Hi Friend,

Yesterday I wrote to you about building a body that supports the life you love.

Today I wanted to tell you why that means so much to me.

When I said life has been wonderfully full... I also said it hadn't come without its challenges and that there was some bad news. So... here it is.

The bad news is... your body is going to feel it all.

And, more importantly... your body already knows what to do.

Now, if you're anything like me, that might not sound like good news.

Because if, like me, you've been taught, told and sold that your body is the problem, and that when life hurts there's nothing you can do except medicate to numb or suppress it...

Then, what I've been living over the last two years might shake things up a little.

The heartbreak, fear, grief, uncertainty, joy, love... our bodies aren't asking us to avoid any of it. The body is intrinsically designed to process it and move us through it.

Hear me out.

When something painful happens, I get it - we want to skip to the part where life feels normal again.

But when my bro died... I knew life was never going to feel normal again.

So what then? Where do you go with that?

One thing I knew for sure was that I wasn't going to suppress it and numb it (sorry pharma!) And I wasn't going to pretend I was okay (sorry people-pleasing!)

So what the F was I going to do?

There's something we all tend to do when we're in pain. We personalise it.

We think...

"Why can't I get over this?"

"I'm grieving wrong."

"Why am I still anxious?"

"Why can't I let this go?"

So my quest for answers led me to Traditional Chinese Medicine, where I learned something that completely changed the way I understood grief.

There are two organs and two meridian pathways for grief and sadness.

At first, I thought
"Great... this will fix me."

But "fixing" is NOT what happened at all.

Suddenly, for the first time, I realised that I didn't have to think my way through grief.

My body already knew what to do.
My body knew how to process grief and sadness even when my mind didn't.

And maybe the biggest shift of all... I stopped taking grief so personally.

Losing my bro is deeply personal.

But grief itself isn't. Grief is part of the human condition.

Our bodies have been moving through it for thousands of years.

That gave me enormous relief.

Now let me be really clear. This isn't a "fix it" model.

Meridian Yoga didn't make my grief disappear.

I'm still grieving. I imagine I always will be.

But it stopped me seeing grief as something that was wrong with me.

Or wrong with my brother. Or wrong with the world.

Instead, I began to experience it as something moving through me.

That's become the foundation of everything I teach.

Not... "Fix your body." "Push through."

Not even... "Become more flexible."

Simply: support the body that's already trying to support you.

Because life is going to ask things of you that you never wanted... and never expected.

Loss. Stress. Change. Love. Joy. Heartbreak.

So now I have a way of supporting mine.

Every month I move through all twelve meridian pathways.

I've been practising this for almost two years now.

And in a world where I honestly didn't know if I wanted to be here without my bro...

this practice has quietly brought me home to myself. Not because it took the grief away or because life suddenly became easy again.

Because it helped and continues to help me build a full and vibrant life with my grief. One I genuinely wasn't sure I'd ever find my way back to.

Next Sunday, I'll share more on twelve meridian pathway that I practice.

Here's some more "bad news": our bodies also know how to support digestion, sleep, hormones, energy, decision-making, courage, connection and joy!

In the meantime,Whether you're joining me in Cork or rolling out your mat at home, I'd love to move with you this week.

This week's classes:

Monday – Cork Lotus + Online from the studio

-> 5:15pm – Core 500

-> 6:00 –7:15pm – Yoga 2

Tuesday – Online (Zoom) only

-> 5:30pm – Core 500

-> 6:00–7:00pm – Meridian Yoga
This week we are exploring EXPAND with chest and hip opening moves to create space in both the body and the mind.

Keep an eye out for my next note on Sunday!