Navigating Grief With Holistic Voice Practices 🙏🏼

Hi Wylde Ones,

Eight months ago, I lost my dad.

It’s been an incredibly difficult time—not just grieving his passing, but also navigating the weeks leading up to it: fighting for his life, making impossible decisions, and ultimately helping him transition.

Sadly, this wasn’t my first encounter with deep loss. Eight years ago, I lost my 27-year-old brother. And I’ve said goodbye to far too many loved ones in my lifetime.

Grief is excruciating. But it is a part of life whether we like it or not. And it has also given me tools—ones I leaned on to show up for my dad, for my family, and for myself.

In the chaos of crisis, the stillness of grief, and now as I return to “normal life” while still very much healing, these practices have carried me & continue to carry me:

✨ Sighing – Handsdown, my favorite way to melt tension & lower stress. Sighing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system (which sends us back into the “rest & digest” response, and restore balance by increasing our vagal tone. Sighing absolutely got me through the hardest time while losing my dad & I probably sigh multiple times a day if tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or when a grief memory comes up.

✨ Long Hoos or Humming – These soft, sustained sounds bring many of the same nervous system benefits while also easing sinuses, improving circulation, and even giving the immune system a boost.

✨ Deep Breathing – Through sleepless nights and sobbing fits, breath kept me grounded, in my body, and able to return to the present moment, which was extremely important while making difficult decisions before and after my dad’s passing.

✨ Stretching & Gentle Movement – Grief lives in the body. Walking, yoga, and stretching helped me release what words couldn’t.

✨ Ujjayi Breath – This yogic breath calmed my system and brought me back to center when the world felt overwhelming.

✨ Lion’s Breath – Inhale deeply, open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and exhale. Silly, fierce, and incredibly freeing.

✨ Big, Loud Sounds – Vocalizing pain or frustration in a safe space—into a pillow, in the car, or alone in your room—can be deeply cathartic.

✨ Grace & Compassion – The most powerful tool: letting myself feel it all, rest often, and move at the pace of my own healing.

✨ Asking for Help – Letting others show up for me wasn’t easy, but it made all the difference. Receiving support is not weakness; it’s wisdom. And we need our community, especially through loss.

These practices didn’t erase the pain, but they helped me face it—and hold space for those I love.

And grief doesn’t always come from death. It can also come from the loss of a relationship, a job, an identity, or even a vision of the life you thought you’d have.

Grief is real. It’s valid. And it deserves to be acknowledged and tended to with care.

If you’re grieving—or moving through any kind of loss—I hope these tools bring a bit of comfort, relief, or strength.

You are not alone.

Sending so much love,

Kat