MAY WE BE MAGGIE
By Georgia Kyllo
This February I lost the nicest person I know. Now technically Maggie-Mae was not a person, she was our golden doodle who blessed our lives for almost eleven years. She passed away on her own accord after going out for her early morning ritual. My daughter and her husband found her on our back deck. She looked like she was having a nap but sadly she was already gone.
The way she left us was peaceful and sudden. When finding out the news of her passing I was away hosting my first yoga retreat in Costa Rica. I was shocked and the grief I felt was so painful. My mind kept telling me, “she was just a dog”, but my heart hurt. As my good friend Siobhan told me: “Maggie was a beautiful soul who blessed your life”.
Maggie was a natural yogi and therapy dog. She sensed the slightest change in emotion, whether you were happy or sad. You were greeted with a wagging tail and a jump up to give you a wet “nose-kiss” in your face.
When I thought of Maggie, I began to wonder how yoga was a part of her world. Maggie was frequently in the yoga studio and would not miss out on an opportunity to paddle on my SUP board in the summer. With this crazy world we all live in, where we can all feel so overwhelmed, Maggie brought it back to “simply enjoy”. Maggie understood yoga, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Throughout my journey in yoga, I have studied the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, as translated by Swami Satchidananda. Swami Satchidananda states, “remember, our goal is to keep the serenity of our minds”. Whether interested in yoga or not, he says, this tool will help anyone maintain peacefulness through anything. Keep this sutra with you as you move throughout each season.
Patanjali says that there are only four kinds of locks in the world. The four locks are: sukha (happy people), dukha (unhappy people), punya (the virtuous) and apunya (the wicked). At any given moment, you can fit any person into one of these four categories. Maggie naturally knew how to meet people and practice the four locks.
Our world has been a bit emptier with Maggie’s passing but her dharma (life’s purpose) was to bring joy to everyone around her. May we all be Maggie; meet others with happiness, joy and inspiration and maybe even a few nose-kisses.
Georgina Kyllo
To learn more about yoga in Sicamous, please visit our website at www.iamyogashuswap.com.
The way she left us was peaceful and sudden. When finding out the news of her passing I was away hosting my first yoga retreat in Costa Rica. I was shocked and the grief I felt was so painful. My mind kept telling me, “she was just a dog”, but my heart hurt. As my good friend Siobhan told me: “Maggie was a beautiful soul who blessed your life”.
Maggie was a natural yogi and therapy dog. She sensed the slightest change in emotion, whether you were happy or sad. You were greeted with a wagging tail and a jump up to give you a wet “nose-kiss” in your face.
When I thought of Maggie, I began to wonder how yoga was a part of her world. Maggie was frequently in the yoga studio and would not miss out on an opportunity to paddle on my SUP board in the summer. With this crazy world we all live in, where we can all feel so overwhelmed, Maggie brought it back to “simply enjoy”. Maggie understood yoga, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Throughout my journey in yoga, I have studied the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, as translated by Swami Satchidananda. Swami Satchidananda states, “remember, our goal is to keep the serenity of our minds”. Whether interested in yoga or not, he says, this tool will help anyone maintain peacefulness through anything. Keep this sutra with you as you move throughout each season.
Patanjali says that there are only four kinds of locks in the world. The four locks are: sukha (happy people), dukha (unhappy people), punya (the virtuous) and apunya (the wicked). At any given moment, you can fit any person into one of these four categories. Maggie naturally knew how to meet people and practice the four locks.
- When Maggie met someone happy; she greeted them with even more happiness and a nose-kiss.
- An unhappy person, she met with compassion and kindness. You felt her head on your lap or a paw on your knee.
- With someone that had virtue or prestige, she would be even more inspired. It didn't matter who you were, there was always a stick that needed to be thrown into the lake!
- With anyone that was clearly mean or wicked she stayed away. She had the sense that there was no need to go any closer. Typically, she would hide behind me.
Our world has been a bit emptier with Maggie’s passing but her dharma (life’s purpose) was to bring joy to everyone around her. May we all be Maggie; meet others with happiness, joy and inspiration and maybe even a few nose-kisses.
Georgina Kyllo
To learn more about yoga in Sicamous, please visit our website at www.iamyogashuswap.com.