Voices of Mahai: Karena Virginia on Quiet Mornings & Learning to Love Yourself

When Karena Virginia speaks about healing, you can feel yourself relax — she isn't talking about something out of reach or performative, she is talking about an ongoing relationship with presence, love, and authenticity.

In this edition of Voices of Mahai, Karena shares reflections on quiet mornings, self care, boundaries, loneliness, and the practices that help her return to herself.

We spoke with her ahead of her upcoming 5 Levels of Healing Retreat at Mahai.

Mahai: What’s your favorite time of day?  I love the early mornings. Why?

Karena: There is a peaceful feeling to the quiet mornings. I love watching the sun rise through the window, and especially love when the sun enters my home. As a first generation American with an English mom and Italian father, mornings growing up were about the ritual of having coffee together. When I’m alone in the early morning, I meditate. If I’m with family, I stay present with them and meditate later in the day. Being a mom has made me pretty flexible. I have my nonnegotiables like my spiritual practice and waking up early, however I can change the rhythm depending on the day. Spending time with the divine is a gift, and I treasure my moments in prayer. 

Mahai: Can you share something you’ve had to learn the hard way about healing? 

Karena: I’ve never been great with boundaries. There was a time when I made a decision to stop abandoning myself to please others. What I learned the hard way is that when we change a pattern in our lives, it impacts the entire family structure. Setting a boundary around my self care felt very forced on my part, and closed off a part of me. I realized that my body, mind, heart and soul felt much more aligned when I lived from an authentic place of organic boundaries instead of closing the door on the people I love the most. My truest self doesn’t have to be similar to anyone else’s authentic self. I do not need to be or do anything in order to be lovable. I don’t need to wear anything or follow any rules except the ones that resonate with the love in my heart. Accepting myself with love is the solution- closing myself off to others in order to have more time for self care is actually painful for me. 

To me, healthy boundaries consist of the house being quiet by 8 PM and knowing that my time to meditate and practice yoga is my quiet time. I feel better taking time for myself when I’ve given a big part of my heart to others. I need to give to feel happy and fulfilled. I never give from an empty tank, and I know how to say no without feeling guilty. However, the pendulum can swing too far sometimes when we are healing. Balance is essential. 

There are days when I feel lonely. I’ve learned to accept that part of my purpose is to share love. On the days when I feel alone, I go out where there are people and I talk to strangers. I believe the divine places us where we are needed, and I have experienced miracles in those moments. 

Mahai: What is your favorite daily practice or ritual for self care?

Karena: Taking a bath or shower in the evening and imagining anything that the water cleanses away anything that is triggering my nervous system. I also practice deep breathing exercises before sleep and I do the alphabet with words of gratitude until I drift into sleep. 

About Karena Virginia:

Karena is a yoga teacher, podcaster and author. She shares her yoga teachings in the highly acclaimed yoga video, The Power of Kundalini Yoga, and  is the author of Essential Kundalini Yoga.  Karena is also the voice on the IOS APP Relax and Attract with Karena.

Karena is a member of Oprah Winfrey’s Belief Team, and she is a pioneer in the metoo movement who has discovered that the meaning of healing humanity starts with speaking truth and choosing love. She is passionate about helping others find their voices and heal.

Karena is married with two children, and she lives in the suburbs of New York City.

Join Us for Karena upcoming retreat at Mahai: