Grief & Loss in Children, Teens, and Young Adults - A Therapeutic Yoga Approach
Supporting Grief Through the Body, Nervous System & Embodied Practices
Grief & Loss in Children, Teens, and Young Adults — A Therapeutic Yoga Approach
Supporting Grief Through the Body, Nervous System & Embodied Practices
DATES - TBD
Grief is a deeply human experience - and for children, teens, and young adults, it may be experienced and expressed in ways that look very different from grief in adults.
Loss can affect the whole person, including the body, nervous system, emotions, behavior, relationships, and sense of safety and connection. Young people may move in and out of grief, expressing what they are experiencing through movement, play, withdrawal, anger, anxiety, physical sensations, changes in behavior, or a greater need for connection and support.
This experiential three-hour workshop explores grief and loss through the lens of therapeutic yoga, somatics, nervous system regulation, and embodied connection.
Together, we will explore developmentally appropriate ways of supporting children, teens, and young adults as they navigate experiences of grief and loss- without rushing, fixing, or placing expectations on how grief should look or how long it should last.
Through discussion and experiential practices, participants will learn ways to incorporate movement, breath, sensory awareness, mindfulness, and somatic practices to support emotional expression, regulation, connection, and embodied processing of grief.
What You’ll Explore
- How grief and loss can be experienced and expressed through the body, nervous system, emotions, and behavior.
- How the experience and expression of grief may differ across childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.
- The importance of relationship, co-regulation, safety, predictability, and choice when supporting grieving young people.
- How therapeutic yoga and somatic practices can provide opportunities for grounding, emotional expression, body awareness, regulation, and connection.
- Experiential practices incorporating movement, breath, sensory awareness, mindfulness, and rest that can be adapted to meet individual needs.
- Ways to honor each young person’s unique experience and timeline without trying to fix, rush, or move them through their grief.
Our Approach
This workshop approaches grief as an individual, embodied, and relational experience, rather than something that needs to be resolved or completed according to a particular timeline.
The intention is not to use yoga or somatic practices to make difficult emotions disappear. Instead, these practices can offer young people supportive ways to connect with their bodies, express what they are experiencing, access internal and external resources, and experience moments of regulation, safety, and connection.
Practices are developmentally informed, trauma-informed, nervous system-responsive, choice-based, and adaptable, with an emphasis on meeting each young person where they are.
Embodied, Strength-Based Approach
Throughout the workshop, we will emphasize:
- Safety, relationship, and co-regulation
- Body awareness and embodied self-awareness
- Emotional expression without expectation or judgment
- Choice, agency, and autonomy
- Sensory and movement-based pathways for support
- Honoring individual differences and lived experience
- Recognizing and building upon each young person’s existing strengths and resources
Participants will leave with a foundational understanding of grief through an embodied and nervous system lens, along with practical therapeutic yoga and somatic tools that can be thoughtfully incorporated into their work with children, teens, and young adults.
Who This Course Is For
This workshop is designed for yoga teachers and yoga therapists, mental health professionals, occupational and physical therapists, educators, children's yoga professionals, professionals supporting neurodivergent youth, parents and caregivers, and others interested in embodied approaches to supporting young people experiencing grief and loss.
No previous experience with somatic practices is required.
Course Details
Saturday, October 24, 2026
9:00 AM–12:00 PM Pacific Time
Live on Zoom
A recording will be available for those unable to attend live.
This is an experiential workshop, and participants are encouraged to have a comfortable space where they can explore movement, breath, sensory, and somatic practices at their own pace.
Course Investment
Early Bird Registration: $165 (if registered by October 18th)
Regular Registration: $195
Your registration includes live participation on Zoom, along with access to the course recording for 4 months, allowing you to revisit the material or participate if you're unable to attend live.
Looking Ahead: Upcoming Public Module
Embodying True Nature Through Nature
Yoga • Ayurveda • Earth-Based Practices
Saturday, November 21 | 9:00 AM–12:00 PM (PT) | Live on Zoom
This experiential module explores how yoga, Ayurveda, and earth-based practices can support children, teens, and young adults in reconnecting with their bodies, their natural rhythms, and the world around them. Through movement, sensory awareness, mindfulness, and connection with the elements and cycles of nature, we’ll explore practices that may support grounding, emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and a deeper sense of connection to self and the natural world.
👉 Click HERE to view details and register for à la carte public modules.
Want to Go Deeper?
You can also explore the full 100-Hour Yoga Therapy for Youth Training & Certification, which brings together all public modules along with additional in-depth learning to support comprehensive, trauma-educated work with children, teens, and young adults with complex needs.
FIRST CERTIFICATION GATHERING BEGINS SEPTEMBER 19th!
👉 Click HERE to learn more about the full 100-Hour Yoga Therapy for Youth Training & Certification.
Your Instructor
Shawnee Thornton Hardy is a yoga therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Ayurvedic wellness guide, and somatic touch facilitator. She is the founder of Embodied WellBeing Yoga Therapy, Asanas for Autism and Special Needs, and Yoga Therapy for Youth, and brings over three decades of experience working with diverse populations across all ages and stages of life. Her work is devoted to supporting children, teens, and young adults with neurodivergence, sensory processing differences, and complex needs—while also guiding the professionals who care for them. She is deeply passionate about helping individuals reconnect with their inner child through her trainings and offerings, supporting healing, play, and a return to authenticity.
With a deeply integrative and somatic approach, Shawnee weaves together yoga therapy, sensory integration, Polyvagal-informed practices, Somatic Experiencing, and embodied awareness to support regulation, resilience, and authentic expression. Her work is rooted in the understanding that behavior is communication, and that healing happens through safety, connection, and the body.
Shawnee is the creator of the C.A.L.M.M. Yoga Toolkit and Body Sensations Curriculum, and the author of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs and Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens with Complex Needs. She leads trainings and workshops internationally and serves as faculty for yoga therapy programs, mentoring practitioners in developing compassionate, inclusive, and effective approaches. She has been featured in numerous magazines, online publications, and podcasts.
Her teaching is both practical and deeply human—bridging science, lived experience, and heart-centered care. The root of her teachings is inclusion and accessibility. Through her courses, Shawnee invites you into a way of working that honors the nervous system, respects individuality, and supports meaningful, lasting change.
See her Website Here