Whether your grief is anticipatory, ambiguous, simple, or complex, it is highly personal and can have a major physical and emotional impact. It is common to experience grief as fatigue, confusion and loneliness. Since emotions are physiological events, grief resides in the body. We will use conscious breathing, somatic mindfulness, gentle yoga and stillness as a way to open to the grief process.

Bio: Susannah Sanfilippo has practiced yoga for over 25 years and is the founder of Yoga for your Grieving Heart, a six-week yoga and bereavement program. She is an instructor for Sea Change Yoga, a trauma-informed nonprofit supporting underprivileged populations, where she instructs weekly classes at McAuley Residence, a residential treatment facility for women. Susannah has been trained in hatha, restorative, trauma-focused yoga, moving meditation and chair yoga in group settings and privately. Along with her training in classical yoga, she has in-depth studies in breathing practices and restorative yoga for relaxation, pain reduction and emotional balance. Website.

“For a time I rest in the grace of the world and I am free.” 

 --Wendell Berry, Peace of Wild Things

Surrounded by bird song, rooted trees, and fresh air, explore ways to engage a calmer mind, a fuller heart, and a more connected spirit. Building a deep and reciprocal relationship with the natural world is an incredibly powerful way to stay grounded, connected and present. This can be particularly true for people engaged in work around death and dying, as there are so many models of life and death cycles in the natural world. In this session, we will explore a handful of simple practices that can deepen your sense of belonging and relationship with nature. We will practice outdoors if weather permits because it’s spring in Maine and why not? However, all practices are adaptable for use indoors and/or with folks experiencing limited mobility. Participants will leave with immediately applicable ideas for deepening their connection with the natural world and a resource list to further support their explorations for themselves and clients.

Bio: Corie Washow is a conditionally licensed clinical mental health counselor practicing in Freeport, ME. After many years in both social services and environmental education, she chose to bridge the two by becoming an eco-therapist. She believes the well-being of humans and the earth are inextricably linked and strives to include this relationship in all of her clinical work. Corie was also a hospice volunteer for about 15 years in all sorts of hospice settings, from outpatient pediatric/adult visiting to residential care to bereavement. Website link.

In this hour you will experience a practice that will leave you relaxed and renewed. You will leave with tools to easily incorporate into your daily life to keep you connected to an unlimited source of compassion, build resilience, reduce stress and prevent burnout.

Bio: Arline Saturdayborn, ChIME 2014, has been studying, practicing, and teaching mindfulness for over 35 years. She has trained with many teachers including Jon Kabat-Zinn and is a trained Sustainable Compassion Training Teacher. She has offered these trainings to Peace-/builders in Bosnia, Teachers ,and Caregivers in the New England Area. She is currently a professor at USM in Portland offering Sustainable Compassion Training as a full semester course through the College of Science,Technology and Health. Website link.

Learn how to cultivate your inner wisdom to find peace and healing through writing.

In this workshop the instructor will teach you to combine memory, stress and story to develop the essential art of self-compassion in your daily life. Reclaim your voice to create health and renewal.

Bio: Catharine Murray is a local author, poet, teacher and writing guide. Her memoir Now You See the Sky (Akashic Books, 2018), the story of her son’s illness and death, has been described as “a tender, love-filled story” by Kirkus Review and "an extraordinary memoir, forthright, honest and haunting” by the Portland Press Herald. In January 2019, it topped their best-seller list for Non-Fiction.

Murray earned her BA from Harvard University and completed her MFA in creative writing at University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Writing program where she served as Creative Non-fiction Editor for The Stonecoast Review. Murray lectures and leads workshops on healing through writing, listening and trauma-resolution. Her expertise on healing informs her work with healthcare providers, clients and students. Venues for her lectures and workshops have included Harvard University, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Maine State Prison, and the University of New England. Website.

This interactive workshop presented by the Harbour Singers Hospice Chorus will provide an introduction to the practice of bedside singing as offered to those at the end of life, their families, and caregivers. Participants will have the opportunity to experience the positive and healing effects of participatory, communal singing in the roles of both the giver and recipient of the gift of song. Learn about the power of presence and grace at the bedside of the dying, using your voice and the power of song as a vehicle for comfort, peace and serenity.

No prior singing experience is necessary, just bring an open heart and mind to the session.

Bio: Harbour Singers is a community of caring volunteers who offer healing through the gift of song. Singing in small groups at bedside, we support persons with life-limiting illness or at end of life, in care settings such as hospice, hospital, nursing facility, or at home, throughout the Southern Maine region. Website.