Melanie Larinde

Yoga Practitioner – 28 years
Dedicated Ashtangi – 5 years
How I use Yoga in Life

Diana's teachings, combined with my personal Yoga practice, have given me numerous tools over the years, however, two main principles stand out that have allowed me to keep moving forward with a positive outlook in my life. Those two key concepts, namely, Clarity and Impermanence, have taken me to the next level in recent months.

Studying this semester's featured book at the Shala, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, I was inspired to finish a manuscript I have been working on with my mother for the past 30 years. After her passing last year, I knew it was up to me to complete and publish the work - no more excuses.
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It is the true story of my grandmother, Augustina, coming to America in search of a better life, and her fearlessness and tenacity to keep on going, no matter what. And although the story is about my grandmother, it is really the story about each one of us. Augustina: A Novel based on a True Story

My yoga practice gave me the discipline to set aside 2-3 hours each evening over the past several months to finish this work. I replaced television and other non-essentials that took up my evening time, with sitting down at my Mac and writing, writing, writing, then editing, editing, editing, until the final touches were put in place.

As Diana often makes reference to, our Yoga practice permeates every area of our life – it is not isolated from our behavior outside the Shala. I am encouraged each time I finish my practice, to continue being present in my breath, in my mindset, and in my focus as I move through the rest of my day. Clarity gives me the ability to see what I need to accomplish that particular day, and Impermanence makes me realize that if I do not act today, who knows if I will have the chance to get it done tomorrow?

At work, with my family, with my friends, and with strangers, I continually find a correlation - to a tee - with Diana's teachings and my life outside the Shala. I apply the concepts of Clarity and Impermanence, taken from Sunday Conference, to my role as a mother, as a wife, as a friend, and as a colleague to become the best version of myself, and trust that all those around me will benefit as well from the principles I share by example.