Key practices from the book Mindfulness & Grief by Heather Stang. Includes guided meditations and a yoga practice that will help you calm your mind and restore your spirit when you are grieving or stressed. The book contains over 35 mindfulness based practice, including journaling exercies. Learn more at http://mindfulnessandgrief.com, or get the book at Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com.

Buy Mindfulness & Grief Book

Guided Meditations From Mindfulness & Grief

In episode 44, we talk to Author Jenny Lisk about her experience of parenting and caregiving for her husband during his aggressive form of brain cancer and eventually becoming a single parent and widow. Jenny shares how she navigated her way forward after his passing and her calling to help other people who may be losing a spouse.&nbsp; In Future Widow, Jenny goes behind the scenes of her journey through those tumultuous and heartbreaking months. She reflects on the community who showed her how to be an ally in a crisis, her search for guides on how to parent grieving children, and the dual reality of having to choose—and getting to choose—what her future will look like. Jenny Lisk is an author, speaker, and host of the , which has been featured in  and . On her “hundred dreams” list is riding a camel, milking a cow, and raising $44,000 for brain cancer research, in honor of her husband’s 44 years. The author of Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family, and Finding My Voice, Jenny lives in Redmond, Washington, with her two teenagers. She is passionate about helping widowed parents increase their family’s well-being. You can download her free guides,  and .&nbsp; https://jennylisk.com/memoir

Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family, and Finding My Voice

In episode 45, Angela Kennecke shares with us her story of losing her beautiful 21-year-old daughter, Emily, to overdose. Angela and her family were just a normal family. Emily was a gifted student and cheerleader. But Emily was struggling with one of the most common problems in America — addiction. Her sudden and unexpected death changed the lives of her family forever.&nbsp; Through her grief, Angela wanted to keep Emily’s memory alive. She originally wanted to just display some of her daughter’s artwork at a local charity center. Fast forward to today and Angela now runs Emily’s Hope, a foundation that wants to remove the stigma of addiction, provide financial support for treatment seekers, and bring comfort to families who have lost a loved one to addiction.&nbsp; If you’re looking for resources for yourself or a family member, please check out the resources that are available on the Emily’s Hope .&nbsp;

Emily’s Hope: Coping With Grief & Erasing The Stigma Of Overdose Loss

In episode 46, lifelong friends Shelley Buck and Kathy Curtis share their journey of childhood friendship, staying in touch through college, and the comfort that Kathy provided to Shelley following the devastating loss of her son, Ryder. Ryder was a talented musician and world traveler who continued to live his life to the fullest even after his Stage IV cancer diagnosis.&nbsp; After Ryder’s death, Shelley felt extremely lost and unsure of her next steps in life. So Kathy helped Shelley write the book “Leave Your Light On,” inspired by a song Ryder wrote, to share Shelley’s journey through the process. The book is filled with letters, journal entries, poems, and memories. Shelley found that writing was very cathartic for her, and she hopes her journey encourages others.&nbsp;

Leave Your Light On: Friendships & Continuing Bonds After Loss with Shelley Buck and Kathy Curtis

The tables are turned as Heather Stang, the regular host of the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast, is interviewed by guest host Audrey Hughey about the new guided journal for grief,&nbsp;, which releases on June 1, 2021.&nbsp;Heather shares how she began journaling about her grief over her Uncle Doug's death in high school and the differences between free journaling and guided writing with prompts. Audrey shares how she processed her emotions over her ex-husband's death in her first thriller/novel. ​&nbsp;is based on the Mindfulness & Grief System developed by Heather. It offers meditation and journaling exercises to initially help bereaved people cope with the pain of loss, and eventually rewrite their post-loss narrative, all while developing healthy lifestyle habits. The new book offers a holistic approach to life after loss, weaving in memorial and meaning-making activities with personal reflection and goals to help the reader-writer move&nbsp;forward, which is quite different from moving on. Heather relies on evidence-based approaches, contemporary grief research, and ancient practices rooted in yoga and Buddhism, and holds a master's degree in thanatology, the study of death, dying, and bereavement.&nbsp;

