Honoring the sacred transition of grief
Welcome. My intention is to offer myself as support for those moving through grief, a sacred transition that can feel shattering, life-altering and like we are in unknown territory. I offer myself as a support and guide for those moving through this experience, with one on one counselling, Grief Yoga classes and Grief Workshops.
In my Grief Yoga classes and workshops, I speak about creating a sanctuary for us to come together to be with and tend to our sadness, losses, sorrows and grief. Francis Weller, a gifted Psychotherapist, writer and soul activist says, “grief is solitary work we cannot do alone”. This idea of coming together as a community to grieve is a healing balm for our souls as we move through what can be a life-changing experience. To this end, in my classes, workshops or one on one sessions, it is my intention to offer temenos, sacred ground for healing to take place.
Grief is universal and yet it has been brushed over and de-valued as a crucial and ripening experience in our culture. Loss is a common thread that binds us all. We will all experience endings and losses in our lives, none of us are spared. We will also all die from this physical experience of embodiment and share the varied emotions that arise when contemplating our own death. The grief experience, as challenging as it can be, is part of our journey here that connects us to the greater web and cycle of life, as well as to our own soul.
I view grief work as soul work. While we are grieving, we are often stripped to our core. Sameet Kuma says “We grieve whenever an understanding of our identity has been lost”. This loss of our identity strips away the familiar, that which we thought we knew. Our perceived sense of self is shattered, the masks we wear are ripped off and we are forced to create ourselves anew. We re-member ourselves piece by piece, by being with ourselves in a radically compassionate way, by treating ourselves with kindness and our sadness, with curiosity.
My intention is to honor the grief experience as a sacred part of our journey here. An experience that connects us to the greater web and cycle of life as well as to our own soul. I’m extremely grateful for my deep dive into grief after the death of my husband Matthew, which quickly followed our second miscarriage. These losses broke me open in a radically life-changing way. Matthew, my spirit children and many beloved teachers and healers have been instrumental in aiding me find my way to this path and it is in their honor, as well as in the honor of all life, that I offer myself to this work.
Grief Support and Spiritual Counseling
I offer private sessions in grief support and Spiritual counseling. As we commune together, my intention is to reflect back to you the love, strength and pure awareness that you are. Past clients have shared that in our sessions they find a level of safety and acceptance that they’ve never experienced before, and in that sacred space cast off parts of selves, masks and defenses melt away.
I draw upon many creative and somatic techniques to assist awareness and clarity rise to the surface. Sessions may include Focusing (an awareness based somatic practice), guided visualizations and meditations, Narrative therapy-based Re-membering conversations, dream inquiry, art making, movement therapy, Yoga energetic healing and anointing with holy oils.
Sessions are an hour in length and are offered in person in Grass Valley, California or via Skype or phone. Please contact me to set up a free 30 minute consultation.
It is my deepest honor to be able to serve and be present with each person that is drawn to me as they progress along their life path. In this privilege of sharing time and space with them, it is my intention to embody the knowing that each of them is a divine spark of creation with access to all the wisdom they will ever need. Inside them lies access to the answers they are seeking.
My highest intention is to embody empty presence for those I serve and as they are held in this space it is my hope that they will encounter their innate wisdom and experience their true nature as the ultimate expression of love that they are.
Grief Yoga
While there are many forms of grief, and each person’s experience is unique, no one is left untouched by its profoundly intimate and potentially transformative presence in our lives.
Grief Yoga is a gently guided practice; an exploration through Hatha and restorative Yoga, breath, free movement, sound, mindfulness, and poetry that helps us be with and tend to, the physical, emotional and spiritual effects of grief. We learn to honor grief as the natural response to loss and in doing so liberate ourselves in the joyful potential of a life fully felt.
Jemma is YA200hr teacher since 2010 and is also a certified Trauma-Informed Yoga teacher.
Mondays 10.30 – 11.50am
Kinfolk Yoga Studio
204 W Main St #104
Grass Valley
May this practice connect me to my body, heart and the source of all things
May my breath ground me into this present moment
May I be with and tend to this grief without judgement
And May I allow myself to feel
May I nurture myself with unconditional kindness, patience and care
May I feel safe, supported and held during this process.
May I honor this transition as sacred
And may this practice be blessed.
Moving Through Grief, a 4 Week Series
Each person’s experience of grief is unique, and yet no one is left untouched by its profoundly intimate and potentially transformative presence in our lives.
In this 4 week journey, we come together to be with our loss and grief. We explore what it is for us and how we can tend to ourselves through the experience. We allow space for the idea that grief can be an initiation into a deeper relationship with self and others.
- We discuss grief in our culture and find ways to move through grief in a way that honors us each individually.
- We learn skills to offer ourselves kindness and self-compassion through each breath.
- We delve into the concept of shame and how it can complicate the grief experience.
- We hold the space for the idea that grief is a sacred transition that connects us to the greater web and cycle of life.
- We create a container of safety to be birthed anew through the brokenness of our loss.
- We explore Yoga practices specifically designed for balancing the nervous system through grief.
