There’s something a little cheeky about saying goodbye to summer this year.
Because, honestly…
I actually lived it. ☀️
For the past two summers, the beach has been something I could only remember.
Last May, my life changed dramatically when I fractured my right tibial plateau.
Two surgeries.
Three weeks in the hospital.
Months of being bedridden.
And eventually, learning how to walk all over again.
A beach day suddenly became something I couldn’t simply decide to do.
And there were moments when I wondered if I would ever sit on a beach again.
Or if I would ever be able to sit in the position you see me in this photograph.
Maybe I will.
Maybe I won’t.
I’ve learned not to make promises about what my body will do.
Instead, I’ve learned to listen to it.
And this summer, I chose to live.
I didn’t make it to a beach.
I didn’t spend my days wandering through Greece with my feet in the sea.
But I also refused to let the absence of those things mean that summer didn’t belong to me.
I found summer where I could.
In early morning walks.
In slowing down enough to take an afternoon nap while summer rain poured outside.
In enjoying beautiful summer foods and drinks.
In noticing the warmth of the day.
In allowing myself to rest without feeling like I needed to earn it.
And in trusting that the beaches I love so deeply will still be there.
My beaches in Greece are not going anywhere. 🇬🇷🌊
And neither am I.
There is a different kind of gratitude that comes after loss.
Before my injury, I knew my body was something I should appreciate.
After my injury, I understood it differently.
I have spent decades learning how to move, breathe, teach, feel and listen through the body.
I’ve taught yoga for 20 years.
I’ve worked with people through movement, breath, nervous-system regulation, deep rest and the many ways our bodies communicate with us.
And then my own body became my greatest teacher.
I had to slow down.
I had to receive help.
I had to learn patience.
I had to redefine progress.
I had to celebrate movements that once seemed insignificant.
And I had to discover that living fully doesn’t always mean doing more.
Sometimes living fully means meeting yourself exactly where you are.
This is something I want to carry forward with ZOE Yoga Lifestyle.
Because the work I’m creating now isn’t really about achieving the perfect pose.
It’s not about pushing your body harder.
And it’s certainly not about pretending that life is always peaceful.
It’s about learning how to come home to yourself.
Through somatic movement, breath, Yoga Nidra, Non-Sleep Deep Rest, and nervous-system regulation, I create practices that invite you to slow down enough to actually feel yourself again.
That might look like a private session.
It might be a short somatic practice.
It might be lying down for 10 minutes and allowing your nervous system to soften.
It might simply be giving yourself permission to rest.
These are the practices that have become even more meaningful to me because I’ve had to live them—not simply teach them.
And perhaps that’s why I’m so passionate about sharing them with you now.
So, farewell summer. 💜
Thank you for reminding me that I don’t have to wait for the next version of my life to enjoy this one.
Thank you for the morning walks.
The rain.
The naps.
The little pleasures.
The laughter.
The nourishment.
The moments when I caught myself thinking, Oh… I’m really here.
And thank you for reminding me that there is still so much life inside me.
Maybe someday I’ll return to that Greek beach.
Maybe I’ll sit exactly like I did in this photograph.
Maybe I’ll sit differently.
Maybe I’ll simply put my feet in the Ionian Sea and cry happy tears.
Whatever it looks like, I’ll be there.
Until then…
I’ll keep living deeply right here.
And I’ll keep trusting my body, one step at a time.
With love,
Dina 🤍
ZOE Yoga Lifestyle
Healing Arts • Somatic Movement • Yoga Nidra • Deep Rest
If something I share here has supported you, inspired you, or simply given you a moment to breathe, you can support my work through Buy Me a Coffee. Your support helps me continue creating accessible practices, reflections, and deeper experiences for this community.
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And if your body has been asking you to slow down, reconnect, or simply rest with yourself, that’s exactly the kind of space I’m continuing to create inside ZOE Yoga Lifestyle. 🤍