From Grief to Peace: Guided Journaling For Mindfulness & Compassion

Ronald Mathias talks to us about his field of medical illustration: the art of taking complex medical procedures, descriptions, or concepts and turning them into something visual for ease of understanding. He spends most of his time translating traumatic injuries and building empathy for the pain someone has suffered into a visual medium for litigation. He is also tasked with the extremely difficult job of taking the unseen symptoms and turning them into visual representations.&nbsp; For the cover of the book Superhero Grief, Ron designed the cover to help the reader understand the transformation that even Superheroes go through. Every person, superhero or not, goes through grief at some point in their lives. Each person has to leave something behind to transform into the new person that they have become. Superheroes are imperfect like us and can have trouble moving on from the trauma they have endured.&nbsp;

The Art of Visualizing Grief: Translating Pain Into Pictures

In episode 49, bereaved father Eric Hodgdon explores how he leads a life of intention in the wake of incredible pain over the death of his daughter, Zoi, who died by suicide. He shares his fond memories of a loving and fun girl who was a sweet, supportive peer to those who knew her. Family, friends, and patients who traveled their mental health path alongside her all remember Zoi as a very special person.&nbsp;

A Sherpa Named Zoi: How to Walk Through Grief & Live With Intention

In episode 50 of the Mindfulness &amp; Grief Podcast, Reid Peterson shares his story of losing both father figures in his life and the grief that comes with living without those important people. Although he was not close to his biological father the way he hoped, Reid still grieves the relationship that he wished he had with him. After his loss, Reid found support through grief groups but wanted more consistent support. This led him to create a grief support app that offers daily audio messages for grief education.&nbsp;

Fatherless Odyssey: Navigating Both Biological & Step-Father Loss

Until he met Patty Furino, bereaved father Dave Roberts didn’t believe that the signs he kept seeing were coming from his beloved daughter, Jeannine. But soon, everything changed. In this episode of the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast, Dave shares his journey of love and loss and how the signs from his daughter transformed from triggering waves of grief into joy, and how they remind Dave that Jeannine is still close. Dave and Patty describe how Jeannine speaks through her father’s new friend, fostering a deep continuing bond that allows Dave to live on after loss. &nbsp;is co-authored by our two guests, and written from Dave’s perspective and walks us through his evolution of putting aside his academic mind to being open to receiving messages from Jeannine. Patty has been his major supporter and guided him to honor and enjoy his memories but also be alive in the present.&nbsp;

Signs From Beyond: A Father's Journey Towards Peace

Beth Cavenaugh shares with us her personal experience as a nurse-turned-hospice worker at the request of her mom during her mom’s final stage of life. Beth talks about her love of her work with families and patients and what caregivers need to think about during such a difficult period of time.&nbsp; Hospice is a service that provides physical and emotional support for someone who is in their last six months of life. Hospice is a comprehensive team of support personnel that includes family members, healthcare workers, a social worker, chaplain, and a bereavement specialist. A nurse will come in and check on the patient multiple times a week to make sure their pain and symptoms are being managed and the patient is as comfortable as possible. A social worker and bereavement specialist can help you and your family members with some of the tough questions that come along with end-of-life care.&nbsp; &nbsp; Beth's new book, , details helpful strategies for those whose loved ones have a terminal illness or have recently passed. She can speak to:  Mental wellness: Strategies to counteract anxiety, panic, and depression while living in hospice care for both those dying and their loved ones. Handling grief: Lessons from a hospice expert who has seen countless people through grief, and tips for your personal journey. Hospice 101: While in the early stages of grief, it's impossible to research all of our options. Beth details the questions we don't even know we need to ask and how to advocate for ourselves.  Mobilizing: Hospice care happens at lightning speed. Beth details each step to save us from becoming overwhelmed and stressed.  &nbsp;    BIO Beth Cavenaugh is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse and educator with over 14 years of experience in caring for terminally ill patients. She has been a registered nurse for over 24 years and holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from Creighton University. Beth has supported hundreds of patients and their families at inpatient units, in-home settings, and behind the scenes in hospice care. Compassion, patient autonomy, and transparent communication are at the core of her care philosophy. Beth hopes to demystify death and dying so this powerful moment will be embraced as a normalized and celebrated life event. She continues to work in hospice and has a private reiki practice to support physical, emotional, and spiritual healing for adults and teens. Beth lives with her husband in Portland, Oregon, where they have (almost) successfully finished raising their three kids. Learn more at BethCavenaugh.com.

