I have been on an emotional roller coaster since my incredible dad passed away suddenly last week. One minute I am laughing about a funny memory of my quirky father and the next minute I am sobbing like a little girl trying to catch my breath. And lets not forget the anger and frustration that is boiling up just underneath the surface of all my sorrow. This is a rough one.
I have been doing all the things to honor my dad like setting up an alter with his pictures and lighting a candle for him every day. I did a drum ceremony on the full moon with my family and even did a shamanic journey to assist my dad’s transition from this world.
But, the bottom line is there is a whole in my heart from the lack of his physical presence. My friend Thomas called me the other day and helped me put the pain I feel into a different perspective. Losing his father a a few years ago, he is well-versed in the suffering one experiences through the mourning process.
He said it is not how much I loved my dad that makes me hurt. It is the tremendous amount of love that my dad had for me that brings ache to my heart. He explained that people who never receive that expansive level of love from someone do not experience the same deep rooted sorrow when they pass.
It made me realize how fortunate I am to have had someone in my life that has allowed me to feel these extreme emotions knowing I can no longer hug their physical body. The void is real, but my dad’s love lives on.
If you are experiencing a loss, whether a death of a friend or family member or even the cessation of a relationship, please join me for this week’s yoga class and we will work through these emotions together.
This 23-minute Yin Yoga Class, Yoga for Mourning a Loved One, is all about tuning into the many sensations that we feel for someone when they pass on. Through postures that focus on the hips and heart where we store many of these feelings, we will acknowledge our emotions, process them and allow them to move through us as we release them out of our body. Yoga with Meditation Mutha is for everyBODY. Please join me in this opportunity to honor your loved one and care for yourself during this challenging time.