Five Gates of Grief Series

Shonali Banerjee, a yoga therapist, and Sascha Demerjian, co-founder of The Grief House, hold space for your grief. Throughout this 7 week series, you do not have to grieve alone. In this small group setting, we provide you with a safe space to acknowledge the many layers of grief you may be experiencing. Shonali will guide settling practices, breathing and body movement for nervous system regulation, grounding and safety. Shonali will also share compassion practices, mantras and songs meant for healing. Sascha will invite us into and through the Five Gates of Grief as described in Francis Weller's The Wild Edge of Sorrow. You are welcome to read along as we move through the series, but it is not required. Sascha will guide our work through these gates through writing, sharing and witnessing.

All types of grief are welcome.

What to expect in this series:

Offered seven Thursdays from 9:30 -11am in the Pavilion at Woodlands Garden in Decatur, beginning October 31 and skipping Thanksgiving week and concluding on December 19, the structure for our series will follow the Five Gates of Grief. Some will be intimately familiar and need know introduction. Others may feel more distant and hard to access. No matter, you will be welcome to explore your grief, in all the ways it shows up in community with us. Our journey into the Five Gates will proceed as follows:

1. Our first session - Introductions to each other and grounding for our series.
2. Our second session - The First Gate: Everything we love, we will lose
3. Our third session - The Second Gate: The places that have not known love
4. Our fourth session - The Third Gate: The sorrows of the world
5. Our fifth session - The Fourth Gate: What we expected and did not receive
6. Our sixth session - The Fifth Gate: Ancestral grief
7. Our final session - gratitude and closing ritual for our circle.

What to expect at each session:

• Shonali, a yoga therapist with over 2 decades of experience, will guide a safe, accessible breath-based movement, meditation practices and sacred songs.
• Sascha, Grief House co-founder, will lead us through the Five Gates of Grief with prompts for our grief spill where you will be invited to share your grief, in whatever form it is showing up for you, in community with us. 
• We'll close each session with stillness & conscious rest accompanied by Shonali's vocal healing.

Together, we'll create an intimate group with an intentional space for support and release. Our hope is that through this multi-sensory experience, you will experience grounding, peace and healing. You'll go home feeling supported & connected to resources.

Tending ourselves:

• You are invited to bring beverages or snacks
• You are welcome to bring a yoga mat and any other props you might desire (if floor sitting is not comfortable for you, we do have benches and folding chairs in the pavilion and you are welcome to bring your own chair as well)
• A cozy blanket will be provided but given the autumn temperatures, come prepared with warm clothing, socks, sweaters, or extra blankets to ensure your comfort in this outdoor forest setting. 
• The fireplace in the pavilion may be utilized for extra warmth as we move into the cooler weeks of this series.

About the Facilitators:

Shonali Banerjee of Wise Ma Wellness, LLC has been leading audiences in sacred song and teaching breath-based accessible yoga for over 20 years. She’s a yoga therapist, a death doula, a singer and a guide of sacred life ceremonies. She soothes frayed nerves, holds space for pain, encourages awareness of what is possible now & imparts to her students daily the importance of rest, respect and compassion especially in the face of change. She founded the Goddess Choir in 2020. They perform songs of empowerment and grace. She’s a devoted wife and mother to 2 incredible teenagers. Find more information about Shonali www.wisemawellness.com

Sascha is the executive director and co-founder of The Grief House. The road she took to get here took her through a MSW from the University of Michigan, a PhD in Sociology from Emory University, several moves across the country, parenthood, pet parenthood, and so many deep connections and losses. She loves growing spaces and opportunities for people to be present with what is behind the mask we often wear in day to day life. She works to change the narrative along the way to allow for messiness, grief, joy in these spaces. To learn more about booking one-on-ones for grief companionship with Sascha visit www.griefhousecompanions.org

About ticket pricing:

At the Grief House we strive to make our events as accessible as possible while covering costs and taking care of our overhead at the Grief House and our facilitators. There are options for tickets below on a sliding scale. We hope you find a fit for you and if you have any questions or do not see the right fit for your finances please reach out at info@griefhouse.org.