, grief can cause changes in memory, behavior, sleep, and body function, often leading to cognitive effects like brain fog. Meditation can ease these effects by calming the mind. If you find it difficult to meditate due to a whirlwind of thoughts, consider starting with guided meditations or shorter sessions. Over time, as your mind begins to focus, you'll find that meditation can bring a sense of ease to your thoughts. Try these meditation practices.
2. Yoga as a Supportive Practice
A study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that yoga intervention programs help with grief-related symptoms such as excessive thinking and feeling overwhelmed by emotions. Yoga provides a supportive environment where you can safely release these emotions, knowing you're surrounded by others who are also on a journey of healing and self-improvement.
3. Physical Benefits of Yoga
Yoga enhances muscular strength, body flexibility, respiratory, and cardiovascular function. It promotes recovery from anxiety, depression, stress, and improves sleep patterns, contributing to overall wellbeing and quality of life. Attending yoga classes can help address physical symptoms of grief, like lethargy or restlessness, by promoting relaxation and strengthening your body.
4. Breath of Joy for Detoxification
Breathing practices like the "Breath of Joy" promote detoxification, release tension, and circulate prana (life-giving force). In traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs are associated with grief, and poses that open the chest can help release grief that has settled there. If you feel a tightening in your chest or shallow breathing, consider incorporating this practice into your routine.
5. Restorative Yoga for Deep Relaxation
Restorative yoga is a gentle practice that promotes deep relaxation and helps the nervous system unwind. Using props to support your body, you can fully relax and focus on your breath, making it easier to manage stress and anxiety. This type of yoga is particularly helpful for those who struggle with racing thoughts or sleeplessness.
6. Yoga to Improve Mood
All exercise can boost your mood by lowering stress hormones and increasing endorphins. Yoga, however, offers an added benefit by elevating levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a brain chemical associated with better mood and decreased anxiety, as supported by a study from Harvard Health.
7. Safe and Compassionate Grieving
Yoga provides a safe, comfortable, and self-compassionate way to grieve. It allows you to witness your grief without judgment, helping you move through it and potentially reducing its intensity. Holding space for your emotions in a non-judgmental way is a powerful practice in the healing process.
8. Yin Yoga for Emotional Release
Yin yoga focuses on holding poses for extended periods, allowing deep emotional releases. Poses that target the hips, where we often store emotions, can help release grief and open up space for healing. It's not uncommon to cry during these poses, which is a positive sign of emotional release.
9. Grounding Poses for Safety and Release
Poses like Child’s Pose or hip openers can help you feel grounded and safe, essential when you're navigating grief. These poses allow for the release of tension and emotion stored in the body, particularly in the hips and lower back. Holding these poses for longer periods can lead to deeper relaxation and stress relief.
10. Strength Poses for Courage and Resilience
While there isn't specific research on strength poses in yoga for grief, I believe they are crucial. Poses like Warrior II and Tree Pose embody courage and resilience, reminding you of the strength you have to face your grief. These poses help you tap into that inner strength, finding balance even when life feels overwhelming.
I hope these 10 strategies help you on your grief journey. If you're interested in learning more about how yoga can assist you in releasing grief symptoms, consider joining my "Five Weeks to Grief Relief" program starting on October 24th, 2024. Or, visit my website, sueandersenyoga.com.