One of the tools that assisted me the most after Leah died was Samyama. I had been introduced to Samyama several years before. It was a practice that I used occasionally at best.
After Leah died I learned the power of this simple yet profound practice. Samyama allowed me to be with the pain of my daughter’s death as thoughts, feelings and sensations arose in each moment.
When I brought my feelings to my heart, for that one moment I was able to let go of the memories about her car accident and her time in the hospital that continued to play in my head. Samyama helped me to stop those stories, if only for a moment.
A moment became a few moments. Each time I was able to access the raw feelings that accompanied those stories, without reliving the stories, I could process the feelings and let go of the suffering. I learned to bring my feelings of grief to my heart whenever they arose. Eventually I could separate the stories from my feelings and I could begin to process the feelings without getting caught up in the “what ifs” and “if only’s.”
I have been a student of Sheila Foster since November of 2000. In training along with other students, I learned the practice of Samyama.
I was called to become a Samyama Practitioner in the summer of 2006 and entered Sheila’s apprenticeship program at that time.
My Samyama apprenticeship included supervised work with a variety of clients, self-Samyama sessions three times a week, and on-going sessions with a highly-experienced Samyama practitioner.
I completed my apprenticeship in the fall of 2006. I began practicing in January of 2009.