Walking Together: When Yoga Steps Off the Mat
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
There are moments in life when the teachings of yoga become very real.
Not in a pose. Not in a perfectly quiet room. But in the middle of something you didn’t choose.
In July of 2013, our son Ari was born, and just 10 days later, our world changed.
After he stopped breathing, we found ourselves at Boston Children’s Hospital, learning that Ari had a life-threatening congenital heart defect. At just 13 days old, he underwent his first open heart surgery.
What we didn’t know then was that Boston Children’s wouldn’t just save his life once, they would become part of our lives for the next 12 years and our ongoing future.
Since that time, Ari has been cared for by an incredible team across so many departments - cardiology, pulmonary, allergy, GI, and more. From routine monitoring of his bicuspid aortic valve and aortic dilation, to keeping a close eye on his earlier repairs, Boston Children’s has guided us every step of the way.
This past August, Ari once again showed us just how brave he is.
He told us his heart was racing, that it felt like he was breathing through a tiny tube, and that he had a burning feeling in his chest and throat. Thanks to quick action and the expertise at Boston Children’s, we learned he had a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
Within 48 hours, he was in surgery.
Under the care of his cardiology team and his incredible surgeon, Dr. Ram Emani, Ari underwent a second emergency open heart surgery. His life was saved again.
This Is Yoga
In the middle of that experience, I kept coming back to something we practice all the time, whether we realize it or not.
Staying present when things feel uncertain.
Breathing when everything tightens.
Trusting the people holding you.
Allowing yourself to be supported.
This is yoga.
Not just what happens on the mat, but how we move through the moments that ask something of us.
At The Yoga Barn, we talk often about abhyasa (intentional effort) and vairagya (surrender).
This past year asked both of us.
We showed up.
We did what we could.
And we let go of what we couldn’t control (or at least I continue to try to... not so easy!).
And through it all, we were held by Ari’s care team, by this community, and by something bigger than us.
Why We’re Walking
Years ago, after Ari’s first surgery, we started walking in support of Boston Children’s Hospital as Team Ari the Brave at the Eversource Walk For Kids.
For the past 6 years, I’ve been part of Yoga Reaches Out, another beautiful way to give back.
But this year, our kids told us that they felt called to return to something more personal.
We’re walking again.
We’re bringing back Team Ari the Brave for the Boston Children’s Hospital walk, and our goal is not just to participate, but to show up fully as a community and give back in a meaningful way. We are walking together, stepping yoga off the mat.
This year, our team fundraising is going directly to the Heart Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, the very place that has cared for Ari every step of the way.
An Invitation (No Pressure, Just an Open Door)
If you’ve ever practiced at The Yoga Barn, you’ve already been part of something rooted in connection, support, and showing up together.
This is an opportunity to bring that same energy off the mat.
If you feel called, here are two ways to be part of it:
Join us and walk as part of Team Ari the Brave
(And yes—you’ll get a team shirt to wear as we walk together.)
Or support through a donation
A Final Thought
Yoga teaches us that we don’t have to do hard things alone.
That support is always there, sometimes we just have to allow ourselves to receive it.
Boston Children’s Hospital has been that support for our family for 12 years and will continue being there for us even as Ari grows into adulthood (if you have congenital heart defects you are always cared for with children's hospital doctors since your anatomy is very special and unique!).
This walk is one small way we can give that back.
Whether you join us, donate, or simply hold this in your awareness, thank you.
I’m so grateful for this community.
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