06/13/2026
✨️Behind this photo is a moment I’ll never forget. ✨
It was 4:30 AM on the retreat. I hadn't been sleeping well, and my body was telling me to get up. With the house completely quiet, I grabbed my noise-canceling headphones, stepped outside, and sat down to watch the sunrise and meditate.🧘♀️
As a yoga teacher, I know that retreats have a way of shifting things inside you. I was expecting a shift—but I wasn't expecting this. I thought I’d be wrestling with guilt for taking time for myself. Instead, what cracked open was pure grief.
This entire trip, my mom was with me. Every single moment, she came to my mind. I realized I just needed a space to have a good, ugly cry. 😭
When I finally finished meditating and turned around, I realized the rest of the house had started waking up. I had no idea Shelly had captured this exact moment.
By the time we reached the closing ceremony, the floodgates opened. I completely lost control and shared my heart with the room. These people—strangers just days before—surrounded me with so much love and support when my clouds were too heavy to hold alone. 🫶
One of the guests said something that will stick with me forever: "Your mother teaches you everything in life, but she doesn't teach you how to live without her." 😭💔
Grateful for the quiet mornings, the beautiful souls who hold space for us when we break, and the endless love of a mother that never truly leaves us. 🌅🙏🏼