Episode 278 | On Love, Life & Loss: The Legacy & Teachings of Michael Stone with Carina Stone
Life has value because it is fleeting and impermanent. In the limited time that he was given, Michael Stone touched the lives of other people and accomplished different milestones. Nonetheless, it is especially hard for his family to accept the permanent and irrevocable loss of a loved one who has passed.
In today's episode, we're joined by Carina Stone, the wife of the late Michael Stone. She shares with us how life is like over the last two years since Michael's passing and the lessons she has learned in this journey. She also talks about the inspiration that has encouraged her to put out Michael's teachings out in the world today.
Check out these highlights and don't miss this episode about life and loss that will tug at your hearts.
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HERE ARE THREE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE:
Carina shares her and Michael’s love story.
Discover the life lessons Carina learned from Michael and their children.
How does Carina feel radically loved? Find out at the end of the episode.
Resources
The World Comes To You by Michael Stone
Create a daily meditation ritual in just seven days! Download BUILD YOUR DAILY MEDITATION RITUAL and other freebies at RadicallyLoved.com!
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Episode Highlights
Meeting Michael
Carina and Michael met in 2000 as a student and teacher and slowly fell in love. They became a couple in 2010.
She was preparing to leave the community because she couldn't face him, but he confessed that he also had feelings for her.
She had an awakening experience when she became a practitioner.
The World Comes to You
The book contains Michael's teachings compiled before his passing.
On the day he died, the last message he sent to the world was to his editor, Erin Robinsong, to thank her for the work she was doing on the book.
Its contents, including the placement of chapters, are honed to Michael's voice.
The point of the book is to be brief and potent.
Michael's Life and Passing
He had lived with bipolar disorder type one and was experiencing an increase in its effects over the last few years before he died.
He seemed to be doing well from the outside.
Michael craved natural alternatives, opium, in particular, to the meds that he was taking.
A few months before he passed, they were discussing how to downsize their lives.
A few weeks before his passing, something in him went quieter.
Before he passed away, he went to town to run errands and had access to a street drug. He was found unresponsive a few hours later.
Michael overdosed on 100% fentanyl.
He was kept on life support for three days to be an organ donor. He donated his lungs and two kidneys, saving three lives in the process.
Being Awake in the World
Forgetting, checking out, numbing, cocooning—they all serve an essential function.
"Vividness and being able to be in my body and the world at the same time."
As a bodyworker, for her, it is feeling that her body is not leaning away from her center.
Moving Through Grief
Carina mostly practices meditation and focuses on being a mom.
She comes back to where she feels centered.
She was ready when she met Michael in the hospital.
The Biggest Lessons
Michael taught him that there's nothing wrong with her.
The biggest lesson she taught him was sharing a home where he could always return.
Lesson from her children: Children are resilient and vulnerable. They can handle so much, and they are hopeful.
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
"In my process of losing Michael, every now and then, I had to let myself relax and check out. It was actually hard. There was such vividness after he died. Daily life was extremely vivid and awake moments and just all strung together into three in the morning. There needed to be a time for rest and for not being awake."
"I think practice sets you up for those moments. And maybe that's the whole point is you're ready for those, where you're ready differently. And so when I met Michael in the hospital, I could meet him there. I was ready to meet him there."
On the biggest lesson that Michael taught him: "But like, there's nothing wrong with me. Yeah. I think that I feel it more now since he died. I feel like I'm still learning that from him now since he died."
"And I felt love, like we were this unit. And now, I feel like I see through this process, like our heart just has such a huge capacity, and where we draw the lines around that are really interesting. But kids really don't. They can just be so open and resilient."
"I feel like life is a fabric. And the fabric is made of joy and love. And it moves around a lot, and various things move around a lot. I feel loved by the fabric."
About Carina
Carina Stone is the wife of the late Michael Stone, a prominent Buddhist teacher, yogi, author, and the host of the Awake in the World podcast. Michael was the founder and director of the Centre of Gravity Sangha, which is a community of yoga and Buddhist practitioners. Carina stewards his legacy as she speaks about his life and teachings.
To know more about the legacy that Michael Stone left, visit Michael Stone Teachings. You can also follow their Facebook page.
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To feeling radically loved,
Rosie