A women-only retreat for reflection, grief movement and sound as part of National Grief Awareness Week.
The holiday season can bring memories and emotions closer to the surface. Familiar music, traditions and gatherings may remind us of someone we miss, something we have lost or how different life has become. You may feel sadness, longing, anger, guilt or anxiety. There may be moments of joy alongside grief, or a sense of being out of step with the celebrations around you.
This 4-hour retreat offers a compassionate space to pause, acknowledge what you are carrying and explore ways to support yourself through the season. Together, we will move through reflection, writing, somatic, grief movement and sound, with time for connection and rest.
Reflection and “The Unsent Letter: Writing to a Loss”
We will begin with a gentle conversation about grief during the holidays, exploring how memories, traditions and expectations can affect us.
Through guided reflection, we will consider practical ways to care for ourselves: recognising our needs, setting boundaries, communicating with others and choosing which traditions to keep, adapt or step away from.
You will then be invited to explore The Unsent Letter to your loss, a reflective writing exercise that gives space to feelings and words left unspoken. There is no right way to write. Your letter remains private, and you will not be expected to read it aloud.
Grief Movement: making space for grief through the body.
Loss and change are part of being human yet knowing this does not make them easy. We may long for someone we miss, the way life used to be or a future we had imagined.
Grief Movement is a guided somatic practice using movement, breath and sound to explore, express and process grief through the body. It invites us to notice how emotions feel physically perhaps as tension, heaviness, restlessness or numbness and gently make space for what is present.
Through the guided movement, breath and sound, we will explore feelings such as sadness, anger, fear and longing, alongside opportunities for grounding, connection and rest. There is no right response and no pressure to express more than feels manageable.
You will learn practical tools to support emotional regulation and care for yourself when grief feels intense.
The practice is accessible and can be done seated in a chair. No previous yoga or movement experience is needed.
Sound bath: integration, relaxation and rest
We will close with an immersive sound bath featuring a gong, singing bowls and other instruments, creating space to settle and integrate the experiences explored through reflection, emotional processing through the body.
After connecting with emotions, time for rest can help you gently absorb what has surfaced. There is nothing to work out or put into words simply an opportunity to listen, notice and rest.
The sounds can provide a focus for attention, helping busy thoughts soften and encouraging a sense of calm. You may notice your breathing becoming easier, muscles relaxing or a feeling of being more grounded. The sound bath can support nervous system regulation as we transition from emotional exploration towards stillness.
The invitation is to give yourself time to pause and reconnect with your body before returning to everyday life.
What you can take away:
A better understanding of how grief may affect you during the holiday season.
Practical tools for grounding, emotional regulation and self-compassion.
Ways to express and process feelings through writing, movement, breath and sound.
Ideas for approaching traditions, expectations and boundaries.
Connection with other women and time for rest.
All forms of loss are welcome
Grief is often associated with the death of a loved one, but it can arise from many other forms of loss. You may be grieving a death, including the loss of a pet, a relationship ending, changes in health or fertility, the loss of work, identity, home or belonging or a life you expected to have.
Your loss may be recent, long held or difficult to name. You do not need to explain or justify your grief to belong here.
This retreat is for women. You do not need to celebrate Christmas or any holiday to attend. All activities and sharing are optional during the retreat.
What you need to bring: A pen, a notepad and some water. Light refreshments will be provided.
About Tahmina:
Tahmina Hakimova-Rees is a Certified Grief Educator, Grief Movement Guide, Grief yoga teacher, yoga teacher and Sound Therapist, and founder of Breathe.Move.Heal CIC. Her approach combines lived experience of loss, grief education and accessible body-based practices.
Contact: If you have any questions regarding this session, please email programming@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
Venue: The Studio at St Margaret’s House, 27 Old Ford Road — E2 9PJ
Access: If you have any access needs of which we should be aware, please let us know. The Studio is on the first floor, accessed via stairs, or a stairlift (one step into the building, ramp available). If you require access to an accessible toilet, please get in touch with us on 020 8980 2092 or email programming@stmargaretshouse.org.uk so we can arrange this for you.
Date: Saturday 5th December
Time: 1-5pm
Tickets - Please note, this is a women-only session:
Pay Less (covers some of our costs) – I am a student, unemployed, on benefits or financially stressed - £35
Standard (covers most of our costs) – I am employed, have some expendable income, and manage to meet my basic needs - £40
Pay it Forward (covers all of our costs and supports our work) – I am employed or have enough savings to comfortably meet my basic needs - £45