For more than a year, Heike Newman, also known as “Yoga with Oma,” has been teaching chair yoga at Banner Olive Branch Senior Center. Born in Germany and now a longtime Arizona resident, Heike shares yoga and mindfulness practices that support both physical and emotional well-being.

Now, in collaboration with Shea Darian, director of Doing Grief Community Healing Project, Heike brings her expertise to a special program: Prayer & Meditation Sampler: Healing with Contemplative Spiritual Practices, noon-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. The project provides a safe, nurturing space for individuals to engage in spiritual practices, healing arts and grief education workshops to learn new life skills for navigating losses and life changes that cause grief,

“Each of us grieves in our own way. There is no right or wrong way,” said Newman. She encourages self-compassion: “Always treat yourself with loving-kindness.”

Program participants will experience a variety of contemplative practices. Darian, who is a spiritual care provider and author of “Doing Grief in Real Life, A Soulful Guide to Navigate Loss, Death, and Change,” will guide centering prayer, simple movement prayer, breathing exercises and sacred song. Heike will lead Yoga Nidra meditation, promoting rest, easing unconscious tension and supporting healing.

“Yoga Nidra meditation can help you ease your physical symptoms of grief, calm your mind, and help to regulate difficult emotions,” Newman said. “Mindfulness can help you cope with everything from sleepless nights to anxiety-filled days, while boosting your body’s natural resilience through grief and beyond.”

Other upcoming Healing Project programs include:

• Chair Yoga with Heike Newman – 10-10:45 a.m. first and third Thursdays; limit: 22.
• Story Circle on “Belonging” with Shea Darian – noon Thursday, Oct. 30; limit 12.

RSVP for programs by calling 623-465-6000 or emailing Connect@DoingGrief.org. Programs are held at Banner Olive Branch Senior Center (second floor), 13049 N. 103rd Ave. A suggested donation of $5–10 can be given online or at the door. All are welcome, regardless of an ability to pay.