Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Watson.
Hi Nancy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been a yoga practitioner since the year 2000. When my adult child died suddenly in early 2019, continuing to come to my yoga mat was about the only thing that made me feel a tiny bit less awful. I completed the rigorous 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) program in 2022, and near the end of that year I began to make some connections about WHY yoga had been so helpful to me in those early days of grief.
There are many yoga specialties – yoga for cancer, yoga for 12-step recovery, etc. – and I wanted to find someone who was leading yoga classes for grievers. But nobody I asked knew anyone who did anything related to yoga and grief. So I started to think that maybe *I* was supposed to be the person to step into that work. After reading a couple of books and completing the MISS Foundation’s Compassionate Bereavement Care Yoga certification, I began offering Yoga for Grief classes in January 2024.
I continue to be fascinated by all the ways that yoga works to bring peace and equanimity to one’s body, mind, and spirit.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle for me has been finding locations to offer the classes. Yoga studios are busy places, so finding a day and time that works for both me AND a studio that’s willing to host can be tricky. I’m grateful to the studios and churches that have provided space for my work. I am offering a 4-week virtual session for the first time in February, and if it goes well, that would definitely solve the location/space problem.
Marketing is also a challenge, since I have ZERO background in that. But somehow, the correct people seem to find their way to my classes each time they are offered – yoga and the universe often conspire together for that type of synchronicity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My Yoga for Grief classes offer a unique mix of support group sharing, movement, breathwork, and mindfulness/meditation. I’ve put the classes together based on my experiences facilitating support groups and leading “regular” yoga classes, along with lots of learning about the needs of grievers. I’m proud of the way I’ve organized my classes, but probably most proud of the ways that I’ve learned to honor my own grief while at the same time holding tender space for the grief of others. As the only person in Dallas facilitating Yoga for Grief classes of any kind, I have carved out a unique niche for myself.
I’m also very proud of the book I wrote and published, The Yoga for Grief Workbook, that is currently available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/8fK5fvr
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Although some yoga studios are hurting right now because of the economy, yoga has been around for centuries, so I’m sure it will be fine. And there will never be a shortage of grievers!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yogaforgriefdallas.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/yogaforgriefdallas
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/yoga.for.grief.dallas
