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Grief Space

Sun, 16 Jun

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Community building space to support each other through change, challenges and the stages of grief

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Grief Space
Grief Space

Time & Location

16 Jun 2024, 16:00 – 17:30 BST

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About The Event

Grief Space Village 

June 16, 2024 - 4:00-5:30 pm (GMT) 

Grief Space is a ritual based and a combination of Western psychology and indigenous practices. 

Incorporating Buddhist traditions, song, chanting, gratitude practices, and dedications.

For centuries, Indigenous people have endured a vast array of interruptions and disruptions affecting all aspects of our culture and societies. As a result, Indigenous people have had to respond by continuously adapting traditional ways and have grieved these losses individually and communally. The ongoing conditions directly associated with settler colonialism are revealed in systematic and systemic racism and violence in the present. People of colour had to adapt the ways they participate in end-of-life ceremonies. Through our communal connections, when something happens to one Indigenous person, it happens to all of us. As the community addresses these losses, they do so under the constraints of the systemic racism propagated through the colonial which continues to misunderstand and critique Indigenous people’s ways.(Mary Kay Denis)

Part 1 – Sunday 16th of June - Setting intentions, Buddhist aspirations, our community village, rite of passage, songs, and journaling.

Part 2- Sunday 21st of July – Bridging, working with resistance, being witnessed, chanting, ritual, and ending.

A Buddhist prayer for humanity.

By the power and truth of this practice:

May all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness

May they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering

May they never be separate from great happiness devoid of suffering

May they dwell in the great equanimity that is free from attachment and aversion

Collective grief

There is a reson to be here

 In addition to personal losses, including from covid, we have seen many other aspects of loss in recent years, resulting from war, climate change and recession. Over time this can diminish our internal resources and resilience and impact our mental health. We might feel less connected, or that we have not been heard or witnessed or that the changing nature of the world is too much for us to deal with. Grief happens in its own time and in its own way and can be multi-layered; and every journey is different. To heal, I believe we must invite, and work with, the personal, collective and ancestral.

Personal Grief

There are many situations that cause us serious pain and sorrow: life changing losses; the death of a loved one; a relationship ends; a pet dies, a job ends; divorce. Then there is everyday grief: a friend lets us down; our children struggle; we feel the loss of our roots and community. Our culture seems to encourage the ‘stiff upper lip’ and ‘moving on’. There is no timeline for, or solution to, ‘getting over’ or ‘moving on’ from grief. But we can learn to grow around our painful wounds, and begin to come to a place of peace and remember with more love than pain. Grief isn't something you simply "fix"; instead, it's a process that you learn to navigate with time, patience, and self-compassion. We invite you to develop the skills and mindset needed to effectively cope with the inevitable ups and downs of grief, allowing you to find healing, growth and, ultimately, a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in your life.

Our approach:

1. Connect with a community of people on a shared path.

Connecting with others who have walked a similar path can provide much-needed support from people who know firsthand what you're going through. Together, you'll offer each other empathy, validation, and encouragement on this journey toward healing. Even though your story will be different and special, we know what it is like to feel the pain and the complexity of being fully present with the various stages of grief.

2. Learn valuable and strategic healing methods and somatic/mindfulness exercises in weekly groups to build clarity and resilience.

Each week we will engage in a supportive movement, somatic exercise and mindfulness practices to support us. These tools will not only help you navigate your grief but also enable a sense of integration and self-regulation, allowing you to find meaning and purpose in your life moving forward.

3. Breathing together

Explore your emotions in a way that feels authentic and natural for you in a safe environment on our Breathworks Journey: “Clearing Anger, Sadness, & Grief.” Just as a garden needs weeding for new growth, our emotional landscapes require clearing for rejuvenation. In this transformative session, we delve into the depths of our breath to unearth and release the knots of anger, the weight of sadness, and the echoes of grief that linger within.

4. Experience the power of creative expression

Sharing your story can be an incredibly therapeutic way to process your grief ,you'll have the opportunity to share your memories and experiences in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. Additionally, the program incorporates creative activities such writing, photo sharing, and music, to help you express your emotions and find new ways to honour the memory of your loved one.

As Rumi beautifully said: “Your task is not to seek love, but to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

There is a price in not expressing one’s grief…There can be so much grief that we grow numb from the unfelt and unexpressed emotions that we carry in our bodies. Unexpressed hurt and pain injures our souls.” Sobonfu Somé, author, teacher, and activist

About the host :

Winner of the 2023 Faith and belief forum award and 2024 Kings garden party invitee.

William Fley is a bereavement counsellor with the emergency services and has worked within the NHS and in private practice.  He has practised in various Buddhist traditions for over 20 years.  William is the founder and director of the "Mindfulness Network for People of Colour" - a community interest company based in the UK, which aims to bring awareness of transgenerational trauma through mindfulness-based interventions.  Qualified as a 'Breathworks' mindfulness teacher, he completed a 2-year certification program with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. has studied with Danial Foor (founder of 'Ancestral Medicine') and David Kessler, an internationally known bereavement specialist. He has also completed a 18 month course in African centred practices with Dr Erica Mcinnis

 

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