Without a doubt one of my Yoga Hero’s is Vivien Veritz who I first met at one of my Yoga Classes I was teaching at Yoga Fest over a decade ago. I remember seeing her in her Onesie Yoga outfit, back then in her late 80’s . I remembered going over to Vivian letting her know if she needed to rest , rest and to take any modification she needed. Not long after that she was up in headstand! She looked at me with a big smile. I learnt a lot that day (not to assume being one lesson , again;) and I have learned so much more since then every time I was lucky enough to see Vivien. Her energy and love of life always gave everyone in the room a lift. Just having Vivien near you , helped you be the best version of you. Her smile and energy a contagious gift.
Vivian passed away June 2nd at 98 years young. I would like to say THANKYOU to this very special lady for being the most inspirational Yogi I have met and share some great memories and lessons she taught us all on the NRG Retreats she attended with us. Often these messages were given with a big smile while Vivien was upside down in headstand 😉
“Never give up”
“Never stop dancing”
“93 year old yoga teacher, Vivien, told me to never stop practicing, but what she taught me was to never stop smiling.Brittanie Dreghorn (NRG Teacher Training / 2016 NRG FOR SOUL RETREAT)
“You need to work hard and keep moving your body and it’s a real joy”
“Eat well, treat your body well”
“Just keep moving”
“It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, just keep going”
And my personal favourite and mantra:
“If you help just one person in your life, your life has been worthwhile, never forget that”
From the bottom of my heart Vivien I salute you, thank you for spreading so much joy to this world. You will be missed by so many. Those shining eyes and big smile is unforgettable .
Namaste
Tammy xox
click here to hear Viviens words of wisdom over footage of her doing headstand variations
CLICK HERE TO READ OUR POST RETREAT BLOG ABOUT VIVIAN after her 95th birthday.
