Hi Reader,

My nineteen-year-old daughter has spent the last three summers working as a lifeguard.

On hot afternoons, the community pool is full—lap swimmers, children splashing, inflatable slides, parents chatting in lawn chairs.

The lifeguards watch.

Last summer she saved someone's life.

She didn't think to tell me until two weeks later. I remember being stunned by what she had done. As her mother, I don't think I'll ever look at lifeguards quite the same way again.

A few days ago I read about a lifeguard in Santa Cruz who saved a life.

Large waves were pounding the shoreline. A 10-year-old child was caught in the surf. The young lifeguard reached him and held on. For more than two minutes, wave after wave crashed over both of them before they made it safely back to shore.

The lifeguard was sixteen years old.

As a yoga teacher, I've been reflecting on that word: lifeguard.

In our culture, we reserve that title for the young men and women who stand at the edge of oceans and pools, watching over strangers and protecting them from drowning.

But who guards our lives the rest of the time?

Who notices when we're being pulled under by stress, overwork, fear, or simply moving too fast to hear ourselves think?

I wrote more about what lifeguards have taught me about Ayurveda, observation, and caring for ourselves.

​Read the Full Reflection.​

Warmly

Marisa

P.S. Thank you for reading my Weekly Musings. If you'd like to explore Ayurveda together, I'd love to meet you. You can book a complimentary discovery call anytime. And if you're local, you're always welcome at my Yoga & Meditation or Pre & Postnatal Yoga classes in San Francisco.