Recent Article in The WIldwood Independent:
http://twi-news.com/akhila-murphy-on-a-mission-to-make-a-difference/
Akhila Murphy — On a Mission to Make a Difference - April 13, 2015
By Gene Gillian
The journey known as our path of life is constantly adjusting, turning and changing. Akhila Murphy exemplifies this journey in her sense of self, her life and her ability and desire to make a difference. Akhila discovered yoga many years ago and integrated this activity into her life as a way to relax and focus while being married, working full time and raising two children. She became a certified yoga teacher in 2005. She is the founder of Dragonfly Yoga & Wellness Studio, located on Penn Valley Drive in Penn Valley.
Several years ago Akhila found herself grieving for a death in her family. She felt the conventional funeral customs were not helpful in allowing her family to grieve their loss, wherein the deceased appeared like a wax decoration. After becoming a Hospice patient care volunteer, she became interested in alternative ways of caring for the dying. She therefore researched and gathered information regarding the “old-style tradition” of caring for the deceased and the family.
Research shows that prior to the Civil War family funerals were held at home. The family prepared the body for viewing by family and friends and a wake was held at home, after which the body was buried in a cemetery or on family land. After the War, the more common funeral service was instated to deal with the vast number of deceased soldiers returning home to grieving, overwhelmed families.
Akhila has had extensive death midwife training with Jerrigrace Lyons, founder of the non-profit organization Final Passages. This training compelled her to become co-founder of Full Circle Living & Dying collective. This organization assists families in direct end-of-life care, which includes traditional home death care and memorial services in a private, familial setting. When a loved one dies, the family, with the guidance of Full Circle, may attend to the body and prepare for viewing either at the care facility or at home. This guidance includes care for a dying loved one, filling out paperwork and overseeing death care for a loved one to lie in honor for one to three days. Home death care allows time for family and friends to gather and help process their grief in a loving, familiar setting while honoring the overall death process. As a death midwife, Akhila serves a role similar to that of a birth midwife who assists during delivery, prepares the environment and helps after birth. Akhila and Full Circle help in various aspects of home death care. They assist families with obtaining and preparing necessary paperwork, preparing the body (i.e., bathing, essential oils and clothing) and assisting in preservation of the body (i.e., delivery, placement, daily maintenance of dry ice). They assist in making arrangements for transportation (whether cremation or burial), help the family throughout their death-care time period and provide guidance pertaining to materials and services.
Akhila and the team at Full Circle Living & Dying Collective are involved in advocating eco-friendly, “green” burials. This would include a cardboard casket that could be decorated and buried in the ground without the cement grave liners that are used in today’s cemeteries. She is working with our Nevada Cemetery District to establish cemeteries that will allow these burials to occur using newer, more eco-friendly caskets or shrouds. If you would like more information about Full Circle Living & Dying Collective or you are interested in preplanning traditional home care for a dying love one, please call Akhila Murphy (916) 397-5443, http://www.fullcirclelivingdyingcollective.com.
http://twi-news.com/akhila-murphy-on-a-mission-to-make-a-difference/
Akhila Murphy — On a Mission to Make a Difference - April 13, 2015
By Gene Gillian
The journey known as our path of life is constantly adjusting, turning and changing. Akhila Murphy exemplifies this journey in her sense of self, her life and her ability and desire to make a difference. Akhila discovered yoga many years ago and integrated this activity into her life as a way to relax and focus while being married, working full time and raising two children. She became a certified yoga teacher in 2005. She is the founder of Dragonfly Yoga & Wellness Studio, located on Penn Valley Drive in Penn Valley.
Several years ago Akhila found herself grieving for a death in her family. She felt the conventional funeral customs were not helpful in allowing her family to grieve their loss, wherein the deceased appeared like a wax decoration. After becoming a Hospice patient care volunteer, she became interested in alternative ways of caring for the dying. She therefore researched and gathered information regarding the “old-style tradition” of caring for the deceased and the family.
Research shows that prior to the Civil War family funerals were held at home. The family prepared the body for viewing by family and friends and a wake was held at home, after which the body was buried in a cemetery or on family land. After the War, the more common funeral service was instated to deal with the vast number of deceased soldiers returning home to grieving, overwhelmed families.
Akhila has had extensive death midwife training with Jerrigrace Lyons, founder of the non-profit organization Final Passages. This training compelled her to become co-founder of Full Circle Living & Dying collective. This organization assists families in direct end-of-life care, which includes traditional home death care and memorial services in a private, familial setting. When a loved one dies, the family, with the guidance of Full Circle, may attend to the body and prepare for viewing either at the care facility or at home. This guidance includes care for a dying loved one, filling out paperwork and overseeing death care for a loved one to lie in honor for one to three days. Home death care allows time for family and friends to gather and help process their grief in a loving, familiar setting while honoring the overall death process. As a death midwife, Akhila serves a role similar to that of a birth midwife who assists during delivery, prepares the environment and helps after birth. Akhila and Full Circle help in various aspects of home death care. They assist families with obtaining and preparing necessary paperwork, preparing the body (i.e., bathing, essential oils and clothing) and assisting in preservation of the body (i.e., delivery, placement, daily maintenance of dry ice). They assist in making arrangements for transportation (whether cremation or burial), help the family throughout their death-care time period and provide guidance pertaining to materials and services.
Akhila and the team at Full Circle Living & Dying Collective are involved in advocating eco-friendly, “green” burials. This would include a cardboard casket that could be decorated and buried in the ground without the cement grave liners that are used in today’s cemeteries. She is working with our Nevada Cemetery District to establish cemeteries that will allow these burials to occur using newer, more eco-friendly caskets or shrouds. If you would like more information about Full Circle Living & Dying Collective or you are interested in preplanning traditional home care for a dying love one, please call Akhila Murphy (916) 397-5443, http://www.fullcirclelivingdyingcollective.com.