Some Light at the End: Your Bedside Guide for Peaceful Palliative and Hospice Care

When Faith Wilcox’s daughter Elizabeth began to complain about knee pain, her doctors thought it was just growing pains and she would be fine. As her pain continued, she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer that affects pediatric patients. Through 10 months of treatment, Elizabeth remained positive and supportive of the other patients. Ultimately, Elizabeth passed away just one year after her diagnosis. In her grief, Faith was able to find moments of comfort and peace despite the things that were beyond her control.&nbsp; Nature has always been restorative for Faith. Walks in the woods and time on the beach helped restore her mind and spirit. She also leaned into her circle of friends, who provided additional support. Faith discovered one of her biggest relief strategies when she started journaling, after her therapist recommended she start writing to help get out some of her bottled-up feelings. Faith has since written multiple books, including&nbsp;&nbsp;and has started a journaling program to help others who are struggling with grief.&nbsp;

Hope Is a Bright Star: Finding Comfort and Peace After the Death of a Child

Mindfulness Meditation

Buy Grief Book

Gentle Yoga for Grief

Lovingkindness Meditation

Body Scan

15 Minute Guided Meditation with Heather Stang of the Frederick Meditation Center & Author of Mindfulness & Grief. Designed to help you connect with the present moment so you can reduce stress & suffering. 

Guided Breath Meditation

Guided Meditation for Grief

Based on the proven Relaxation Response technique, this guided meditation is designed to reduce anxiety and cultivate deep relaxation, this meditation is ideal for anyone suffering from anxiety, grief and stress. You do not need to have a "calm" mind to benefit from this practice. Listen to this guided relaxation in a warm, quiet room, and ask to be undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. 

Guided Relaxation for Anxiety, Grief & Stress

This 10 minute practice offers a review of the "training wheel tips" offered during the first class at the Frederick Meditation Center. It is lightly guided, with periods of silence for you to develop your focusing skills. To get started, find a comfortable seat and relax. 

Week 1: Guided Meditation for Focus & Concentration

During this 20 minute guided breath meditation, you will use your breath as your main object of focus and concentration. The practice begins with a brief body scan, followed by a three part breath deconstruction exercise. There is a long period of silence for you to practice focusing on and returning to your natural breath. This meditation is done seated, so find a comfortable position on a cushion or in a chair.

Week 1: Guided Breath Awareness

This 20 minute Body Scan Meditation invites you to observe the physical sensation of your body, while simultaneously witnessing your mindscape. Do your best to "stay" with each part, and notice when you attach to pleasure or push away pain, and then return to direct experience of sensation. This meditation may be practiced standing, seated or while lying down(but try to "fall awake" and "tune in" as best as possible).

Week 2: Body Scan Meditation

During this 20 minute guided meditation, you will explore your relationship to your mind state and emotions using the practice of RAIN - recognize, allow, investigate and non-identification. You will learn how to observe your emotions without being carried away by them, and without feeling bad about having negative emotions in the first place. If you become overwhelmed during this practice, remember you can always drop the process of RAIN and return back to the safe harbor of your breath. 

Meditation For Emotions Using RAIN

This meditation is designed to be used for your daily practice. It contains intention setting, a brief body scan, breath focusing, choiceless awareness and brief compassion meditation. Practice this or any other meditation from the series for 20 minutes a day six days a week.

Week 4: Daily Mindfulness Meditation

The practice of metta (compassion) is an ancient Buddhist tradition of sending well wishes to yourself, a mentor, a friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and all beings. Formal practice can lead to informal, on the spot practice in real life situations. The point of metta isn't to force yourself to like everyone, it is to explore your relationship to yourself and other human beings so you can cultivate awareness of your reactions, and perhaps temper your habitual reactions with understanding and compassion.

Week 4: Compassion Meditation

10 minute guided meditation for beginners led by Heather Stang, and designed to cultivate focus and concentration. Features a brief body scan, breath work, and a short period of silence for practice.

Breath Meditation for Focus

This track contains instructions for practicing the body scan followed by a complete guided experience that focuses on the direct experience of breath and body in the present moment. While the goal of the body scan is not relaxation, some listeners may find it relaxing. May be practiced laying down or seated.

