Transforming Grief and Loss

Yoga Koshas to Release Grief

Yoga Koshas to Release Grief. In this lesson, Mary will help you understand the yogic concept of humanness, the layers of the koshas. By working with these koshas, you will begin to move through and grow from grief.

Think of emotions as energy in motion. We are always in state of flux. Everything is always moving, so if you come out of balance, how do you get back into balance? Mary will help you work with three main tools, physical body, awareness, and breath. In Mary’s three lessons, you will use yoga and mudras to move through and grow through grief.

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What are the six stages of grief?

In this lesson Mary will address the Kubler-Ross and David Kessler six stages of grief. She emphasizes that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. We are who we are. She’ll go over the stages briefly and notes that they are not linear. The stages come and go.

Denial – Stage in which the loss occurs and the mind cannot quite accept what has happened, and the nervous system has not adjusted to the situation. It’s like trying to find a familiar road home but the road is not there.

Anger – Anger at the person who is gone, the situation, etc.

Bargaining – The What if stage. Shame and guilt and all sorts of other emotions arise.

Depression or Deep Sorrow – Often pervasive throughout. Mary will guide you through heart energy healing to ease this emotions. Sadness can be transmuted into courage.

Acceptance – The nervous system adjusts, the mind accepts what has happened. It makes it a little easier to move forward.

Finding Meaning – Take what you have lost and enrich that experience by remembering the joy. Perhaps you develop little rituals to find joy. In the bigger way, it can lead to community action, for example MADD.

If we love, whatever it is that we love, and there is some kind of loss, that we all experience, then we will experience grief as a part of being human. However, grief can be very debilitating if we allow it to become that way. Mary offers a yogic model of different dimensions of being human and to use that to move through and grow with grief. Grief doesn’t necessarily go away, it transforms and can become something wonderful.

Everyone experiences grief depending on your personality, physiology, and the type of loss. If it’s sudden, the sensation of grief can be much more overwhelming.

How does using Yoga Koshas to Release Grief help?

The yoga koshas provide a framework for understanding the different layers or dimensions of the self, encompassing physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. By addressing each kosha through yoga practices, individuals can potentially release grief and loss by promoting balance, healing, and integration across these layers. Here’s how:

Annamaya Kosha (Physical Sheath): Grief and loss can manifest physically through tension, tightness, and other bodily sensations. Practices such as asana (yoga poses) and pranayama (breathwork) help release physical tension, improve circulation, and promote relaxation, thereby alleviating physical symptoms associated with grief.
Pranamaya Kosha (Energetic Sheath): According to yoga philosophy, prana is the life force energy that flows through the body. Grief and loss can disrupt the flow of prana, leading to feelings of depletion or stagnation. Practices such as pranayama, meditation, and energy healing work to balance and restore the flow of prana, promoting vitality and resilience.
Manomaya Kosha (Mental Sheath): Grief often involves rumination, intrusive thoughts, and emotional distress. Yoga practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and mantra repetition help cultivate mental clarity, reduce emotional reactivity, and foster acceptance and equanimity in the face of grief.
Vijnanamaya Kosha (Wisdom Sheath): This kosha represents the higher intellect and intuitive wisdom. By cultivating self-awareness, insight, and discernment through yoga and meditation practices, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the nature of grief and its underlying causes, facilitating healing and transformation.
Anandamaya Kosha (Bliss Sheath): The innermost layer of the self is characterized by a sense of interconnectedness, joy, and spiritual fulfillment. While grief can obscure this inherent sense of well-being, yoga practices such as bhakti yoga (the path of devotion) and self-inquiry (jñana yoga) can help individuals reconnect with their inner essence and experience moments of peace, acceptance, and transcendence in the midst of grief.

By engaging with yoga practices that address each kosha, individuals can embark on a holistic journey of healing and self-discovery, gradually releasing the grip of grief and loss and reclaiming a sense of wholeness, vitality, and inner peace.