Grief Through Ayurveda

Yesterday, I was journaling between clients and found myself turning to Ayurveda to better understand the experience of grief. Many of my clients have been navigating this emotion, and I feel a deep sense of empathy given my own recent experiences with loss.

I have come to see grief as the shadow aspect of love. Love is an emotion, and emotions are energy in motion. When that energy does not have expression or a container to receive it, it can begin to stagnate within the body and mind. In Ayurveda, love is closely connected to the heart, where the Kapha dosha resides, particularly in the chest, lungs, neck, and head. When Kapha becomes imbalanced, it can create a sense of heaviness, stagnation, and stickiness.

Grief, in this way, can be understood as a stagnation of love. It reflects a feeling of not having a place for that love to go, along with an attachment to where we believe it should go.

What I realized in this reflection is that within grief lies an immense amount of love waiting to be expressed. That, in itself, felt like such a beautiful revelation.

The question then becomes where this love can be directed. The answer that arose for me is everywhere, without attachment, in alignment with the principle of Aparigraha.

This has shifted the way I move through the world. My hugs are longer, my conversations are deeper, my gestures are more intentional, and my generosity feels more expansive. There is a stronger dedication to living from the heart and allowing that love to extend outward into the collective.

If this reflection resonates with you, I invite you to consider how you are moving through your own grief and whether there are ways it is asking to be expressed through love.

And if you are not quite there yet, I welcome you to connect with me. Together, we can explore how Ayurveda and yoga can support you in gently moving toward that place.

Sending much love to all.