[Part 2 of 3] The Yoga of Funerals…

So many times during all the rituals and ceremony of Dad’s funeral and visitations, I thought to myself: This is living yoga. Not practicing yoga, or teaching yoga… but real life, putting the teachings into practice… yoga.


I hope your future doesn’t involve a funeral of someone close to you… but, it is the inevitability of life itself, no? Here are some yoga tools I used to make it through:


Just did my best— I initially put a lot of pressure on myself to write the best eulogy… but when I relaxed a bit, channeled my dad’s presence, and trusted in my ability to write (a trust in myself that I’ve earned over time), the words flowed effortlessly on the page. Can’t wait to share that with you, tomorrow.

Trust — To battles nerves before speaking, I said to myself: *I trust whatever words I say are for the highest good of all concerned.* And I believed it.


Deep breaths — When I welled up with tears on the podium, I rode the wave and took a deep breath. I realized later that so many people in the crowd took that breath with me and needed permission from my tears to let their own tears flow.



This is that — so many times I felt conflicting emotions. Anger at losing dad, and joy to relive a memory of him… I understand that both emotions can coexist. To allow anger to flow through is to make space so joy can bloom in its place.

“Let Them” —  I used Mel Robbins’ principle from her book, “The Let Them Theory,” as I had to watch others struggle in their own experience of my dad’s death. I let myself have my own experience, and I let them have theirs without trying to fix, change or ignore.


Moving physical tension — When I realized parts of my body were tensing up, or I slept wrong somehow, I took the time to massage those parts of my shoulders or move my legs on a walk to help the tension move. Stuck energy just leads to more pain over time. (And I didn’t need more pain that week!)


Be present — I tried my best to be present with every moment. Every speech, every conversation, every tear, every moment sharing this experience with my family. I didn’t drink alcohol and I didn’t spent much time on my phone, either. As tough as it was to BE THERE, I feel so much closer to my mom, my brother, and my husband for weathering this storm together. That was a gift.


Gratitude — I know for me, the sooner I move into an attitude of genuine gratitude, the easier life feels. I was grateful for so many things this week, and that made a huge positive impact on the entire experience.

I aim to move forward into this new chapter feeling spacious, grateful and… empty. And I’m in no rush to fill the void — just going one day at a time.


Living yoga starts by learning and practicing yogic concepts — that’s where we draw energy from the earth to the heart and our mind. In this initial phase, we remember and awaken dormant parts of ourselves… we have “ah-ha” moments with an upward flow of energy…


….but this is only part of the journey.


The real work happens on the descent of that wisdom. We have a life experience — like a funeral, a birth, anything at all — where we can recognize and apply the yogic teachings in real time.


In those moments, there’s not a mat, pose, or student in sight. Our only job is to put knowledge into action.


Managing the descent and integration of the yogic teachings into life on earth is what it means to practice Kriya Yoga… the yoga of evolutionary action. And I am so grateful to be a yogi in this season of my life.


Stay tuned tomorrow for my full eulogy with Dad’s words of wisdom.
In light,
Mollie