Late last year, I attended a Coping with Loss workshop with Breathworks, led by Julia Lofts — a two-hour online session that turned out to be both professionally and personally valuable.
We explored the nature of loss, not only bereavement, but all the smaller, often disenfranchised losses that accumulate through life: changes in health, identity, roles, relationships, and even home.
I realised how easily we can create a hierarchy of loss, dismissing our pain because “others have it worse.”
Through guided meditations, I noticed how quickly my mind moved to gloss over discomfort — a familiar pattern both in myself and in many clients. The practice invited me to stay with sensations of grief in the body, to meet them with kindness rather than avoidance.
Simple gestures — a hand on the heart, a gentle breath of acknowledgment — became powerful ways to stay connected with compassion. The Rumi poem The Guest House offered a beautiful reminder that all emotions deserve a place at the table, even the painful ones.
As ever, these learning moments remind me how much personal reflection deepens professional growth — and how mindfulness can open unexpected doors, even in the most tender places.
I continue to be impressed by the depth, warmth, and integrity of Breathworks training, their workshops manage to combine solid psychological understanding with genuine compassion and practical mindfulness tools.