Any loss, trauma, or severe deprivation can create grief that resides in the body. If grief remains in the body, over time it can accumulate and become compacted and more difficult to release. The longer grief stays in the body, the more harm it can do. Many of us have been colonized into forgetting the value of experiencing our emotions. We must re-learn how to actively grieve, that is move grief out of the body, using the body’s own movements and sound. We must do this regularly and we must do this together as much as possible. Grieving together with the support of one another is an effective, sacred practice that is indigenous to many cultures.

From the facilitator:

I am passionate about working with grief and supporting others to work with grief. Through my own study and practice, I have learned how grief is stored in the body and related to trauma which is also stored in the body. I have also learned that moving grief out of the body by allowing oneself to go to a primal, wordless place can open the way for increased pleasure and a greater capacity for joy. My grief work allows me to follow in the footsteps of teachers and medicine people I greatly respect like Sobonfu Somé and gina Breedlove, who have both taught me so much about the dangers as well as the miraculous possibilities of both ignoring and tending to grief. I believe the most effective way to work with grief is through consistent practice.

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