A Glasgow yoga instructor is using the practice to help people confront grief and become comfortable with the idea of death.

The evening sessions of ‘Yoga for the Dead’ take place in the unlikely destination of an office block in Glasgow’s city centre and will take participants through a ‘unique and reflective’ experience of sound, movement and ritual to honour someone who has passed away.

Run by the Kali Collective studio, some attendees have already said they have found it ‘life-changing’ in their journey through loss.

Upon entering, you are met with an image of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of creation, destruction, and dismantling of the ego, symbolised by her holding a severed head. 

Attendees then enter a silent toom and set up a mat with an altar for someone in their life that has passed, with the session being in their honour. 

The Yoga for the Dead sessions are led by Steph Wall, who moved to Scotland from Calgary, Canada in 2015, launching the studio in the same year. 

She said: “Yoga teaches us how to be in the tension of life's experiences, like being with grief, and how to feel it fully. It's not just a physical practice, it's very mental and emotional too.

“We don’t have an answer for grief, we aren’t trying to fix anything, we just provide a space you can come into with your sadness. It is so open, everyone is crying. You’re all allowed to cry. I’m crying, you’re crying. It’s okay.

Founder of the Kali Collective, Steph Wall.Founder of the Kali Collective, Steph Wall. (Image: Submitted)

“In western society, we don’t deal with death well; we grieve, we drink, then we try to bury the feeling. By locking grief away, we miss out on so many opportunities to live more fully. Grief is a great teacher, there's so much wisdom to be learned but we often don't take the time to listen in.

“Death is so stigmatised – you have a certain time you’re allowed to grieve for, then you have to get back to work as if nothing happened. “

The sessions are aimed at being inclusive, with anyone able to participate. Each one will have a therapist there to support people having a particularly intense experience, while musician Scott Cowie joins Steph in guiding participants in practice, music and mantra.

Kirsty Ainsworth from Glasgow has previously attended sessions and went to deal with the trauma of her mother passing away after suffering from long-term health problems.

Kirsty was only 15 years old when it happened, and 16 years later her father died of alcohol abuse. She didn’t know how to process the grief, but now at the age of 34, the psychologist who is training to be a grief councillor said that Yoga for the Dead has been her safe space where she no longer has to push her feelings down.

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She said: “Now, as an adult, I see how tough and unusual it was. I didn’t deal with the grief at all back then. I was going into my fifth year of high school and it hadn’t hit me what this meant.”

Kirsty added: “My dad struggled with grieving for my mum; they were besotted with each other. He had been through a lot, trying to keep her alive while raising two kids. When she died, it hit him hard.

"It’s important to address grief, not hide it. Yoga for the Dead provides a nice way of, allowing it to be present. We’re all in the room together, having experienced this difficult thing. 

“After the sessions, I felt really emotional, but it was also therapeutic. It felt like a shared experience, which I think is powerful. It’s not about feeling good, but about feeling understood and supported. Finding those spaces can be really supportive, helping you not to push your feelings down.”

Kirsty Ainsworth with her mum (left), and with her dad (right). Both have passed away and Kirsty attends YFTD to help with the grief.Kirsty Ainsworth with her mum (left), and with her dad (right). Both have passed away and Kirsty attends YFTD to help with the grief. (Image: Submitted)

As well as Yoga for the Dead, the studio, which is based in the Axiom building on Washington Street, also hosts Death Cafes, where people drink tea, eat cake and discuss death to help destigmatise it and have open, honest conversations around it.

Steph added: “People who come are curious about life and intrigued by everything about Kali, and how she serves as a reminder of death’s inevitability.

“It can be grief for pets, or sharing the grief for someone close, or being there to support others even if no one in your life has died recently. It's private and personal so there are no "qualifications" on who is worthy of grief.

“Canadian yoga studios were so pretty and perfect that it almost felt wrong for me to be feeling heavy, or sad, almost like those emotions didn't belong in that space. The environment I've been able to create here and the community that has embraced our studio not only supports the darker sides of life but also encourages curiosity around it. We definitely use Death as a teacher.”

“Music is a big part of the evening as we use music to support the space and experience. It's also a way the musician can express their own relationship with grief and whether it's the cello, guitar or violin, it usually acts as our portal into feeling. There is also gentle movement that is offered as a way to get into the body as well.

“Everyone is grieving something or someone, and these sessions give you the chance to be around people who understand, and who feel the same way.  It’s an uplifting experience. There are outpourings of grief, there’s also love, connection, and support.”