Acro Yoga | Equinox

"Briohny Smyth returns to the mat for an intimate session with her husband, Dice Iida-Klein."

I write this blog in a much later fashion than I typically attempt to post my blogs. The occasion is solemn yet celebratory as this day was the day we put my cheerful Bubbie (yiddish for grandmother), to rest. I felt in my heart that I needed my practice more than anything this particular day. No one body part was craving attention...a general body practice was ideal for this day. The funeral was at 2pm, so I woke with a fervor in my childhood room with my sleeping fiance next to me with the intention to delve into my yoga practice in order to take my crying mind into a calming world that could transport my mournful body to a purposive one.

I found this 60 minute practice with Dice Lida-Klein on www.yogaglo.com. It's called Mixed Bag Flow and Dice describes it as:

...hav(ing) one final destination...to flow continuously and feel good while doing it. To get to our one destination, we have many different routes and approaches. This mixed-bag flow takes us through a thorough supine sequence including core work, a surya A and mixed surya C and strong standing postures like garudasana (eagle pose) and horse stance. Handstand options are given of course! We finish with some backbends, hip opening and forward folds.

I can go on and on about my Bubbie, about how much of a optimisitc, loving and vivacious woman she was. She lived almost 92 years and passed on what would have been my Zadie's (grandfather) 99th birthday. We hoped she would make it to my wedding in April, but her fortunate attendance to our engagement party in May was exactly that, fortunate, for all of us to have her there with us to celebrate my soon to be marriage.

In order to help me cope with this I wanted to integrate my yoga practice into the grieving process. I found this article that I posted on my facebook page the day before the funeral that put some facts into perspective for me. It's entitled: Embracing the Moment When It Sucks: Dealing With Death. (http://tinybuddha.com/blog/embracing-the-moment-when-it-sucks-dealing-with-death/). To introduce this posting I wrote that living in the sucky moments, such as a loved one's passing, almost seems paradoxical. I wanted to celebrate her life and so I wore one of her very posh, retro-vintage hats with a veil along with her pearl earrings and necklace and an onyx ring to her funeral. It may have looked over the top, but I felt her strength and humor internally. For anyone who has dealt with death and is having a difficult time, I am following these 5 rules and they may help you too:

1. Talk about the person who is gone. 2. Keep visual reminders if it helps you. 3. Don’t hide your feelings.... 4. Celebrate the landmarks of a person’s life. 5. Don’t be afraid of the places you went or the things you did together.