In Step 4 of the Mindfulness & Grief System, Heather Stang and Amanda Palermo explore how to work with difficult emotions in grief. This episode covers skillful courage, grieving styles, the RAIN practice, and how to know when to lean into what hurts and when to rest.
Death anniversaries can be hard not only on the day itself, but in the days and weeks leading up to it. If you’ve ever felt anxious, heavy, or “off” before an important date and didn’t know why, you’re not alone. In this gentle guide, I’ll walk you through seven ways to plan ahead with care so you can ease anxiety, feel more supported, and honor your loved one in a meaningful way. You’ll also find a free worksheet to help you reflect and prepare.
While grief is like a roller coaster, and rarely feels “normal,” most of us have the natural capacity to make it to the other side. Along the journey we will feel a myriad of uncomfortable, intrusive and most of all unwelcome sensations. The pain we feel as a result of losing someone we love seems unfair, but it is natural, and while the loss itself is permanent, the intensity of pain will subside.
Grief is not only something we think about. It is something we carry in the body. This article explores how Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy for grief can offer a safe, embodied, and compassionate path through loss, helping you move beyond rumination, reconnect with your inner wisdom, and find support through presence, pacing, and reflective dialogue.
Grief is not only something we think about or feel emotionally. It also lives in the body. This article explores how bodywork for grief, from breathwork and yoga to massage, art, music, and animal support, can help regulate the nervous system, reveal embodied wisdom, and make self-compassion tangible after loss.
A replay of the Living With Grief workshop on self-compassion and grief. In this session, Heather Stang shares a simple meditation and journaling practice that helps you discover the words you most need to hear when grief appears, and how those words can become a self-compassion mantra you return to in difficult moments.
After someone dies, you may wonder whether you are supposed to start moving on. Looking at photos, talking about them, or thinking about them throughout the day can bring comfort, but it can also make you question whether you are holding on too tightly. Many people worry that if the sadness fades, the connection might fade too. Grief does not ask you to leave someone behind. Instead, it often becomes a process of learning how to carry their memory forward as your life continues.
Grief can overwhelm your body with brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, and exhaustion. In Step 1, Conscious Relaxation of the Mindfulness & Grief System, you learn how to calm your nervous system before trying to process the loss. This foundational practice helps you reduce suffering and create steadiness when grief feels chaotic.
