Breathing Wind

“[Grief is] really almost like a relationship. It's not, ‘Here's this chapter of my life, here's this season of my life. Here's this thing I have to focus on now or get through now;’ [Instead] it's this enduring relationship that you're always in. And, it changes over time, just like the real relationships in our life change over time and things come in and out and circumstances shape them in different ways.We're always carrying our grief and as we go through our life, our relationship is going to change, but it's always going to be there.”

— Naila Francis

This is a conversation on our old friend, grief, our five questions about grief, and more. 

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Welcome to the Breathing Wind Season 3 finale.

In this season, we explored joy in context of grief. In other words, how does joy show up for us in the wild? How is joy an act of resilience? What if joy is unexpected? How do we embody joy? This episode is a collection of some of our favorite moments from the season.

If any of these excerpts sound particularly resonate, be sure to check out the entire episode, found on breathingwind.com. Links to individual episodes can be found in the show notes.

Selected moments include:

• [1:33] Bloopers
• [3:37] Our definitions of joy at the beginning of the season
• [6:42] Commentary: how Sarah's definition evolved
• [7:32] Excerpt from Episode 52, The Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage, with Diane Wyzga and Sarah Davis
• [11:54] Excerpt from Episode 57, Compassion for Ourselves and Others: A Gateway to Emotional Freedom with Wendy Rolón and Duncan Cheung
• [16:13] Excerpt from Episode 66, The Willingness to be Open, with Dara Kosberg and Vinny Ferraro
• [19:03] Excerpt from Episode 60, Joy and Grief Touch the Same Part of the Heart with Dara Kosberg, Erin Lim and Angela Tabora
• [22:20] Excerpt from Episode 65, Resilience is an Act of Care with Naila Francis and Sarah Davis
• [26:55] Excerpt from Episode 63, The Body is Everything: Making a Home for Grief and Joy, with Naila Francis and Simone Baker
• [29:56] Excerpt from Episode 72, The Possibility of Pleasure Miniseries Finale, with Oceana Sawyer and Sarah Davis, which included commentary on Episodes 70 and 71.
• [30:48] Excerpt from Episode 70, The Portal Between Life and Death and Life, with Oceana Sawyer and Karine Bell
• [33:33] Excerpt from Episode 71, The Sensuality of Place and Grief, with Oceana Sawyer and Roshni Kavate

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"While I never know what it's like to celebrate the holiday season with my aging mother, I've come to appreciate her presence in my life in a way that makes sense to those who savor Christmas, keeping their decorations up long into the new year. She's in my warm, salty tears that still flow at times.

She's in the cold autumn fall. When I see the leaves begin to submit to the painting of the forest with radiant acceptance, she's really everywhere I go. I do not need a holiday to remind me of my grief."

— Ken Breniman

This episode is a departure from the season, but it's also something I felt was coming forward for the holidays that needed to be heard and expressed. In this episode, you’ll hear from Ken Breniman and Deborah Szeto, guest hosts from Season 2, Naila Francis, guest host from Season 3, Dr. Jason Ridler, guest from Season 3, Daisy from Season 1 and Sarah Davis, founder and producer.

The prompt I gave everyone who you'll hear from in this episode was simple: A friend and past guest suggested she read from a letter she wrote to her mom this year, and it made me think about all the creative ways we express our grief in writing that can help others. Do you want to share a recording of you reading from an essay, poem, letter, or otherwise you wrote about this topic?

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“There really is not a timeline. You do not know how long it may take.

It's a journey and it's something you carry, not much different than love. I really think that, just like love doesn't have a timeline, why would grief?”

— Kendra Rinaldi

In this week’s episode, Kendra Rinaldi, grief coach and podcast host of Grief, Gratitude & the Grey in Between, talks with producer/host Sarah Davis about the humanity our loved ones bring, her unique views on grief and death, how her healing came through facilitating grief conversations and some suggestions from her for the holidays.

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"Grabbing those moments and claiming them for yourself so that you have a bit of goodness and nourishment to support you as you go on the sometimes really hard road of grieving…that’s really important.”

