On May 15, 2024, my beautiful friend Karin passed away suddenly and tragically. Karin was a uniquely special, positive, inquisitive and kind woman. Her sudden passing has left her husband, four daughters, her parents and brother, our community and all in the world who knew her, mourning the loss of her special light. She connected very deeply to those around her, and had a huge sphere of influence on her family, friends and the community, in her modest yet powerful way. In the days, weeks and months since her death, the sharing of her words, her wisdom and her ideas has continued to influence us all positively, even in the midst of this deep heartbreak and grief.
One such sprout of goodness is the establishment of a scholarship fund at Women’s Nurture in her honor.
The Karin Scholarship Fund
At the initiative of a generous and thoughtful anonymous donor, the Karin Scholarship Fund was created in memory of beloved friend and student, Karin Aisicovich, z”l. This scholarship fund provides annual yoga class tuition to a yoga student who has passion and commitment to the pursuit of yoga and self-care.
Karin was a dedicated and sincere student of yoga, as well as a woman full of compassion, charity and love. Created lovingly in her honor and memory, the scholarship provides the means for a year of yoga…with all of its physical and mental benefits, helping the student to pursue her self-care and health goals, in the embracing and encouraging atmosphere of Women’s Nurture.
If you are interested in contributing to the fund or in becoming a recipient, please write to me at [email protected]
Sharing Our Memories of Karin
As Karin was a very beloved student of mine, with a strong presence in our classes, our Women’s Nurture community has mourned this deep loss in our own way.
We have been able to share thoughts, stories, memories, photos and impressions together. There has been space for tears, for yoga practice in her honor, and words of consolation. On the day that she passed, after her funeral, I had an emotional purge of words, needing to put on paper some of what was in my heart. As her yoga teacher, I had the privilege of a relationship that was uniquely deep, and intimate in the way that when we open up ourselves physically, we can allow for a vulnerable connection. Written in the language of my tears, I share here a glimpse into my view of Karin.
In the weeks after her passing, as we had to face coming to class without her, and to support one another in the gaping absence of her presence, I shared with my students a poem that really resonated with me, by poet David Gate:
Tell Me About Your Person
David Gate
Tell me about your person
the one that you lost
the one that you miss
Tell me about their quirks
their habits & their tics
Tell me about their loves
their magic & their bliss
You don’t have to forget
or paper the cracks
Because grief & gratitude
are parallel tracks
For a train that doesn’t stop
So if your person is a part of you still
tell me their truth
I want to know them
because I want to know you
The line about grief and gratitude being parallel tracks really spoke to me. I am so deeply grateful that Karin was part of my life, but the depth of my grief is the depth of my love for her. What helps though, is the sharing of parts of her. When her fellow students share anecdotes about her, of the stories and accomplishments, the sides of Karin that they knew, I continue to not only understand Karin, but I get to know better those that loved her, that are part of our community.
One special feature, at our end of the year Women’s Nurture gathering in June, was the beautiful speech fellow student and friend, Dr. Ronell Klingman gave in memory of Karin. I share it here.
Though I miss her every day, Karin’s presence is still with me, in my home, by the window at her spot in my home studio, and in my heart.