Maya’s Journey: Healing Grief and Finding Peace
Many of us carry heavy emotional burdens behind a smile. We go to work, interact with friends, and project a strong exterior while dealing with deep internal pain.
Maya, a 37-year-old from Bulgaria, knew this reality intimately. On the surface, her life appeared stable and strong. Internally, however, she was caught in a cycle of struggle, emotional numbness, and physical exhaustion.
Her remarkable journey shows what happens when we finally confront our pain. By turning to ancient tantric teachings, Maya discovered a path to genuine transformation. This is her story of healing grief, discovering self-worth, and finding a new way to live.
A Life in Need of Change
For many years, Maya relied on coping mechanisms that masked her true feelings. She smoked for 19 years — a habit that left her breathless and drained her energy. “I didn’t realize until recently how much smoking was affecting not just my body, but my whole life,” Maya recalls.
Beyond the physical toll of smoking, she carried a heavy emotional weight. She lost her mother when she was only 25, followed later by the loss of her father. This profound trauma led to deep emotional numbness.
As Maya shares, “After my mom passed away, I felt completely closed off. I stopped feeling much of anything for years.” She also experienced ongoing panic attacks that were triggered by emotions. “I would have panic attacks if I even felt the possibility of a feeling coming up,” Maya reveals.
To avoid feeling, she threw herself into her work, which eventually led to severe burnout. “Working excessively was my way of coping. I didn’t want to face myself or my pain, so I just kept busy until my body couldn’t keep up anymore,” Maya admits. Her body began to sound the alarm through high blood pressure, poor sleep, and constant exhaustion.
She also struggled with self-confidence and often sought external approval to validate her self-worth, which left her feeling empty and disconnected from her own heart.
On the surface, her life appeared stable and strong. Internally, however, she was caught in a cycle of struggle, emotional numbness, and physical exhaustion.
A Life-Altering Event
Life often delivers wake-up calls when we refuse to change our destructive patterns. For Maya, this wake-up call came during a trip to South Africa where she was involved in a serious car accident. While she survived, the crash left her with a physical reminder in the form of tinnitus.
More importantly, it served as a profound spiritual shock. As Maya reflects, “The accident was a turning point. It made me realize I needed to change how I was living. Otherwise, I didn’t know what would happen to me.” She realized she was on a self-destructive path and that a fundamental shift was necessary.
She finally found the courage to quit smoking — a decision that immediately improved her energy levels and breathing. But the physical changes were only the beginning. She needed a way to heal her inner world.
The Turning Point: Discovering Tantra Yoga
Following her decision to quit smoking, Maya’s sister — who had been studying at Somananda Tantra School for 11 years — introduced her to Tantra Yoga. This introduction marked the beginning of Maya’s true transformation.
“My sister kept inviting me to join her at the school, and finally I said yes. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions of my life,” Maya shares. “I was always searching for something to help me heal, but nothing really worked until I discovered Tantra Yoga.”
Reflecting on her early experiences, she notes, “The difference with these teachings was how practical they were. I could actually feel the results in my day-to-day life.”
She started her journey with a Taste of Tantra course, which opened her eyes to a completely new way of understanding energy and life. “From the very first course, I could feel something shifting inside me,” she recalls.
Maya soon felt drawn to the Art of Dying course. Initially, she took the course to understand what happened to her parents after their passing. She was searching for spiritual healing for grief.
However, she quickly realized the teachings were just as much about preparing and accepting the reality of death for herself, and living fully in the present. This profound realization became a cornerstone in her healing from loss.
Before finding yoga, Maya had also spent time seeing psychologists to understand why she continually attracted toxic partners and why she felt so emotionally blocked. While those sessions provided some insight, she found that energy healing and yoga practices offered a much faster and more practical solution.
Through the teachings of the Art of Prayer course and specialized energy healing sessions, Maya began to peel back the layers of her emotional pain and truly address her deep-seated issues. In the Art of Prayer, she learned practical techniques to connect with her inner self and cultivate a sense of divine support and guidance.
As Maya shares, “The energy healing sessions made me feel calmer and more blessed. I began to see these old wounds for what they were and started to release them instead of holding on.”
This combination of tantric spiritual practice and targeted energetic healing allowed her to make progress where traditional methods had fallen short.
“I was always searching for something to help me heal, but nothing really worked until I discovered Tantra Yoga.”
How Tantra Yoga Healed and Empowered Maya’s Life
Healing grief after losing a parent requires immense courage and the right spiritual tools. Maya discovered that grief healing is not about forgetting the past, but about allowing stagnant energy to flow again.
“I realized that the pain wasn’t something I could run from,” she reflects. “Instead, I needed to let it move through me.”
She focused heavily on her anahata (heart) chakra. After years of feeling “numb” to protect herself from pain, she used heart-opening practices to thaw her frozen emotions. “Doing these heart-opening practices was the first time in years that I actually felt warmth inside,” Maya shares.
Healing the pain of grief allowed her to stop fearing her own emotions. Instead of having panic attacks when a feeling arose, she learned to sit with her emotions, observe them, and let them pass gracefully.
Yoga also helped her cultivate deep inner strength. She shifted her focus from seeking external validation to finding fulfillment within herself. As Maya explains, “Before, I was always looking outside for peace. Now I know it’s something I can create inside myself.”
This self-healing after grief empowered her to break free from toxic relationship patterns. She began to set boundaries and build a secure foundation of self-worth.
In fact, her newfound confidence inspired her to take a massive leap in her professional life. Moving away from her exhausting corporate job, she decided to embrace risk and start her own business. Yoga gave her the clarity and courage to pursue a life that aligned with her true purpose.
Healing the pain of grief allowed her to stop fearing her own emotions. Instead of having panic attacks when a feeling arose, she learned to sit with her emotions, observe them, and let them pass gracefully.
Life Today: Integration and a Spiritual Foundation
Today, Maya’s life looks and feels completely different. The woman who was once impatient, aggressive, and emotionally reactive is now calm, self-aware, and in control of her reactions.
Reflecting on her transformation, she says, “Everyone has seen a change in me this past year. They’re like, ‘I don’t know what happened. What are you doing?’ I always say it’s my yoga course.”
Even her work colleagues have noticed a profound shift in her behavior. She speaks slower, listens better, and navigates challenges with grace.
Maya has built a strong spiritual foundation to support her. She incorporates yoga, pranayama, and meditation into her daily routine. She recognizes that these practices keep her grounded and connected to her higher self.
Her relationships have also flourished as a result of her personal growth. The bond with her sister is stronger than ever — they now share a deep spiritual path and a common language of growth.
In addition, Maya has built meaningful new friendships with like-minded individuals from the school. She is no longer searching desperately for a partner to complete her. Instead, she looks forward to sharing her life with someone who understands and respects her yogic lifestyle and spiritual journey.
As she puts it, “For the first time in my life, I’m not focusing on other people or finding someone who’s going to give me some sense of how I deserve to be loved or who will give me something. Because I think now, finally, I’m giving it to myself. And I feel much more at peace with who I am.”
Yoga Supports Your Personal Journey
Maya’s story is a beautiful testament to the power of transformation. By confronting her pain and embracing the teachings of Tantra Yoga, she turned her deepest struggles into her greatest strengths.
If Maya’s journey resonates with you, we invite you to explore our Tantra Yoga Level 1 teachings. Discover how to balance your emotions, heal from past wounds, and build a vibrant, empowered life through Tantra Yoga.
Liisa Maimon
Founder and Senior Teacher
Liisa Maimon is known for her passionate, accessible approach to ancient tantric practices, offering transformative teachings to students around the globe.
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