Hi, my name is Elisa Congelio, and I’m currently a teacher at Bella Prāṇa. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and invite you into honoring a special Mexican holiday known as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). At Bella Prāṇa we will be celebrating together the 31st – 2nd, and we invite you to join us by bringing a photo to place on our altar. But first, what is Día de los Muertos and how does it relate to yoga?
I was raised in a bicultural household and first became immersed in this tradition when I moved to Mexico as a young girl. I watched my Mexican tías hold space for those who had gone before us, weaving remembrance into daily life. For me, Día de los Muertos is about celebrating the ones we love, even after they’ve passed, remembering the sweet beginnings, honoring the middle, and holding gratitude for the entire journey.
Unlike Halloween, this is not a holiday of fear or fright. Día de los Muertos is a joyful, colorful celebration of remembrance. It recognizes that for life to be whole, it must include both birth and death, joy and sadness, light and dark. It’s an acknowledgment of the circle of life and a chance to keep our loved ones alive in memory and spirit.
One of the most meaningful traditions is the creation of an ofrenda (altar). Families decorate these altars with photographs, candles, marigolds (the flower of the dead), food, and other offerings to welcome the spirits of their loved ones back home. Marigolds guide them with their bright colors and most notably their scent, candles represent light and hope, and favorite foods are placed as a gesture of love.
How to Create Your Own Ofrenda
- Select a space — A small table, shelf, or windowsill can serve as the altar.
- Photographs — Place pictures of loved ones you wish to honor.
- Marigolds (cempasúchil) — Fresh marigolds to guide spirits with the fragrance of the flower.
- Candles — Each flame represents light, hope, and guidance for the returning spirits.
- Offerings (ofrendas) — Favorite foods, drinks, or small mementos of the person being honored.
- Personal touches — Objects, prayers, or notes that hold meaning for you and your loved one.
The beauty of the ofrenda is that it’s not about perfection, it’s about intention and remembrance. Even a single flower, candle, or photograph can become a sacred altar.
Día de los Muertos is traditionally celebrated on November 1st and November 2nd. Together, these two days invite us to pause, reflect, and remember those who came before, not with sorrow, but with joy, laughter, music, and the stories that keep them close.
The holiday mirrors the yogic concept of opposing principles: birth and death, yin and yang, ida (the lunar channel associated with cooling, inward energy) and piṅgala (the solar channel associated with heating, outward energy). It places awareness on the truth that one is not better than the other, and one cannot exist without the other.
- For light, there must be dark.
- For joy, there must be sadness.
- For holding on, there must be surrender.
When we release our grip on permanence, we find freedom. Honoring those who came before us becomes less about mourning what is gone and more about keeping their presence alive in how we live, love, and remember.
In this way, the celebration is not an ending but a continuance—what yoga calls union, and what this tradition calls the circle of life.
My hope is that by sharing this tradition, you feel invited to create your own moment of remembrance. Whether it’s lighting a candle, sharing a story, or placing a flower in memory of someone you love, it’s about finding connection across time, space, and spirit.
May we honor those who have walked before us, and may we continue to carry them forward, not as an ending, but as a living continuation of love.
By Elisa Congelio
Yoga instructor at Bella Prāṇa Collective yoga studio in Tampa, Florida
