Yoga for Grief Relief

Antonio Sausys

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Alternative medicine

Informations

• Publié par: New Harbinger Publications
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781608828203
• Langue: English

Extrait

“Losing a loved one to death pushes us into a series of feelings, beliefs, and behaviors that we try strongly to resist. These are painful and scary, and we fear that these experiences of our brokenness may never end. Antonio Sausys has taken [my] ‘tasks of mourning’ and shows how the simple practices of yoga can help us fulfill these tasks and bring us the re-integration and relief that we seek. Practicing the wisdom of this ancient mind-body discipline can help the mourner begin to integrate [his or her] experiences after loss and to re-establish a sense of wholeness.”
— J. William Worden, PhD, ABPP , author of Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy and Children and Grief: When a Parent Dies
“Provides in-depth understanding of psychosomatic aspects of grief and guides us through somatopsychic methods of yoga that empower us to regain our health, inner peace, and happiness.”
— Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani , chairman of ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India, and honorary international advisor to the International Association of Yoga Therapists, USA, and various Gitananda yoga associations worldwide
“With compassion and clarity, Antonio Sausys brings dignity to the grieving process as he guides you, step-by-step, through loss to transformation and rebirth. Herein lies an important road map for the difficult rite of passage that we all must face at some point in our lives.”
— Anodea Judith, PhD , author of Wheels of Life: Eastern Body, Western Mind
“In this book, Antonio shows us his skillfulness as a master teacher and skilled yoga therapist who offers us practical and accessible tools to meet the natural process of grieving. His years of experience in working with grief through his personal life and work with students shines through in this very pragmatic manual for how to heal through grief, not by leaving grief behind, but by moving all the way through it with love, kindness, and compassion for ourselves, and for what we have lost.”
— Richard Miller, PhD , psychologist, meditation teacher of nondualism, and author of The iRest Program for Healing PTSD and Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga
“A loving approach to transforming grief and loss. Antonio’s work is East-West wisdom at its finest.”
— Larry Payne, PhD , founder of Samata International Yoga and Health Institute; coauthor of Yoga for Dummies and Yoga Rx and the Business of Teaching Yoga ; and director at Yoga Therapy Rx™ and Prime of Life Yoga™
“The heart of yoga is here in Antonio Sausys’ Yoga for Grief Relief . Sausys understands grief firsthand, as well as yoga’s capacity to help us heal from the inside out. Trust Sausys’ deeply intuitive, compassionate, and authoritative voice as he helps you release the bodily effects of grief, guides changes in your perception, and opens you to greater self-awareness. I fully endorse this practice and this book!”
— Amy Weintraub , founding director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute and author of Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists
Simple Practices for Transforming Your Grieving Mind and Body
Antonio Sausys
New Harbinger Publications, Inc. -->
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Excerpts from Tirukural from WEAVER’S WISDOM by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, copyright © 1999 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Reprinted by permission of Himalayan Academy.
“Physical Anatomy and the Psychic Chakras” (chart) from A CHAKRA & KUNDALINI WORKBOOK by Jonn Mumford, copyright © 1994 Jonn Mumford. Reprinted by permission of Llewellyn Publications.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright © 2014 by Antonio Sausys
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
http://www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup; Text design by Tracy Marie Carlson; Acquired by Jess O’Brien; Edited by Marisa Solis; With the creative assitance of Elliott Vogel

