How Grief Yoga Can Heal: And Where Trauma Lives in the Body

Speaking with Paul Denniston, I was struck by the way this conversation connected loss, identity and the ways grief continues to live through the body and relationships. These subjects are often discussed separately, although in a person’s life they can influence one another continuously.

What stayed with me is the idea that grief is not a problem to complete on a schedule. Loss may change form over time, and support should make room for continuing bonds, ambivalence, memory and the practical realities of living after something irreversible.

The discussion reminded me that presence can be more helpful than pressure to recover quickly. There are times when the most responsible response is to accompany pain, recognize its meaning and help a person regain movement at a pace that remains tolerable.

My broader reflection is that balance is not a fixed destination. It is the capacity to notice what is happening, understand what may be driving it and respond with greater awareness. Professional support can help create that capacity, but it must remain grounded in the person’s circumstances, choices and safety.

Paul reflects on how his path began in places of anxiety, emotional suppression, and coping mechanisms that numbed rather than healed. He speaks openly about his childhood, his relationship with his sister, and the anticipatory grief that shaped so much of his inner world. From hitting rock bottom to entering recovery, he shares the moments and the people, who helped him find steadiness again.

Paul Denniston is the founder of Grief Yoga, a therapeutic movement method that helps people express and process emotional pain through the body. With experience in yoga, breathwork, dance, and movement therapy, he has trained thousands of mental health professionals, hospice workers, and grief counselors worldwide.

Throughout the discussion, we return to the importance of looking beneath visible symptoms or behaviors. The aim is not to force one explanation onto every experience, but to understand the combination of history, relationships, body, environment and meaning that may be relevant for this individual.