Guided Body Scan for Beginners

Explore challenging emotions by simultaneously focusing on body and breath - watching - rather than reacting - to your experience.

Coping With Difficult Emotions Meditation

Following a 2 minute introduction on difficult emotions and grief, this guided meditation will help you explore difficult emotions as physical experiences in your body. 

The point of this exercise is to witness the difficult emotions, without pushing them away or clinging to them. Notice how the emotions feels in this moment, and to whatever extent it is possible, let go of the story and touch into direct physical experience.

If you become overwhelmed, turn your focus solely to your breath. If you feel this practice is adding to your suffering, open your eyes and end the meditation. You can always try again at a later time. 

The meditation concludes with a brief compassion practice and reflection prompt. 

Coping with Grief & Difficult Emotions

Guided mindfulness-based meditation to help you explore and release sensations in your body and exaggerated thoughts that correlate to feeling stuck & blocked in your life.

Get Unstuck & Live More Fully

During this very lightly guided mindfulness meditation, you will be invited to sit, set your aspiration, and briefly scan through your body to prepare for a 20 minute period of silence for mindfulness training. Your touchstone is your breath - when you catch yourself wandering off, just begin again!

Very Lightly Guided Mindfulness Meditation

5 minute guided meditation with a focus on the breath.

Focus Meditation

Offered in the style of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, this centering meditation guides you to become present by paying attention to your breath, body and  the content of your life over the past few weeks. Based on your experience, you are invited to set an intention for your day or practice.

Centering & Intention Setting Meditation

This Guided Self-Inquiry Meditation for Grief accompanies an article published in the Fall 2016 edition of the TAPS Magazine. TAPS is a wonderful, supportive organization for U.S. military survivors.  It is in their honor that I offer this guided meditation as both an audio and as a meditation script. 

Grief Book

Guided Self-Inquiry Meditation for Grief

Yoga for Grief &amp; Loss author Karla Helbert, LPC, shares how the yogic practice of non-violence, called "ahimsa," can help us be our own best friend during the difficult days, months and years after a major loss. Drawing from her own experience as a bereaved mother, a yoga therapist, and specialist in traumatic grief, Karla shares how she applies the principle of "ahimsa" to her own waves of grief over a decade after her loss, and how you can start your own practice in just minutes a day. Learn more about Karla at http://karlahelbert.com.

Ahimsa: The Yogic Path to Self-Care During Grief with Karla Helbert

Renee Nickell, Author of Always My Hero, shares how equine therapy &amp; evening devotions help her find hope &amp; healing following her brother's death in Afghanistan. Learn more about her at http://reneenickell.com.

Always My Hero: Reflections on Sibling Loss From a Gold Star Sister with Renee Nickell

At the age of 38, Claire Hoffman became a widow when her husband experienced a drug overdose. A mother of one, Claire describes this event as having a butterfly effect over her entire world. In an effort to cope with the loss and gain wisdom and insight, Claire has gathered together grief experts from around the world for the Liberate Your Grief Spotcast, a 5 day event offering hope and healing to anyone who has experienced a major loss. Learn more about Claire at http://liberateyourgrief.com.

Liberate Your Grief with Claire Hoffman

Shelby Forsythia faced what she lovingly refers to as “four years of hell” between the ages of 17 to 21. During that time both parents struggled with life-limiting illnesses, and her mother eventually died. Her teenage years interrupted by heartache, trauma and grief; Shelby struggled to find the stability she needed to transition into adulthood. In this candid interview, the author of  shares her experience and the wisdom gained from navigating the death of her mother from breast cancer. Tending to your own pain is a radical act of self-compassion. Shelby offers inspiring guidance that will help you grieve authentically no matter where you are on your life’s journey.

Permission To Grieve with Shelby Forsythia

Heather Stang is the author of Mindfulness & Grief: With Guided Meditations To Calm Your Mind & Restore Your Spirit. She is also a thanatologist and certified yoga therapist. Her focus on teaching others to use mindfulness-based techniques to reduce stress, cope with grief, and cultivate personal growth is inspired by her own journey of love, loss and posttraumatic growth.

Heather Stang, MA, C-IAYT

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