Herbs to Support Grief: An Ayurvedic Perspective and Ways to Heal
Everyone experiences grief, whether it's losing a loved one, feeling the pain of Earth Mother, or reliving the impacts of childhood trauma. I'm going to teach you where grief lives, how it impacts the body, and some simple Ayurvedic solutions to help you deal with it.
Ayurveda teaches us that grief lives in the lungs, which is why we wail when we feel this emotion. Grief is associated with kapha, which makes sense because it can make you feel heavy, dense, and lethargic.
Long term, unresolved grief impacts the plasma fluid, which is connected to a feeling of "faith" that things are going to be okay. If you are at a phase where nothing feels like it's going to be okay, you are getting nervous all the time, and your skin is dry, it's likely you have impacted this tissues.
Here's how Ayurveda can help.
1) Prānāyāma- start your day with 100 rounds of Kapalabhati or Bhastrika followed by 15 rounds of Brahmari, or Bee's breath. Kapalabhati and Bhastrika both help with releasing stagnation in the lower lungs, and Brahmari stimulates the Vagus nerve, which helps to calm your nervous system and helps you feel safe.
2) Herbs- Herbal medicines can go a long way to restoring tissues that have been depleted while grieving, can calm your nervous system, and help you to regain hope, happiness, and health. Here are a few of my favorites
Ashoka- called the remover of sorrows, this herb is renowned for it's ability to support the grieving process. You can take orally like in my Grief Release formula, and you can also add 1/2 tsp to your bath.
Rose petals- Ever hear the expression seeing the world through rose colored lenses? Rose is fabulous for deep feminine nourishment, for opening the heart chakra, and for helping you feel nurtured by the ever present Divine Mother.
Licorice- I love giving this herb to clients who have been grieving because often adrenal fatigue comes with the grieving process. Licorice is sweet in a healthy way which nourishes rasa dhatu, helping to restore faith that everything will be okay.
3) Diet- Grieving is the time to eat gentle foods that are easy to digest- especially sweet flavor like mangos, rice, ghee, and milk. And yes, some chocolate can help as well.
There you have it! Do these simple steps with consistency and I promise you will see results.
With love,
Amaya Shiva
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