A few months ago, while lying in Savasana during a yoga class, the teacher told us that moment was a dress rehearsal for the day we die.

Woah. That’s some heavy sh*t.  At first, I thought it was a little weird and laughed uncomfortably to myself. Then, I actually tried to consider what the teacher was saying. What if that moment had been my last? What would I be thinking about? What would I want to say to my loved ones? What would I regret? All of these thoughts flooded through my head.

Then, the tears came. My eyelids couldn’t keep them in. They were streaming down my cheeks, into my curly brown hair and onto my mat. It was nuts.

One moment, I was thinking about what I should make for dinner, and the next, I was thinking about my death and crying uncontrollably. It felt good. The teacher then said, “the number one regret of people in hospice is that they didn’t love enough.”

Oh god, I thought to myself, here come the waterworks!  How sad is that? Not enough love.

They didn’t feel like they gave enough away. Seems simple enough, to give love, but sometimes life gets busy, and we forget to open our hearts. I remained still in deadman’s pose (Savasana) and thought about those closest to me. I sent them my love and smiled. I love them, I love them, I love them. 

Yoga teaches us about living, dying and on this particular day, about love. I was moved by this exercise in Savasana because it got me out of my monkey mind, and stopped me from thinking about my to-do list, dinner plans and workload. Instead, I focused on how I could love more and give more to others. So, next time you are feeling anxious or frustrated or unsettled, consider the number one regret of hospice patients (and the other nine listed below) to inspire change in your own life. May it be of benefit.

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Photo: Addicted2Success.com