The Yoga Institute of Death, Dying, and Grief
"There's no greater gift of charity you can give than helping a person to die well."
-Sogyal Rinpoche
Meet Amanda
"They say that some things we do in our lives we don't choose, rather it chooses us. This life purpose chose me and I am committed to giving myself fully to helping others."
I am so happy you have decided to journey with me on recreating the image of death, dying, and what the grief process looks like. It is my hope and sincerest desire that we can all share our sacred heartache, pain, grief, sadness, and even our joy in a way that doesn't shame or weaken us but rather strengthen through vulnerable innocence. I decided to start Sacred Life Transitions after the death of my husband, mother, and friends as a way to help souls transition with dignity and to connect with other souls who were also going through the grief process to create a space for our stories to be told and for wholesome healing to be part of that process.
My story like many is filled with heartache at losing my husband suddenly and unexpectedly in 2017. To say the least his passing was a bomb that exploded within me and I found myself dealing with months of trauma and recovery. I developed post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD),fell into negative thinking, fear, and a deep mistrust for life. I became afraid of death as I experienced the veil of time slipping away. I came to know that time really didn't exist during this experience and how fragile the human heart truly is. It took me a year to began the process of trusting life again. In essence I experienced a split within myself that is often so common for many people. There were many moments in which I too wanted to leave. I second guessed my ability to parent two teenage daughters by myself, managing a house, finances, bills, it all felt so overwhelming, this feeling of doing it alone. I hadn't been alone in 25 years and fear gripped me. How would I do it? The feeling of gravity during these seasons of our lives can feel very heavy and the weight unbearable to hold by our own means.
Yet through my recovery I am learning so much about myself and how to love myself even more during this time. It is all about love, gentleness, self care, and allowing myself to be courageous enough to feel the emotional sensations that rises and falls. The present moment became a friend that I visited often and great healing happened in that space. My experience also led me into a deep surrender of identities, labels, ego, and a deeper relationship with Creator Source and my own incredible loving heart space. I finally surrendered into my calling that I had so resisted for at least three years, working with the dying and now helping those through the arduous journey of grief and recovery.
I am so honored to be on this journey of life and transition with you. To celebrate openly our humanity in living and in dying. To cultivate sacred space for the journey to exist.
Please join me as we create space where we can share honestly our pain, hopes, aspirations, gratitude, and yes a place where we can invite love to be part of this beautiful bittersweet journey.
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Be Well.
Be at Peace.
Be with Love.
ABOUT ME
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Amanda Brutus-Phillips, born in Guyana, South America came to the United States at the age of 10 with her family to Bronx, New York. She received her B.S. in Biology at St. John's University and her MS.Ed. in Educational Leadership from City College of New York. She worked as an educator for many years with teenagers before relocating to Charlotte, NC in 2000 with her husband and daughter at the time. Since her move to the Lake Norman area 18 years ago, Amanda recreated her life and saw her life transform in ways she least expected. She has become a transformative leader and spiritual speaker helping to assist others in their journey.
Amanda is a Spiritual Director receiving her certification from Charlotte Spirituality Center, an ordained Minister, a Death and Dying Transition Guide and Grief Facilitator, a shaman, licensed therapeutic massage therapist of 13 years, a yoga teacher and trainer, and writer.
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Amanda is a mother of two teenage daughters, one a freshmen in college, the other a senior in high school. Just losing her husband of 20 years only a year ago, Amanda is more inspired since her own deep experiences with grief and loss to help others navigate through the terrain of death, dying, grief, and the rebirth process. Through conscious awareness of self and lessons on how to live in the moment she hopes to guide each soul on their own unique journey.
Amanda approaches life from a constant practice of self inquiry, contemplative prayer and reflection. She abides in the ever loving mystery of the Divine working in her life and steps into a daily practice of self love, forgiveness, compassion, and surrendering. The teachings of Jesus, Buddha, Eckhart Tolle, Richard Rohr, the Goddess, mystic poets such as Rumi and Hafiz all helps her to tap into the sacred space that resides within her as she continues to learn the art of being empty only to be filled with a deep sense of wonder and gratitude for all of life's offerings, experiences, and journeys.
"It is my hope that through deep surrender of what we don't understand, and a willingness to embark on self discovery that we can enter into that state of mystery with God not trying to understand the nature of death and life but to faithfully and trustingly embark on this journey of life witnessing our ever changing human skin while embracing the Godness we hold inside. We can walk the journey adorned with our shield of love, our armor of compassion, and our staff of forgiveness."