During each of the classes a variety of tools for self-reflection will be offered such as creative therapy techniques, poetry, journaling, sharing and meditation. We also explore Grief Yoga, a led practice of gentle & restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra and sound healing. No previous Yoga experience necessary. All types of grief and loss are welcome.
Next Series TBA
‘To speak of sorrow works upon it, moves it from its crouched place barring the way to and from the soul’s hall. ‘ ~Denise Levertov
About Jemma
Originally from Australia, Jemma Skye Champeau is a dancer and lover of nature, trees and the sacredness of all life. She is a Grief Support Practitioner, a certified Transpersonal Counselor, and a Hatha Yoga & Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher. She is an initiated Priestess in the 13 Moon Mystery School tradition and a Reiki master-level practitioner. She lived and worked at The Temple of The Way of Light healing center in the Amazon jungle, Peru, offering psychospiritual inquiry, Yoga and dance therapy classes. Jemma is also currently studying intuitive development and is a Certified Intuitive Practitioner in training.
Jemma has taught mindfulness to teenagers in high schools and inmates in Correctional Facilities, and she is a Death Doula and a Hospice volunteer. Jemma was a professional dancer for a decade, traveling the world extensively, and has taught Pilates since 2003.
“May all that I do and all that I am be for the benefit of all beings everywhere, and may all beings know the beauty of their own hearts.”
Testimonials
“I would highly recommend Jemma Skye Champeau to anyone needing a compassionate, grounded, and skilled therapist, and not just for those in grief. I discovered Jemma not long after my own serious illness followed closely by the death of my husband at age 62. I heard Jemma’s voice for the first time at a crowded hospice meeting and, although I couldn’t see her from my seat in the back of the room, I instantly knew she was the one I wanted to speak to and initiated an appointment on the spot.
Because of the pandemic, we couldn’t meet in person, but being confined to Zoom didn’t make our sessions any less valuable. From the beginning, there was much comfort found in her attention to my grief and confusion, and I very much appreciated the gentle skill with which she took me beyond the limits of my ability to feel what I needed to in order to heal. There has never been a moment that I didn’t experience her as a dedicated advocate who had lovingly stepped in during the worst time of my life.
Since then I’ve made more progress than expected and in ways I couldn’t have predicted. I’m able to grieve my husband without falling prey to disabling guilt and a new sense of self-worth is transforming the way I live the everyday moments. I will always be grateful to have experienced Jemma’s loving heart and deep intelligence when I needed them the most.”
Kate Sholly
“It was by pure chance that I found Jemma‘a work via a Yoga for Grief class she offered during one of the most difficult times of my life. Her calm, compassionate presence immediately helped me to feel safe, seen and loved amidst my grieving process. After the class I knew that she had the skill, knowledge and heart to walk with me through my dark night and so I began working with her regularly. During each session together, Jemma welcomed me exactly as I was and gave me the time and space to process the dark feelings I was afraid to feel alone. Every single moment we were together, I felt incredibly respected and honored for my inner knowingness and strength. Jemma knew that there would be life for me after the darkness, but allowed me to get there in my own time and in my own way. Which was possible through her patience, presence and trust in my process. She has forever changed my life and how I will hold space for others as they walk through their own dark tunnels of death to new life. Working with her is one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I highly recommend this beautiful Soul.”
Erin Alexander
“I just want to express my deep gratitude to you for the help and sincere work you did with me this summer. I know with everything combined, it was perfect timing for me to connect with you. I feel it a blessing and a gift to have sessions with you. You are a beautiful teacher and I appreciate what I’ve received from you. Thank you! Love and light.”
Ellen
“It was the day of the full moon and Jemma gifted us with a class of very slow, quiet, deep yoga to honor the full and ebb tides of the moon and our own bodies. Jemma teaches in a way that makes it possible for the student to ask permission of their own body to engage.”
Leslie Whitcomb
“Jemma is an amazing, experienced and highly trained yoga teacher! I highly recommend her classes. Also, please refer your clients and friends ASAP. Jemma serves our community with deep compassion coming from her own experiences, and deep inward study. She is constantly updating her skills and educating herself by attending relevant courses in grief work, yoga, death & dying and more.”
Akhila Murphy, Co-Founder, Full Circle Living and Dying Collective.
“Thank you for opening my heart to the possibilities of not needing to hide my grief, nor feel as though I should, or that I’m weak, or ashamed. Suffering is a normal part of life. I can actually be okay while suffering loss. This is a new dimension for me. And, I think you are the safest person I’ve ever been around. This is new territory to me…”
Missy Patton
“Thank you so much!! I left your class feeling so centered and grounded – it truly was a wonderful experience 🙂 It’s very special, the work you do. I can feel that the Monday morning yoga class can really transform lives.”
Janne Delhez
“Thank you so much Jemma. It is always wonderful to be in your classes.Thank you for these gifts you give us every week. You are amazing.”
Lauren Drutz
Resources
Books
The Wild Edge of Sorrow, Francis Weller
The Smell of Rain on Dust, Martin Prechtel
Healing after Loss, Martha W. Hickman
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche
Wherever you go, There you are, Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Map of Heaven, Eben Alexander, MD
Die Wise, Stephen Jenkinson
The Five Invitations, Frank Ostaseski
The Book of Awakening, Mark Nepo
Websites