”Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.”Rumi
Grief Retreat
Theme: Resourcing & Self-Care
Welcoming You to
A Heartful and Tender Silent Grief Retreat
to discover and build internal and external resources
Holding our beloved in our hearts,
we enter the sacred sanctuary,
in silence and respect.
-Yasemin
In grief, you may notice that sometimes you wish to be heard, and sometimes you wish to withdraw. Here’s some information on the upcoming mini retreat which brings you closer to retreating, with purpose, from the comfort of your home. It is also curated for the needs of the bereaved.
Silent Retreat
It is our human nature to keep returning to our stories and narratives. They are very important. They help us with processing, seeing different perspectives, and with meaning making. You may notice sometimes when we let them take over our mind, they have the tendency to keep us away from the present moment experiences. Sometimes, grounding ourselves in the present moment is useful. Resourcing ourselves is also beneficial and even crucial. They can both be supported further when we invite in some silence, so that we can stay within our own experience that needs attending.
This retreat will give you the safe space to be in your inner stillness in a way that will offer respite, clarity, centeredness.
Bringing calm, relaxation, support and strength
What you will get
During this retreat we will focus on resource building. There will be:
Honoring - loved ones and grief experience;
Learning - our nervous system response and normalizing grief experiences;
Variety and structure to experience - including guided practices, reflections, journaling and gentle mindful movement;
Fully guided retreat - You will be led throughout the retreat. Participants will be practicing in silence during the first part as they receive instructions, turning inwardly to focus on their practice, with the retreat guide always available to connect with;
Gaining awareness, knowledge and experience - of what is supportive for you and ways to create calm, clarity and centering (grounding);
Turning inwardly - as you resource yourself and towards your grief as you are ready;
More learning - how to gauge our responses vs reactivity, comfort vs overwhelm, attend to needs in supportive ways, and self-care;
Welcoming and respecting - all belief systems;
Gently dissolving the silence at the end of the retreat: honoring our unique experiences by sharing the essence of what is working as we continuously dance between turning towards grief and resourcing ourselves.
Sharing - in the end is by choice.
Have a question? REACH OUT
If this sounds supportive and a potential on your grief journey healing path, I am so glad that you are here. Welcome. I’d be delighted to see you at the retreat or individually, whichever you need the most, perhaps both.
FAQ:
+ Is this for me?
Any stage of grief is welcome, including new grief. Our attention will rest on creating calm, respite, clarity and grounding ourselves, as foundations to support attending to what’s needed.
Your grief may be due to many reasons. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
All belief systems are welcome. No prior experience of mindfulness is necessary.
+ What does silence and optional sharing mean?
Important to mention is that this is a flexible silent retreat, curated for the needs of the bereaved. There will be structure and a program to follow and you will be guided throughout. You will be ‘hand held’, and can always communicate with your retreat guide. That’s me. I will be speaking, and giving instructions, so you will know exactly what to expect every step of the way during the day.
During our other retreat themes and Grief Cafes, we spend more time in group sharing. These bring us into the community support for telling our stories to be heard. Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need. Sometimes, we may notice it is too much, whether we are telling the stories or hearing others’ stories. Sometimes, we wish to focus on building our resilience muscles by turning inwardly, with intent to travel a few more steps on our grief path. Inviting in silence may be needed during this time. You know it the best for yourself.
During this retreat, we will focus on connecting with and building on inner and external resources that can support you through grief. You will be invited to practice, along with others, in silence.
There will be time at the end of the retreat to dissolve the group silence and share the essence of your experience. This is going to be a personal decision that arises in the moment. You may choose to stay in your inner stillness or feel compelled to say a few words about your experience. Participation will be by choice.
+ I don’t know what mindfulness means and don’t have any experience. Can I attend?
No prior experience with mindfulness or meditation is necessary. There will be opportunities to practice it during the retreat, which is the only way to really learn it, rather than reading and intellectually ‘getting’ it. You will benefit from learning and experiencing under the guidance of an experienced teacher and practitioner.