What is Heart Forward Yoga?
Yoga for grievers and worriers. Each class will include four elements:
Movement: Slow-flow asana (yoga poses) to bring attention to the body.
Breathwork: Intentional breathing to calm the nervous system.
Meditation: Guided mental work to gentle the thoughts and provide space for healing.
Journaling: Thoughtful prompts to inspire processing of emotions and experiences.
Why?
When we grieve, the natural inclination is to protect our hearts. It’s necessary. They’re tender, broken, fragile. When anxiety troubles us, the natural inclination is to turn inward. It’s necessary. Our hearts race, stutter, flutter. In both grief and anxiety, we need a way to settle the heart, trust our body and mind, and regain a sense of balance. Yoga can help.
How do you know?
In 2010, my uncle Shaun died by suicide. This caused two things to happen: first, I regrieved my dad’s death, which occurred when I was five; second, it kickstarted my journey of anxiety management. Breathing exercises, medication, attentiveness to food and water intake, good sleep—all of these became necessary tools in my anxiety toolkit. I also did yoga off and on but did not have a sustained practice until May 2020. By then, another uncle, Ryan, had also died by suicide. Over the years, these grievings have shown up in various ways. Sometimes they poke at me like a sharp needle; other times, they’re a dull ache; still other times, I’m moving about my life “normally” until they roar into view, demanding attention. I did not start yoga to help my grievings or anxiety. But slowly I noticed my breath changing, my losses softening, my heart moving forward. My grief isn’t gone; anxiety management is something I attend to daily. But yoga gave me space to explore, get curious, feel where and how grief and anxiety reside in my body.
And what does that have to do with me?
Are you grieving? Loss of a family member? Spouse? Pet? Friend? Shifting relationships? Have you experienced a life transition that’s causing you to grieve your past way of being? Is anxiety spiking because of the state of the world? Politics? Financial concerns? Health fears? Grief and/or anxiety visit all of us at some point. I can help.
What are you offering?
A six-week program for grief; a three-week program for anxiety; a nine-week program that covers both. To find out more, go here: Heart Forward Yoga Offerings!
When and where?
I have two Grief cohorts and two Anxiety cohorts beginning next month! Sign up here: Events! For now, I am offering online-only options. But stay tuned, as I hope to have options for in-person cohorts very soon!
Anything else I should know?
Probably. But I have been navigating website and email intricacies all day. And I am excited to share what I have thus far with you. If you have questions or want to know more, please feel free to contact me.
I look forward to practicing with you! And if you're so inclined, please share this e-mail with friends! Thank you.
Peace,
Lauren

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