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Honoring Grief – Circle, Yoga, and Sound Bath
October 3, 2024 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm MDT
Free
INTRODUCTION:
While we often spend many moments of an Image Reborn breast cancer retreat deep belly laughing together, we also hold space for a lot of tears. If you’ve attended a retreat within the last few years, you likely participated in a grief circle led by one of our incredible, experienced grief facilitators. This is because we are big believers in the power of grief-tending and have witnessed how sharing grief in community opens us up for deeper connections – to ourselves and to others. It can also open our hearts to experience profound gratitude and joy.
At the beginning of 2024, Image Reborn began hosting virtual monthly grief circles to maintain an ongoing, safe space for practicing this modality of self-care and to promote a third place for deep connection.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THIS SPECIAL 2-HOUR EVENT:
In honor of our upcoming 25th Annual Celebration of Life Gala, and as we ease into breast cancer awareness month, we warmly invite our community of alumni, healers, connectors, donors, volunteers, friends and family to join us in a sacred circle of holding grief for the losses we have experienced as a result of breast cancer. Our intention is to hold the gentlest of care for whatever is heavy in your heart.
First, Mindy Relyea, Grief Advocate and Certified End-of-Life Doula, will open our circle with a share about the grief-tending process. An invitation to check in with yourself will be offered and the circle will be opened to sharing, if desired. Guests are also welcome to participate through active listening and witnessing if sharing is not desired. Your presence is all we need to create this supportive gathering.
Following our share, Julia Moench-Parent, Clinical Mental Health Counselor, will offer some helpful tools and guidance for navigating the waves of grief. How do we integrate grief into our daily lives, so that we can simultaneously acknowledge and respect our grief and also move forward in life, appreciating the incredible world and beauty that are also part of this life.
And finally, we will conclude our evening with a soul-hugging yoga practice led by Susan Basmajian, Yogi and Reiki Master, accompanied by singing bowls played by Mindy Relyea. We hope you will leave feeling a sense of release and an embodiment of warmth and gratitude.
WHAT THIS CIRCLE IS NOT:
This is not a therapy session. It is not a place to placate, fix, or offer feedback or advice to any other participant. No grief is too big or too small for this circle, and you do not need to share to participate. Your presence is all that is required.
WHEN AND WHERE:
October 3, 2024 at 6:30-8:00 pm MT
W Design Collective
2408 Kentucky Ave, Holladay, UT 84117
WHAT TO BRING AND OTHER LOGISTICAL STUFF:
- Please bring a yoga mat, beach towel or blanket, and an eye pillow (if desired). We will have a few extras on-hand but not enough for every person.
- Wear comfortable clothing for doing gentle yoga and getting cozy for a sound bath.
- Parking is available onsite.
- To ensure comfort for all, participation is limited to 18.
WHO WILL FACILITATE:
Mindy Relyea, Grief Advocate
Her resume is extensive – working in the nonprofit realm for much of her career, providing end-of-life doula services and leadership for those entering the field, and creating intimate and conference-level spaces that promote conversations about death and dying and life and living. She has offered grief sharing circles at Image Reborn retreats; presented at other organization events, such as at the Young Survivor Coalition Summit and Ever Presence Symposium; as well as at many corporation team-building events.
Julia comes to Image Reborn as a valued retreat Alumni, having attended their first retreat in 2017. Since then, Julia has offered countless hours of volunteer service, mentorship and friendship, and has modeled what self-care and compassion looks like through their own healing journey. For the past year, Julia has also become a facilitator of grief-sharing circles offered at retreats.|
Julia graduated in 2017 with their Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix. Prior to moving to Moving Forward Counseling full-time, she worked for the past 7 years in a dual-diagnosis and mental health treatment facility in both their residential and outpatient programs in a multitude of roles. She has been at Moving Forward Counseling for over a year, and is the Clinical Director for their outpatient mental health program. She has had training and certifications in a multitude of different modalities such as: ART, EMDR, trauma-informed art therapy, grief/loss, mindfulness, DBT, CBT and ACT. She enjoys working with adults and adolescents looking for support with trauma, anxiety, depression, BPD, substance and is LGBTQ+ and autistic friendly.
Susan Basmajian has practiced and studied yoga, meditation and yogic philosophy for 34 years. With close to 50 years in the field of education, she blends her yoga practice, teaching background and life experience to offer private and small group workshops on a variety of yoga subjects. Susan is a 500 Hour RYT registered with Yoga Alliance.
After experiencing breast cancer in 2004, Susan became grounded more deeply into her yoga practice. Yoga provided her with clarity to make better decisions concerning her cancer. The practice was essential in her recovery, as it increased her vitality, improved her sleep and helped her manage the stress associated with cancer. In 2005 Susan became a Patient Navigator with the American Cancer Society and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. She has mentored women with breast cancer and supported them through surgery and recovery, often introducing them to the therapeutic benefits of a regular yoga practice. Susan teaches for the Image Reborn Foundation which offers breast cancer retreats for women experiencing a breast cancer diagnosis. Susan teaches yoga privately in Salt Lake City, UT and online. She believes a regular yoga practice is transformative, as it creates physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
