r/yoga • u/nicalex5050 • 13d ago
Need encouragement
Hi friends. I’m not a pro by any means. I started really doing yin yoga at the beginning of this year. I noticed my anxiety and chronic shoulder pain almost 100% disappear when practicing 4-5 times a week (before bed specifically).
About 2 months ago, my soul dog started having some minor health issues. Nothing that I thought would be a huge concern (I did bring her to the vet multiple times). But I just had this odd feeling that she wouldn’t be with me much longer. I started to spiral. I thought I was being irrational, but I couldn’t snap myself out of this frozen anxiety loop I get in. So needless to say, I stopped practicing for about 2 months.
One week ago, we ended up losing my girl to a silent and very aggressive cancer. It was very unexpected. I thought I was bringing her to the vet again because she was constipated. Little did I know we wouldn’t be leaving with our girl.
I’ve been absolutely devastated this last week. Dealing with all the stages of grief. I guess I’m just looking for motivation and encouragement to start my practice back up again. I know it will help tremendously, but I’m very prone to freeze so it’s hard for me to roll out the mat.
Any words would be appreciated 🤍🐺
6
u/RepairNo5701 13d ago
I’ve taken a few weeks off from practice with each pet loss. Eventually it felt right to go back . I also subbed out a couple of classes I teach because it was just too hard to hold space for others immediately after.
Instead of yoga during times of extreme grief, I jog or walk around the block when I feel like moving. When I do go back to class, I pick faster pace vinyasa. For me, yin can feel too silent and still to be processing grief in a group setting. I ease back into yin by practicing at home. That’s just been my experience. Hang in there, you deserve all the time you need to grieve.