Holistic Widow Guide
Orla Blackburn
MEMBERSHIP
A nurturing, caring, supportive community where we move, meditate and discuss our grief, finding our way towards hope and our ability to thrive
YOU & ME
Working to your exact needs, you and I work together over a 6, 8 or 12 week period, either in person or online to get you the specific support you are craving
FREE COMMUNITY
Join my private facebook group where we practice live yoga and meditation each Sunday alongside your widowed community. Don’t be alone.
Are you grieving the loss of your life partner?
Grief is exhausting, mentally, physically and emotionally. It changes you. You don’t know who you are anymore. There are so many secondary losses that keep on the continuous assault of pain and devastation and therefore the ability and motivation to have a good (enough) life again. You are very aware of how much the mind is in turmoil and how badly the heart is hurting, but did you know that grief is also a very physical experience, one that we tend not to pay much attention to?
It is important to care for all aspects of your being when you are living with the trauma of grief. The body holds onto the trauma of our loss within it’s actual tissues. We get tighter, have aches and pains, upset belly, headaches, we can actually think ourselves sick. By caring for yourself holistically, you are taking care of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual too.
“Our sense of self ourselves is anchored in a vital connection with our bodies. We do not truly know ourselves unless we can feel and interpret our physical sensations.
While numbing may make life tolerable, the price you pay is that you lose awareness of what is going on inside your body, and with that, the sense of being fully, sensually alive”.
Bessel Van Der Kolk
Grief and Trauma
The death of your life partner leaves you feeling lost, grappling with a sence of identity and your place in the world.
Within this immense loss, we also mourn the accompanying “deaths”: our envisioned future, the witness to our personal history. Our best friend, lover, and in some cases, co-parent. The one who cheered us on, offered unwavering support.
Navigating through this overwhelming experience alone feels impossible, particularly in the early days.
Soothing your nervous system
Yoga as a somatic therapy provides a pathway for reclaiming our bodies, honouring our intuitive pace in the process of healing trauma.
Just as trauma may have triggered instinctual survival responses, we can trust our bodies to heal and release trauma at a pace that ensures our safety.
Whilst we cannot change what has happened, we do have the power to shape how we live and move forward, constructing a new narrative around that pain.
By delving deeper, we can challenge long-held beliefs about ourselves and uncover the possibility that they may no longer hold true. We can shed layers that no longer serve us, rediscovering our authentic selves and embracing how this person will guide us on our journey ahead.
Who is Orla Blackburn?
Orla is a mom, qualified yoga teacher and certified Grief Educator.
Since becoming widowed in 2018, I’ve embarked on a personal journey of self-discovery and growth.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing transformative growth in others as they open their bodies and minds to new possibilities.
By using proven tools and techniques, I’ve helped people rediscover themselves and find their way forward.
I understand how challenging it is to rebuild your life after loss, and sometimes, it’s even hard to summon the desire to do so. I know how profoundly it can change your perception of yourself and the world around you. Nothing can truly prepare you for it.
Through my own self-work, I’ve made discoveries that have driven me to show you that there is light, hope, and happiness waiting for you. I want to guide you and create a safe space where you can move towards your purpose and tap into your power.
Whats in it for me?
- Gain a feeling of safety in your body (your home, your temple where all your hopes and fears are stored)
- Discover your body’s hidden abilities – which leads to substantial growth in self-confidence, self-belief and self-worth
- Rituals to enable you to welcome your day with purpose and ease, and end your day leaving the stress outside the bedroom with a body and mind ready for sleep
- Deeply relaxing guided meditates to enable the mind to be still and to listen to what your intuition is guiding you towards
- A much clearer picture of who you are now, of what you are aiming towards n your life and how that could look
- Essential connections and friendships with others in the widowed community – a real lifeline in the isolated feelings of grief.