At-home workshop: Integrating grief through music & movement
When the election was called last week, I felt a sort of energetic exhale, like all the emotions I’d been holding around the events of the past year all came rushing out of me all at once. What this looked like was an insatiable need to move: to run, to hike, to dance.
That makes sense, I thought. The events of 2020 have left our nervous systems on high alert. Even when we’re netflix and chillin’ (like we’ve done so much of this year), the fears and worries in the back of our heads can keep our flight/fight/freeze response activated, which we have a hard time negotiating our way out of through words and thoughts alone.
Trauma is stored in our bodies. Prolonged distress is stored in our bodies. And while our mind may signal to us that a threat has passed, our body still needs to catch up in order for us to believe it. Movement is the way we accomplish that.
As a textbook overthinking air sign, I knew I needed to bring in some ritual to help me get out of my head, and allow my body to lead the way in processing all this grief and other gunk I’d let build up over the past year. And while I would’ve preferred to share this process with you all in the form of an in-person workshop, I’m sharing an adaptation here that could work for folx at home!
This ritual is 2 parts:
Creation of a playlist
Moving our bodies freely while listening to the playlist in full
Step 1: Create playlist based on the 4-part “R&R” structure below:
You can create this by and for yourself, or co-create with your family or a group of trusted friends
*Note: try and make your song selections based on the way a track makes you feel, not necessarily based on the lyrics or theme intended by the artist (but it doesn’t hurt if they coincide!)
RELEASE & REJOICE: Songs for the present (1-3 songs)
Songs for how you’re feeling right now.. about 2020 coming to a close.. about the election and 45th administration coming to a close.. What songs are on repeat for you at this exact moment? Which ones really speak to the mood of the now? Think of songs that give you a sense of “release.”
REWIND & REFLECT: Songs for the past (3-5 songs)
Now think back to all you’ve gone through this year.. add songs that represent how that felt for you.. songs that were on repeat for you at different high or low points.. that embodied the weight of the year in some way --or-- helped you cope with that weight.
Consider incorporating songs that represent a range of emotions: uncertainty, fear, anger, grief, sorrow, frustration, anxiety.. whatever is true for you.
RE-UP & REFILL: Songs for strength through transition (1-3 songs)
Think of this as the part where we get to FILL ourselves with self love.. Thanking our body, mind, heart and spirit for continuing to carry us through this difficult moment in time. What songs do that for you? What songs remind you of your own strength? Help you connect to your inner knowing?
Maybe this is an extension of the songs that gave you comfort during 2020, maybe it’s a song from childhood, or an all-time guilty pleasure jam.. whatever it is, it should make you feel nourished and at home in yourself.
REFOCUS & RENEW: Songs for the future (2-4 songs)
Songs that fill you with hope and inspiration for the future.. songs that energize you, remind you of your direction, and of the way you want to show up for yourself, your relationships, and your community. Because as we all know, more challenges are on the horizon, and we still have a lot of work to do.
Step 2: Free Movement
Give yourself an hour, either by yourself or with your trusted group, and play the playlist, start to finish, while moving your body in some way throughout. There are so many types of bodies in the world, so remember that this does not have to be a full-body dance experience (though it can be!) - it can also be a mellow sway on your bed, a light stretch on the floor, or even just moving your fingers to the music. Just commit to being present with the music and moving your body in some way until it comes to a close, listening to your body along the way and noticing the way it’s telling you to move.
Tips:
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! This can bring up a lot of emotions.. Engage in the movement portion in a space that feels nurturing, with plenty of water, pleasing smells, and comfort items close by. Remember to rest when you need to, and to let yourself feel all your feels - they are all important and need our attention sometimes.
If you have a lot of thoughts come up through this, great - journal about it! If you have no thoughts come up through this - even better! The point of this is to offer you an embodied, nonverbal understanding of your experience, so give yourself permission to let that be exactly what it is.
Make this your own! You can adjust, simplify or expand this format in whatever ways feel right for you. Feel free to reach out if you’d like help envisioning how to do so.
My playlist, in case it helps get the wheels turning :)
Wishing you all a peaceful end to a wild year.
LR
