Following is a letter I sent out to some friends and loved ones who all had their lives touched by the power and love of my beloved friend Audrey Simon, who passed away two years ago today:
I woke up this morning thinking of Audrey, seeing her face in front of me. It's hard for me to believe it has been two years since her death. I think about her nearly everyday, as I know many of you do. I still miss her tons, but what used to feel like a raw wound has healed to become a bittersweet longing for her company.
I missed Audrey's birthday celebration this year-- my daughter Zoe had emergency appendectomy surgery a few days before, and the timing didn't work out. So, today, I'm aiming some love in her direction.
There are many things I like to remember about Audrey. Her fierce loyalty and support, her strong and sometimes wacky ideas, her generousity in all things, her mindblowingly delicious meatloaf that I still make on a regular basis (her generousity included sharing her recipe with me), her healing words and touch, her empathy, her inclusiveness, and her deep care for others are just the beginning of my list.
There were a number of times over the few years before Audrey died when we talked about her, Zoe and I going to Paris together. She knew Zoe and I were saving frequent flyer miles for a trip, and we thought it would be great fun to all go together. I regret that we didn't make it happen.
About 8 months ago, Zoe and I booked our tickets, rented a little apartment in the heart of the Marais district, and last week we went to Paris. On nearly our last night there, Zoe and I decided we would dedicate our evening to the memory of Audrey, with our only firm plan a boat ride on the Siene, some red wine and a rich, gooey pastry. We walked out into the still warm evening, and as we crossed over the river on the Pont Sully towards the Ile St. Louis, we looked out to the east and saw a massive, deep orange, luciously full moon rising over the bumpy silhouette of the Paris skyline; the sky a rich blue hue behind it. We turned and looked to the west and saw the twinkling lights of the Tour Eiffel off in the distance, the sky still pink and lavender behind it. I felt a little shiver down my spine, and laughed with Zoe over the magic of the Parisian moment that was all about Aud.
On this anniversary of Audrey's passing, I'm sending out prayers of loving kindness to all, with the spirit, love and energy of Audrey shining through. It would be a real pleasure to hear from you sharing a memory, a thought, or an appreciation of Audrey on this day. I know I don't have everyone on my email list who might want to share this message, mostly out of a lack of organization than anything else, so please forward it if you like to anyone I haven't included that you feel would like it. Love and happiness, and a big smooch to Audrey, Lisa
Sometimes when I'm really missing Audrey's voice, I go to this little video from Carisa Walker:
Enjoy this wet spring day, L
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Yoga holds that a person’s health condition depends on himself. It lays emphasis on physical, mental and emotional balance and development of a sense of harmony with all of life. There’s nothing mystical about it.Nor is it external. Rather it is an inner faculty. Yoga endeavors to re-establish inner balance through a variety of ways, ranging from the gross to the subtle. Which is why it is considered a holistic art.Rather than prescribe treatments, yoga therapy encourages awareness. Through age-old yogic techniques, we get to know ourselves better.From that knowledge, comes the ability to more easily accept and adapt to change, resulting in enhanced well-being in body, mind, heart and spirit. Hence its applicability to almost all chronic conditions.
What approach does yoga therapy take?
Contrary to modern medical science that tries to identify the pathogenic factor (be it a toxic substance, a micro-organism, or metabolic disorder) then eliminate it, Yoga takes a totally different point of view. It holds that if a person is sick there must be a deeper reason behind it – that illness doesn’t arise by chance. It is the result of an imbalance, a disruption in the body-mind complex that creates the condition. Here the symptoms, the pathogenic factors, are not the issue. Yoga believes that the root cause lies somewhere else.
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