Tending to Grief and Hope: Queer Yoga Day Retreat

We welcome you to join us and the Queer Yoga Community in the beautiful Ashtanga Yoga Edinburgh & Hillside Yoga Collective studio, for a nurturing afternoon of tending to grief and hope 🍂🦋🧘

This intimate retreat is an invitation to explore an embodied, curious approach to tending to grief and hope, in their many forms, expanding our capacity, compassion and confidence in allowing them to flow and express through us, as nature intended. Using the body as our gateway, we’ll journey through a curated sequence of practices which weave gentle yoga with playful somatic exercises, to support the balance and healthy expression of grief and hope, which is vital to our health and wellbeing.

Grief is not contained withinbereavement and loss; it has many entry points, forms, faces, and ways of expressing itself through us - all of which are healthy. Feeling grief is not simply a possibility, but an inevitable result of living life, therefore choosing to avoid grief, is choosing to avoid life itself. When we tend to our grief with reverence, we open our capacity for more love, joy, bliss and hope - we can live life in a more deeply embodied way. We know that for many, grief is not easily or openly approached, which is why this supportive community space is being held for you.

We’ll open our space by setting group agreements and intentions for the afternoon. Megan will lead us into a slow and mindful yin yoga practice, with options for long-hold poses to sink deeper into any stored tension; optional hands-on assistance is being offered by Megan within this practice. As we enter the final resting posture, Jasmine will gently guide us into meditation, beginning our grief-tending practice. From here there will be invitations to explore somatic movement, breath and sound in a way that feels authentic for you - there is an emphasis on inviting you to release judgement and hold to fully express yourself in this container. This practice ends by re-grounding ourselves and a small journaling prompt.

We'll have a short tea break, with an invitation for some sensory grounding as a group.

Megan will then lead us through a gently energising yoga flow, to lift and set us up to meet with our sense of internal hope. We will then explore the same somatic exercises, this time allowing ourselves to express and tend to our hope. As we finish our journey, we will have some time to sit in circle together to share our experiences and close the space.

Schedule:

1.30 - 1.45 Welcome / Expectations

1.45 - 2.45 Yin Yoga

2.45 - 3.15 Tending to Grief Practice

3.15 - 3.45 Tea break

3.45 - 4.30 Energy Flow Yoga

4.30 - 5.00 Tending to Hope & Joy Practice

5.10 - 5.30 Journal / Sharing Circle

We aim to create a supportive, non-judgmental and welcoming space for all within our community of LGBTQ+ folks. This practice is open to all levels of experience.

We offer reduced and tiered pricing options as we are aiming to make our eventsfinancially accessible. Please pay what you are able and if you are unable to pay please just get in touch. All donations go directly back into our community and support us to deliver subsidised classes.

Getting There and Access Information:

The studio is situated on Montgomery St Lane. It is tucked away and cobbled. There are double yellow lines directly beside the studio so if driving you can park on Montgomery St or Windsor Street, which are both free on Sundays and 2/3 mins walk from the studio. Elm Row bus stop is a minute walk away for buses 7, 14, 29, 31, 45, 49. Macdonald Row tram stop is also nearby.

Mats will be provided but feel free to bring your own if you prefer. Blocks, blankets, bolsters and eye pillows will be provided. Chairs can also be provided if needed for some or all of practice - please just let us know at the start of class or earlier by email. We suggest you wear comfy clothes you can freely move in (joggers, shorts, T-shirts etc). Layers might be helpful as we will be warming up and cooling down.

The main studio space is up a flight of stairs (16 steps) with handrails on either side and even levelled steps. Unfortunately, there is no lift. There is a street-level reception area, with a seating area, a small library, and an open kitchen with a separate changing area with bag storage and a large accessible bathroom. The reception area will be available for only our group to use throughout the afternoon if you need the space at any point.

Please aim to arrive 5-10 minutes before the start time, so you have plenty of time to get in and settle. We are expecting the group size to be between 6 -10 people. Remember to bring a journal and pen, plus any extra comforts and nourishing snacks for yourself to make your experience more cosy.

The studio will be naturally lit whilst it is daylight (there are small windows around the studio and on the ceiling). When it gets dark the space will be gently lit. We will be playing some quiet music through most of the day. There may be some options for us to make a lot of noise with our voices, if you have ear protection you'd like to bring we will let you know before we lead this part of the practice. We will not be using incense but there will be the option to connect to our sense of smell using essential oils.

We hope to see you there, please do get in touch with any questions - [email protected]

About the Facilitators

Jasmine Kate Wickens (she/her)

Forever a work in progress, I am a self-defined weaver of energy, words and symbols which stir, soothe and support the soul. My curiosity reaches into the realms of spiritualism, mysticism, holistic health and nourishment, craft, poetry and beyond. My offerings have been developed from my personal experience and study; they're intended to gently guide beings to re-connect their internal + external landscapes, through the simple practices of introspection, nourishment and subtle energy work, to soothe and nurture their whole selves into being.

https://www.jasminekatewickens.co.uk/

@jasminekatewickens

Megan Smith (she/they)

I started Queer Yoga Edinburgh as I wanted to connect with this community and be a part of making yoga more accessible. My personal yoga journey has given me the tools to regulate my nervous system and inhabit space more confidently. I’ve felt empowered and supported massively through my experience of learning yoga philosophy. In my classes, there is no expectation on how you show up, everything and everyone is welcome. I enjoy supporting varying abilities and mobilities with a trauma-informed approach. I hope to empower you to find your own embodiment practice, to feel into how you want to move and breathe - following what feels right for you in the present moment. I’m very grateful to be a part of this queer yoga community where we celebrate our uniqueness, our similarities and our differences.

queeryogaedinburgh.co.uk

Host or Publisher LGBT Health &Wellbeing