G’day, deviants! (It’s a term of endearment, ok?!)

Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you being here? Well, I do. Soso much. This world is wild and weird and it’s such a gift that we have connected in some way.

Sometimes people get really curious about the intersection of my work with death, grief, and yoga. I can’t leave it at “I have a Scorpio stellium” ‘cause if you don’t understand astrology it would go over your head, but if you do, well, you probably understand that it’s a calling.

I went to my first yoga practice 25 years ago in the lower level of a collegiate in Whitby, ON. My mother, Bridget, was teaching a Singaporean/Malaysian cooking class on the second floor of the building and gave me a booklet a few weeks before the class began. She asked if there was anything I would be interested in taking. Yoga immediately jumped out at me. I now realize that was Ancestral guidance. Every week for three months, I would help Ma pack her Dodge Caravan full of cooking gear before she drove to the collegiate, help her bring the items up to the classroom, set up, then go down to the library for yoga. When the classes ended, Ma bought me DVD’s and books. Yoga was something I turned to once in a while as I grew older. There were years where I didn’t practice at all, but I usually came back to it. I practiced different styles with different teachers. Hatha, iyengar, hot, aerial, kundalini. I received my 200hr Yoga Teacher Certification in 2021 through Yoga with Jas.

My first foray into death work was in 2015 when I decided to volunteer at Kensington Hospice in Toronto. I was living and working in the same neighbourhood at the time and had a penchant for volunteering. Ma had raised me to give back to the community. Generosity is a family value. After learning more about yoga, these days I view it as seva - selfess service. A small act of seva you may consider is when you open the door for someone when entering or leaving a building. You don’t expect anything in return, right? Honestly, when I decided to volunteer for Hospice, it was due to proximity and ease. I literally searched up organizations nearby and applied to volunteer, went through the training and began volunteering at the Reception desk. I also figured it would keep me out of trouble. Remind me to tell you about my past antics sometime. But, I believe that nothing happens by chance. We are where we are for a reason. After a few months of volunteering at Reception, I also began volunteering in the Kitchen, cooking food for the 10 resident Hospice. It was a peaceful space. I think back to moments at the Hospice and my heart feels warm.

Since then, I have volunteered for two other Hospices, one in Windsor, ON and one in Peterborough, ON. It’s been an honour to be a part of end-of-life care and I have learned more gratitude in the process.

I received my Death Doula certification in 2022 through the Institute of Traditional Medicine.

There are so many vocations one can take in life. I feel as if I have lived a thousand lives sometimes. That Scorpionic death-rebirth process is a strong one. Now, I am here, intersecting yoga and grief. It feels the most authentic way for me to be.

In Sanskrit, the root word of Yoga is ‘yuj,’ which means ‘to yoke,’ ‘to join,’ ‘to unite.’ We may consider the union of mind, body, and spirit. When we experience something in our mind, we also experience it in our body and spirit. When we experience something in our body, we also experience it in our mind and spirit. When we experience something in our spirit…you get the point.

More considerations:

• Where might you feel grief in your body?

• Are you able to bring breath to those areas?

• How does it feel as you breathe into the areas of your body that hold grief?

• What movements or physical shapes might you take to allow for more ease in the areas of your body that hold grief?

Intersecting grief and yoga allows us to hold our grief with care and meet ourselves and others with ahimsa/non-harm. There are many practices we can do to honour our grief, such as using pranayama/breath, asana/postures, and dhyana/meditation in order to come to a place of acceptance and comfort as we process grief. And, gosh, what a process it is!

I have so much more I would like to say about this topic, but I’ll leave you with that for now. If you need more support with using yoga as a resource for grief, please reach out. I am available for trade and sliding scale options.

Please take good care of yourself and the beings in your life. Also, tell your dog I say hi! Here’s a pic of my pup, Aura Papadum. She definitely helps with my own personal grief care.

Offerings

• Arrival Retreat in The Bahamas, Feb 15-21, 2026

• Free yoga at Sadleir House. Lots of options. Yay!