Life Renewed

I’ve been in the hills of Umbria close to Tuscany spending time retreating with a wonderful woman, my yoga teacher, Sada Sat Kaur.

(Francesco used to call her “Sat in the car” in his usual playful nature.)

I’d tell him I’m off to chant, meditate and do yoga and he’d make these funny faces at me humming, “Om.”

I’d tell him he looked schizophrenic.

Then he’d exaggerate his chanting even more.

I always ended up laughing my head off.

My yoga teacher lost the love of her life recently too.

She’s been navigating running her yoga retreat centre in the hills without the support of her husband.

These past days we’ve been doing yoga, meditation, chanting and sharing stories of our beloveds.

There’s so much healing that comes from remembering their love rather than our loss.

As we’ve shared our stories, like how my teacher met her husband in a library where she worked and he came back two days later pretending he wanted another book but knowing that she was the woman he was going to marry….

How I fell totally in love with Francesco when I became ill and he took care of me cooking the most incredible mushroom soup I’d ever tasted….

We’ve bonded.

We’ve witnessed each other’s loss without getting caught up in the loss and as a result, held ground for healing to occur.

“I think I’d like to stop being so reclusive and go to Arezzo,” my teacher offered as she felt the stirring in her heart to get out of her rut and pain and begin to drive longer distance to be amongst people again.

“I think I’d like to travel more and help people feel more alive & connected to their divinity,” I realised as I walked through the Umbrian hills.

That’s the beauty of retreating and sharing, we begin to hear more clearly and see more deeply our best path and most basic needs.

My teacher has helped me connect with my body more and see my own progress through this loss and I’ve helped her connect with her husband, reminding her he’s waiting in the wings to support her, she doesn’t have to do all this alone.

That’s the beauty of our loved ones who have gone ahead, whilst they’re busy getting on with heavenly work they are a request away from helping us with our earthly work.

Everywhere I go I send Francesco before me now.

“Babe sort that out.”

“Babe bless this coaching session, be sure they see what they need to see.”

“Babe tell me what to order from the menu.”

Never disappointed I receive the guidance and firm directive.

I’ll be spending some more time here in the hills before returning to my life renewed and with direction on what’s next.