By Emily Barnshaw, LCSW, Outpatient Therapist at Jewish Family Services of Delaware
.Yoga means “to yoke”—to unite or bring together the mind, body, and spirit.
Yoga is often seen as a “just” popular form of exercise, but at its core, it is a practice that invites individuals to explore connection between themselves and the world around them with movement, awareness, compassion, and presence.
A sense of unity can also be found in our shared humanity through the experience of grief. To be human means that, at some point in our life, we will encounter grief in response to loss. These losses arise at different stages of life and in many forms; maybe with an unexpected or anticipated death of a loved one, a decline of health or functioning, the prolonged goodbye of expected grief, or any number of life changes (job loss, divorce, etc.). While the circumstances may differ, grief is something which connects us all.
Loss is deeply personal, defined by the individual experiencing it. We may notice grief responses arising as thoughts and memories in the mind, rituals in faith and spirituality, or as physical manifestations in the body. They can show up in the moment our breath tightens in our chests as emotions arise, the heaviness of physical or emotional fatigue, or the ache of longing felt in our hearts. At times, these responses can be intense and immediate; at other times they are subtle and lingering. Whether we are fully aware of it or not, grief often becomes a companion we carry and learn to live alongside.
I found my practice with yoga after being diagnosed with a heart condition that significantly changed how I could experience exercise and movement in my body. Yoga became a part of observing the losses felt in my physical ability, while also rediscovering strength and capacity for healing. It became a space to embrace my whole self with curiosity and kindness, no matter how I arrived at my practice that day. In 2024, I became a Register Yoga Teacher and have since worked to find balance with integrating my yoga training with my clinical work. This integration has shaped how I strive to support others.
In 2025, I felt called to create what has become the Grief Therapy and Yoga Support Group at Jewish Family Services of Delaware. Together with Adrianna Bernardo-Freeman, LPCMH, NCC, the group aims to offer a compassionate space for individuals navigating grief and loss. Through mindfulness, gentle yoga, opportunities for reflection, and peer connection, participants are supported in the natural process of mourning after loss.
The group is supported by the Jewish values of chesed (loving-kindness) and Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze LaZeh (our shared responsibility to care for one another). These values closely align with yoga traditions and therapeutic principles. Exploring grief through loving-kindness can allow care to extend inward, not only outward. From the first group’s feedback, we learned that it provided a space for members to find community. This reinforces that having a space to be heard and supported by others is essential to reducing the isolation which often accompanies grief. Holding grief collectively offers a gentle reminder that we are not meant to carry loss alone.
In addition to peer support, the group offers practical tools and practices which individuals can carry with them beyond the sessions with ways to observe, hold, move, and respond to grief in daily life.
Now entering its second cycle this past May, the Grief Therapy and Yoga Support Group continues to grow as a space for reflection, support, and connection. It is our intention to create an environment where individuals can move at their own pace, honor their unique experiences, and find moments of grounding within their grief.
