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Paul Denniston, founder of Grief Yoga, joins Abdullah Boulad for a conversation that moves through grief, movement, identity, and the ways the body holds what the mind cannot always process.

Paul reflects on how his path began in places of anxiety, emotional suppression, and coping mechanisms that numbed rather than healed. He speaks openly about his childhood, his relationship with his sister, and the anticipatory grief that shaped so much of his inner world. From hitting rock bottom to entering recovery, he shares the moments and the people, who helped him find steadiness again.

Tune in for a thoughtful conversation about yoga, connection, healing, and the body’s role in emotional health.

About Paul:
Paul Denniston is the founder of Grief Yoga, a therapeutic movement method that helps people express and process emotional pain through the body. With experience in yoga, breathwork, dance, and movement therapy, he has trained thousands of mental health professionals, hospice workers, and grief counselors worldwide.

00:00:00 – Discovering Yoga Through Grief and Anxiety
00:01:03 – Introduction to Paul Denniston
00:02:06 – Childhood, Religion, and Emotional Suppression
00:03:32 – Coping Mechanisms: Food, Substances, and Anxiety
00:04:44 – Yoga as a Gateway for Emotional Release
00:07:05 – Addiction and Rock Bottom
00:10:46 – Relationship with Sister and Anticipatory Grief
00:15:27 – The Wake-Up Call and Beginning Recovery
00:17:03 – Support Systems and Somatic Practice
00:21:01 – First Yoga Class and Impact of Kindness
00:25:04 – From Fitness to Deep Connection in Yoga
00:28:34 – Gender, Misconceptions, and Spiritual Identity
00:31:52 – Integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit
00:36:19 – Western vs. Eastern Yoga Approaches
00:41:37 – Redefining Grief as Unwanted Change
00:45:15 – The Grief Yoga Cycle of Transformation
00:48:41 – Where Trauma Lives in the Body
00:53:42 – Grief Brain and Emotional Fog
01:02:48 – Movement, Breath, and Voice Techniques
01:14:22 – Guided Laughter Yoga Practice
01:20:09 – Balance, Joy, and Closing Reflections

For further mental health information and support, visit The Balance RehabClinic website: https://balancerehabclinic.com/

Follow Abdullah Boulad:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdullahboulad/
https://www.instagram.com/abdullahboulad/

Follow Paul Denniston:
https://www.instagram.com/griefyoga/?hl=en

You can order Abdullah’s book, ‘Living A Life In Balance’, here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/...

Follow The Balance RehabClinic:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/thebalancerehabclinic/

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