Grief. An emotional labyrinth with no clear exit.

Posted on March 14, 2025 

Grief can completely shake us. Anyone who has experienced a significant loss knows there isn't a map for it. It can feel like a constant tug of war between memories, emotions, and trying to make it through the day. It can look like sleepless nights, brain fog, tension in your body, or feeling like you're simply going through the motions. There is anger, sadness, joy, regret, smiles, reminiscing.

One of the hardest parts about grief is that it doesn't stay in one place. It follows you into everyday life. You might be making coffee, folding laundry, driving to work, and suddenly you're overwhelmed by a memory or emotion you weren't expecting.

As a therapist and yoga teacher, I've learned that grief isn't something we think our way through. We experience it with our whole body. That's one of the reasons I am passionate about yoga to people who are grieving.

Not because it takes grief away.

It doesn't.

Yoga won't make you miss your person any less, and it won't make the pain disappear. There isn't a practice that magically heals loss. What yoga can do is help you stay connected to yourself while you're moving through it.

Why Yoga Can Help

One of the greatest gifts yoga offers is something called interoception, which is simply the ability to notice what's happening inside your body.

When we're grieving, our nervous system is often overwhelmed. We may feel disconnected, exhausted, anxious, or emotionally reactive. The more dysregulated our nervous system becomes, the harder it is to respond in ways that feel true to who we are.

Yoga helps us slow down long enough to notice.

Notice our breathing.

Notice where we're holding tension.

Notice when we're clenching our jaw or carrying stress in our shoulders.

That awareness doesn't erase grief, but it creates space between what we're feeling and how we respond.

As a therapist, I often tell clients that we make better decisions when our nervous system feels safe. Yoga can become one way of helping your body find that sense of regulation and ease again.

My Own Experience

This isn't just something I've seen professionally.

It's something I've experienced personally.

After my own losses, yoga didn't change my grief. I still cried. I still missed my person. I had days where everything felt just so, so heavy.

What changed was my relationship with it.

Instead of trying to distract myself or push the feelings away, yoga gave me a place to stay present. Some days that meant moving through a few poses. Other days it meant sitting on my mat and taking a few slow breaths.

Looking back, I don't think yoga healed my grief.

I think it helped me stop running from it.

There's a big difference.

You Don't Need an Hour

One of the biggest misconceptions about yoga is that you need a sixty or ninety minute class to benefit from it.

You don't.

Five minutes counts.

Ten minutes counts.

Twenty minutes is wonderful if that's what you have.

Consistency will almost always matter more than doing one long practice every once in a while.

Some people notice a shift after their first class. Others need several practices before they begin to feel different. There isn't a right timeline. The goal isn't to force yourself to feel better. It's simply to keep showing up.

A Few Poses to Try at Home

If you're new to yoga, here are a few places to start.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Stand with both feet firmly on the floor and notice your breath. It sounds simple, but grounding yourself can be incredibly helpful when everything feels uncertain.

Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

Allow your upper body to hang heavy and let your neck relax. Many people find this pose helps release tension they've been carrying without realizing it.

Child's Pose (Balasana)

This is one of my favorites during difficult seasons. It creates a sense of safety and gives you permission to simply pause for a few moments.

Legs Up the Wall

If you've never tried this pose, it's worth exploring. Resting with your legs supported against a wall can help calm an overactive nervous system and give your body a chance to settle.

Don't Forget About Your Breath

One of the most powerful parts of yoga isn't the poses. It's the breath.

Slowing your breathing sends signals to your nervous system that you're safe. Over time, this can help reduce stress and make it easier to respond instead of react.

I'll be honest though. If you're trying a breathing exercise for the first time, I don't usually recommend counting your own breaths. Most people end up concentrating so hard on the numbers that they can't actually relax. Following a teacher or a guided recording is often much easier when you're getting started.

Yoga Doesn't Replace Grief

One thing I never want people to hear is that yoga fixes grief.

It doesn't.

Grief deserves to be felt. There is so much love in grief.

The goal isn't to move past it as quickly as possible or find a way around it.

The goal is to learn that we can stay connected to ourselves even while we're carrying something incredibly painful.

That's what yoga has taught me.

It isn't about perfect poses or becoming more flexible.

It's about learning to listen to your body, care for your nervous system, and make room for every emotion that's there.

Final Thoughts

Grief changes us.

There's no perfect timeline, no checklist, and no right way to move through it.

At Oak Tree Counseling and Wellness, I believe healing often comes from combining different forms of support. Therapy, yoga, mindfulness, and community all have a place. If you're navigating grief or another difficult season and would like support, we'd be honored to walk alongside you.

To learn more, contact us at hello@oaktreecw.com or (571) 500-8516.