LIFE

In this life, we have to connect with our bodies. We have to feel them because they are fleeting. We need to love them now. Our spirits will live forever. However, I’ll only rotate this sun so many times as me until my existence as me ceases. When considering the totality of the universe, I will not associate myself with this shell for very long.

I’ve often resented my body. I’ve resented my body for a few reasons, and let me know if you’ve ever felt this way, too, so I’m not alone, here.

Have you ever felt like your body is a burden?

I’m curious, what do you think you body is? How do you perceive your body? How are you living your life? What goals do you have for this body of yours? What intentions are you setting in your mind? I want to know. What intentions do you set in the morning?

Because your mornings are numbered, my friend. I don’t mean to be a downer, but ask not for whom the bell tolls.

I want you to seriously live like you are dying. Feel your body now. Don’t delay. Try yoga!

DEATH

Having lived a life full of intentional compassion and unconditional love, my Nana has gone to be with Jesus. Nana, Diane DeZarn, Lived everyday like it was her last.

She would say to me “Now, honey, Nanny’s not gonna be around forever, you know. So I want you to know how much I love you. How much I care for you. And Maikenzy, Honey, there is nothing you can do to change Nanny’s love for you.” and she’d say it like that.

She was self aware. She knew that her life was not her own. She lived everyday as a servant for her children and her grandchildren.

I want to be just like that. I want to be a servant who fears no living creature nor unknown abyss.

I want to facilitate that growth the way my Nana would when she would correct me with gentle reminders and shower me with positive affirmations when I did well. She took time out of her day to make sure my wounds were healed with good food. She fed my mind when she sat with me and poured over difficult math problems or tedious spelling. She never doubted me. She made sure I knew that I was seen.

We all seek this kind of appreciation. The kind of appreciation that makes you feel seen but not judged is simple and yet so many people fail to recognize their peers in this way.

But not Nana. My Nana was a natural lover. She didn’t know it, but she was a Yogi master.

YOGA

Okay, so, maybe Nana didn’t do 12 rounds of sun salutes everyday, but she certainly was united in love for herself and her family.

This is what we call “Yoga outside of the mat.”

Loving your family is yoga outside of the mat.

Yoga means union. And we get wrapped up in the poses and the stretching, but yoga literally means uniting yourself to the Spirit. I can’t think of anyone more united and in tune with the Spirit than my Nana.

Was she afraid to die? No. She was not. Because she was united in love. She was practicing yoga until her last breath.

Nana devoted herself to living a life of service and gratitude. She never hesitated to show the family how much love she had to give. With her delicious Lebanese food, she filled our bellies. With her immaculately kept home, she gave us a sanctuary of peace. With her warm hugs and adorable laugh, Nana united us with a love that I will remember for the rest of my life. I wish I could share it with her again. Maybe, in some way, I will when I die.

I could really use one of Nana’s hugs.

If you’re still reading, try this with me….

Wrap one arm on top of the other, give yourself a squeeze.

If you have lost someone dear to you, I want you to imagine the love that they poured into your life. Remember how good it felt to hear their voice and see their face. Don’t forget their memory. It is a happy one! Give yourself a hug!!!

Now, cross your arms the other way as we give love to both sides of the body.

I’m gonna be out of town for a little while, so please check in with my website until I return from California. The Calendar page will have info up to date.

While I’m away, here are a few things you can do to practice yoga outside of the mat:

Move your Body
Organize your Thoughts
Embrace your Friends

Move your body. Take your dog on a walk, doing some yoga in the kitchen, and check in with your breath. Think on the way you are sitting in your chair. Feel this life that you have flowing through your veins. Remember that you only have so many breaths in this lifetime.

Organize your thoughts. I can’t stress this enough. Write down your goals, intentions, and dreams. What do you want people to say about you when you die? Your thoughts become your words become your actions become your legacy.

Embrace your friends. People will remember you for the relationships that lasted in your life. Nurture those. Make spending time with your loved ones a priority.

I will not associate myself with this shell and my memories forever. The bell tolls for thee, so think fast. Love your body now. Connect with the lives around you for as long as possible. Maybe you can do that in a yoga class? I invite you to one of mine or to one of my friends’ here in Kerrville. I also invite you to explore yoga online. There are a lot of great options out there for starting your home practice. Pour in some time, and you will get big, beautiful results.

Lots of love to you, reader. Nana would want you to know that, no matter what, you are loved.

Thanks for all the love you poured into my life, Nana! <3