I find it interesting that for 11 months of the year, people avoid the topic of death and the afterlife.  Then October comes along, and lawns are filled with RIP gravestone markers, cobwebs and skeletons hanging from trees, and skulls greeting you at the door. 

It makes me wonder why we relegate it to once a year.  Probably because people, for the most part, don't like to talk about death.  Like an ostrich with it's head in the sand, thinking that if I don't see it, it can't happen to me.  It's funny how the two things everyone is guaranteed in life, change and death, are the two things that people avoid the most.

It seems that we avoid death the topic of death because it's "morbid" or "depressing."  While I admit it might not be the best cocktail party or dinner conversation, it is a part of life.  There is no life without death.  We live in a collective fantasy that our bodies, the lives we've created, our collection of stuff, is real life.  The truth is, it's only temporary and not meant to last eons.  Our spirit, the part of us that lives on when we die, is "built to last," to borrow a phrase from Ford.  When you tap into this truth, it takes some of the fear of death away. 

In yoga classes we learn to die a little each day in our final relaxation pose, Savasana, or corpse pose (the kids in jail call it "dead man's pose").  Basically you lay flat on your back, arms out to your side, and don't move for five to 10 minutes.  No wiggling around, or fantasizing about what the rest of your day will be.  Savasana allows time for the practice to integrate into all of our cells creating muscle memory.  A time when we let go of our mind and drop into that eternal space beyond the time/space continuum.  The only thing to think about is the breath, that thin line that connects us to our life.  Just as there is no life without death, there is no life without breath, either.

Most people love Savasana.  They consider it to be the icing on the cake, a reward for an hour or so of exertion.  So why can't we think of death in the same way, as our reward for a life well lived?  

By practicing yoga, we learn to let go of our outward form in order to experience the true essence of who we really are as spiritual beings living in a material world.  So this Halloween season, amidst the costumes, candy and parties, take a moment to reflect on how death allows us to appreciate life all the more.

Namaste,

Debbie

Join me this Saturday morning as I sub two yoga classes at Soul at Home in Tustin.  First class is free!

                           Level 1 / 2: 8:05 to 9:25 a.m.
                           Level 1: 9:35 to 10:55 a.m.

New Beginning Yoga DVD, Vol 2!


This DVD is a live, one-hour class, so you feel just like you're in class.  It provides easy-to-follow instructions for a beginning Vinyasa Flow practice.  Good for beginners and advanced yogis alike.

Order yours today! Only $25 plus $3 s/h   

Grounding Techniques Made Easy!



Get your autographed copy of Debbie's book, "The Deeper the Roots, the Juicier the Fruits! 8 Spiritual Practices for a Juicy Life!"  Order your signed copy now!

"The Deeper the Roots, the Juicier the Fruits! 8 Spiritual Practices for a Juicy Life!" 
$7.95 ea plus $4 s/h.