All Rights Reserved
ePub ISBN: 9781608828203

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file
This book is dedicated to my mother, Olga Themis Marun Avisap, who, even in her passing, gave me more tools than I can comprehend to become the professional I am today. By taking me lovingly by the hand, as we pierced together through difficulties in life, she prepared me for the transformation of the grief her loss left behind into who I am today.
Her trust in me encouraged me to take on this journey; her respect for discipline gave me grounds for persevering when in doubt. I am aware she died concerned about not seeing me become the man she formed. The unstoppable force of her teachings is a testament to how, while I did lose her physical presence, she will forever be weaved into the tapestry of my heart.
Wherever you are, Mom, in whatever way you can see me, here it is. …Thank you, again!
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1. Grief: A Normal Response to Loss
Defining Grief: The Western View
Four Tasks of Mourning: A Road Map for the Grieving Process
Grief and the Brain
Chapter 2. Yoga and Grief
The Five Spokes on the Wheel of Suffering
Grief’s Challenge to Spirituality
Love Beyond Attachment
Chapter 3. How the Yoga for Grief Relief Practice Works
How This Practice Was Born
The Active Principles of the Practice
How the Practice Functions as a Whole
Chapter 4. What You Can Do: The Yoga Practice
Accepting Life Fully
Complete Breathing ( Mahat Yoga Pranayama )
Unblocking the Flow of the Life Force
Energy Flow Series ( Pawanmuktasana 1)
Whisking Up the Feelings
Windmill ( Vayu Chakram Asana )
Let Go!
Attitude of Discharging ( Utthita Lolasana )
Sleep Better and Awaken to a New Perspective
Concentrated Gazing ( Tratak )
Control Is Somehow Possible
Alternate-Nostril Breathing ( Nadi Shodhana Pranayama )
Bringing Calm to a Scattered Mind and a Distressed Body
Self-Relaxation Technique ( Anga Shaithilya )
Dissolving Old Patterns and Reprogramming the Mind with Intention
Resolve ( Sankalpa )
Opening to Spirit
Breath Meditation
Chapter 5. Designing the Logistical Aspects of Your Practice
Setting the Intention
Should You Practice Alone or Under Guidance?
Is It Better to Practice Individually or in a Group?
Is It Safe to Do This Practice by Yourself?
Which Exercises Are Best for Me?
Where Should I Practice?
When Should I Practice?
For How Long Should I Practice?
Your Practice Changes as You Do
Chapter 6. The Process of Transformation
Finding a New Identity After Loss
How Can the Transformation Be Accomplished?
What Are the Possible Meanings of Finding a New Identity After Loss?
Conclusion
Glossary
References
Acknowledgments
My deep gratitude goes to Lyn Prashant. Her immense knowledge of the implications of grief for the body informed and enlightened my understanding of this difficult time for the human heart. Her insightful mentorship transformed and enligthened my professional outlook. Her compassion and profound ability to hold space supported me through the transformation of my own bereavement. Her gentle yet fierce commitment to the truth of the soul moved me to levels of depth still manifesting in my life today. Her wisdom and dedication to serving others inspired my work. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to develop the seed she planted within me and I thank the universal order for having our paths meet in this lifetime.
I thank Elliott Vogel, whose patience, dedication, and creative assistance helped shape my writing while preserving my own voice. His edits translated the language of my heart into adequate words that now reach the ears of those willing to listen.
An image is worth a thousand words: My sincere thanks to Bryan Hendon, a powerful human being with a wizard in his eyes. Seeing myself through his lens gave me confidence and revealed a renewed image of myself.
Thanks to my dear wife, Katia, who supported me in so many loving and respectful ways throughout the process of writing this book. Her belief guided me back to my self-trust so that I could continue; she helped me remove the obstacles, again and again. Thank you, sweetie.
Finally, I must thank the wisdom of Yoga that, pouring through my life, turned me into a humble vehicle of the universal knowledge we all abide by.
Foreword
In 1984 I was living at the Living/Dying Project in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my young husband, Mark. He was exploring the nature of his life and death provoked by the extreme affliction of metastasized head and neck cancer. I was newly married, and both the grieving wife and designated survivor. With Mark’s death, Degriefing (Integrative Grief Therapy) was born; and my life’s work was shown to me.
At first I questioned how I was going to continue to find meaning in my solo journey. I asked Mark, “Who am I? Who dies? Where do you go? What am I to do with the rest of my life?”
“Learn to love everything as you love me,” was his simply stated response. I sought out professionals to help me learn to do that, and yet felt invisible, not heard, not seen. I didn’t even understand how to begin to look for me. A caring and concerned friend treated me to my first experience of truly conscious bodywork, which helped me begin to tolerate being in my skin.
I also noted that when I coaxed my grieving body into some yoga poses, I felt the molecular shift of my internal particles reorganizing. As an athlete, physical education teacher, and coach I saw how the physical body not only needs its own expression but actually demands physical release. This resets the balance of the many interconnected complex biological systems involved in grief.