—Oceana Sawyer

In this week’s episode, Oceana Sawyer speaks with producer, Sarah Davis, about the themes that surfaced and shared some of our favorite moments from her miniseries.

The Possibility of Pleasure miniseries hosted by Oceana Sawyer, explores grief through the senses, which will consider how utilizing any six senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing, imagination) can enhance the metabolization of grief allowing the process of grieving to cultivate wisdom and a greater appreciation of living.

To find out more about this episode, Oceana's miniseries, and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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“There's just something about the air. If you live by the ocean, there's a saltiness in the air. You can smell the fruit every morning as you walk the streets, depending on if it's a market day or what's in season.

So it really grounds you and places you in time, space, memory, where you are, who you're connected with, and what's happening.”

— Roshni Kavate

In this week’s episode, Roshni Kavate speaks with Oceana about how the sensuality of food-ways, family homes and locations can mix and mingle to create soothing balms for grieving. Roshni also does a beautiful job of describing the specific secondary losses that are unique to first and second generation immigrants or expatriates.

The Possibility of Pleasure miniseries hosted by Oceana Sawyer, explores grief through the senses, which will consider how utilizing any six senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing, imagination) can enhance the metabolization of grief allowing the process of grieving to cultivate wisdom and a greater appreciation of living.

To find out more about this episode and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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“My grief is the one at the wheel.”

— Karine bell

In this episode, Karine Bell speaks of several significant life transformations for her — birth of her daughter, death of her mother and father. In each, she emphasizes the conditions she had to feel safe in her grief and the layers she experienced.

The Possibility of Pleasure miniseries hosted by Oceana Sawyer, explores grief through the senses, which will consider how utilizing any six senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing, imagination) can enhance the metabolization of grief allowing the process of grieving to cultivate wisdom and a greater appreciation of living.

To find out more about this episode and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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“We have to be very awake in a really deep, rooted way…And listening with not just our ears, but all of our senses really.”

—Melanie DeMore, on singing for people at the end of their lives.

This week’s episode features a conversation between Oceana Sawyer and Melanie DeMore, three-time Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director and vocal activist. Oceana and Melanie talk about her experience as a threshold singer, as well as how she was called to do this work with her unique gifts, and some of her thoughts on music at the end of life.

The Possibility of Pleasure miniseries hosted by Oceana Sawyer, explores grief through the senses, which will consider how utilizing any six senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing, imagination) can enhance the metabolization of grief allowing the process of grieving to cultivate wisdom and a greater appreciation of living.

To find out more about this episode and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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“Joy allows you to open up a little bit — expand just a little bit — and reach for something maybe that you couldn't see before.”

—Oceana Sawyer

In this week’s episode, Oceana Sawyer and Sarah Davis talk about Oceana’s background, her guests for this miniseries, as well as some of her thoughts on joy and grieving.

This episode is part of a Breathing Wind miniseries titled The Possibility of Pleasure, hosted by Oceana Sawyer. The Possibility of Pleasure miniseries explores grief through the senses, which will consider how utilizing any six senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, hearing, imagination) can enhance the metabolization of grief allowing the process of grieving to cultivate wisdom and a greater appreciation of living.

To find out more about this episode and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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“When I just let myself surrender and fully feel the grief, there's a certain point where my body knows that it can't take anymore. I often feel a rebound — and sometimes that is in the form of humor or other lightness — but I've also found that, when I don't just let myself fully feel, it doesn't happen.”

• Dara Kosberg

In this week’s episode, Dara and Sarah recap the miniseries and their views on humor and grief. You’ll also hear excerpts from previous episodes.

This episode is part of a Breathing Wind miniseries titled Comedy and Grief, hosted by Dara Kosberg. The Comedy and Grief miniseries explores how humor allows people to get closer to their grief, explore it and better understand it, by creating a gateway into the hard feelings.

To find out more about this episode and subscribe to the newsletter, visit the show notes.

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