The power of mindfulness when coping with grief and loss is at the centre of this year’s workshop acknowledging Loss and Grief Awareness Week 2023 in the final week of July. This is the third year that Elliotts Funeral Services and Grief Support Services have collaborated to bring a workshop like this to the Tauranga community.
In a world where we are bombarded with information and a hectic pace is normalised, it is sometimes difficult to give an experience like loss and grief the attention it deserves and needs, according to Jeanette Jones from Grief Support Services. “When we pause and take time to witness our thoughts and responses with gentle curiosity, kindness and compassion it can give us valuable insights into our wellbeing that can otherwise be dismissed or overlooked” she claims.
Participants do not need to have any previous experience of mindfulness practice and the group will be held in a nourishing and safe space by trained and experienced Physiotherapist and Mindfulness Facilitator Katie Ayo. “Mindfulness can allow us ways to soften our loss and grief and manage experiences such as overwhelm, anxiety, frustration and sadness in a non-reactive and non-judgemental way”, says Katie.
This year, the Tauranga workshop runs 9am-2pm, Saturday 29 July, at Elliott’s Chapel, 414 Cameron Road and includes morning tea and lunch.
The workshop is open to all with any donations to Grief Support Services gratefully received. Spaces are strictly limited so registration is required.
Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally. Mindfulness refers to the capacity to be present in our lives, whatever we are experiencing and to hold ourselves with kindness and compassion as we do so. This can help us to hold ourselves steady through times of difficulty and suffering and opens a space so that we don’t just react out of habitual patterns, but rather have more choice. This is not always easy, but it is where the power lies.
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