How do you feel about Death? And which parts of you are Ready to Die?

On death, loss, release and renewal

I had a big year this year.

I lost my father and it was only when I ventured to share this freely, did I realise how many of us have already lost a parent, even if we are not so old. And how many of us have experienced the death of someone close to us. I had actually booked to do a trade event in London, and I decided to go ahead that weekend in spite of the news. Rather than work diligently at my stall, I walked around, freely telling all and sundry of my loss, with tears streaming down my face. It was cathartic and utterly heartwarming.

Being so open, honest and raw simply cut through all the false niceties that we humans like to hide behind. And I was in the perfect place as I was surrounded by people in the healing professions and received some impromptu sessions. What was also beautiful was the deep sense of connection I felt with humanity, and the sense of acceptance. And how liberating not to give a monkeys about how I looked or sounded.

Death is not a sexy subject. And neither is grief, yet in grief, everything pertaining to life comes up. I came across the most beautiful quote recently on Instagram – that Grief is Love that has nowhere to go...

I remember when I first went travelling around India, one of the seminal books in the bookshops for the young, western, spiritually hungry travellers was The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I did not read it at the time, it did not call me then, and there were so many other ‘must-read’ books on the shelves.

That book spent several weeks at the top of the bestseller list when it first launched in the United States in 1992. Buddhist spirituality is its underlying premise but whether you consider yourself spiritual or not, the book talks of impermanence, change, the nature of the mind and of course life, and how to live.

It has been noted how at the moment of death people have had incredible visions, insights and understandings. Death certainly makes one think about and appreciate life.

How much have you truly thought about your life of late?

Autumn has descended upon us in the northern hemisphere. The climate is ripe for more inward reflection. This summer I participated in a very poignant and powerfully moving workshop run by the Conscious Death Collective at one festival. In this workshop we had a yoga nidra meditation on death.

I released a lot in that meditation, and looked visibly different afterwards or so I am told. I had definitely been through some process. During the meditation, after the ‘dying’, as we ascended into the heavens, we invited in new life…

We reflected on what we were letting go of, and what we were going to bring in.

In the whole experience I gained a sense of trust and gratitude, and grace and beauty for life. For many they felt a sense of renewal.

And I invite you now to do the same.

What unworthy thoughts gatecrash and squat your mind?

What boundaries and beliefs are you still holding onto, that in the whole schema of things are in reality a nano blip of your true existence?

Are you Ready to let them go?

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Helene is a Somatic Dance and Transformational Facilitator and is soon launching a 3 month programme ‘Roots and Wings: A Calling of the Soul’ - a lifelong passion project, which helps you to find your truth, your power and your zen, through the joy and freedom of dance.

In the meantime you can join her FREE mini course ‘Finding Presence through Conscious Dance’ here: https://www.niiodance.com/courses/gettingready-to-dance