May you rest in peace alongside your daughter, Gianna. You were one of my very first Yoga teachers, before I even knew what Yoga was. I cannot imagine being the teacher I am today without watching you. Both on and off the court, you were dedicated to greatness not only for yourself, but for everyone. Day after day, with an unshakable work ethic and unwavering commitment to your craft and to your team, you showed up and did the work. And you did it from this place of authentic love and genuine passion.

Every time you played basketball, coached basketball, even talked about basketball, you taught me that when you put yourself fully into whatever you do, greatness is inevitable. So every time I step onto the mat, or I talk about Yoga, I think of you. Yoga is my basketball. My students and fellow Yoga teachers are my team. 

And because of this, I simply cannot let this moment in time pass without taking the time to honor you. You always said "the most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do." Kobe, I couldn't agree more. So as a tribute to you, and to maybe inspire a few, I feel called to share  these three very powerful, yogic lessons that you taught me (before I even knew what a Downdog was):

1) Your mentality is your first priority. 

That #mambamentality is just another way to translate the second sutra of the Yoga Sutras. Our minds are our greatest asset and tool. We HAVE to learn how to use them so that they can lift us up to greatness rather than hold us down in fear.

(Wanna learn about the Yoga Sutras and how spot on Kobe was in carrying this out? Join me in YTT sometime)

2) Who you are matters. 

We all have the potential to do great things, and along the way we will inevitably act in flawed, human ways. We have a duty to the world to realize our full potential and that can only be done if we commit to owning up to and learning from our mistakes. Perfection doesn't exist, but greatness does. 

3) There is always more work to be done, and you can have fun doing it. Being great is work. It's a lot of work. And it must be done consistently, no doubt. Sometimes it's rough and it hurts, but it doesn't have to all the time. In fact, if you really are gonna keep at it, it can't JUST be hard. It can be-- and NEEDS to be-- fun, a source of joy, and a light in your life. 

Kobe, I will always hold dear these lessons you taught me. I will share them generously with anyone who sees the same immense value in them as I have. And I will continue to show up AND do the work in my own personal practice, in ALL the forms it presents itself (and have fun doin' it). And I will continue to show up AND do the work for my team, as a teacher when I need to be a teacher, and as a student when I need to be a student (and have fun doin' it). Thank you for teaching me that greatness is a simple recipe: find what you love, do the work, and have some fun. Because this life is a team sport, and when we all commit to greatness, everyone wins; we're all champions.

And for that, all I can say is thank you, and namaste.

Rest in peace,
Daniela   

Hello, I’m Daniela

I’m am LA-based yoga nerd and Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT-500) who specializes in private instruction, injury prevention and management, and optimizing athletic performance. When I’m not re-reading Patañjali’s Yogasūtra on the beach, you can find me conducting qualitative reproductive justice research as a PhD student at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, belting out Shakira at karaoke night, or loudly cheering on the Chargers and Lakers.