This month we are featuring a guest blogger, Nadika Nowak. Nadika is a long time member, and karma yogi at YogaGen.
A Tribute to Megha and Dhaval Shah
I dedicate this month’s blog post to Megha and Dhaval Shah, our dear neighbours, whose lives were cut short in the devastating flash floods in Nepal on August 26, 2026, during their spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
When my husband and I had moved from downtown Vancouver to the suburbs of Port Moody in 2017, it was an exciting but overwhelming time as we adjusted to being homeowners and learned everything that comes with living in a house for the first time.
What we didn’t know then was how fortunate we were to have Megha and Dhaval as our next-door neighbours.
Soon after we moved in, they organised a small gathering so we could meet the people living around us. It was a thoughtful gesture, but it was also characteristic of them. They made an effort. They reached out, brought people together, and helped us feel welcome in a place that was still unfamiliar. We explore
d nearby trails, shared meals, and celebrated milestone birthdays. With all our parents livi
ng overseas, we understood what it meant to raise children far from family and to miss having loved ones nearby for life’s important moments. Megha and Dhaval welcomed our boys with the same warmth and affection they showed us, and our relationship began to feel a lot like family.
One of my favourite memories is of the special spot Megha and I had under the fig tree. During the summer months, we would often stand there chatting until one of us decided the sun had become a little too hot. Nothing elaborate, nothing planned. Just the two of us sharing time together.
Looking back, I realise how precious these ordinary moments are. At the time, they were simply part of our everyday lives: a conversation in the garden, a shared meal, a spontaneous visit, or an invitation to try something new. We don’t always recognise the significance of these moments while we’re living them. Sometimes, it is only when life changes unexpectedly that we understand just how much they mean to us.
Since the floods, I have found myself thinking about these memories and about the kindness that made our friendship what it was. I have also witnessed something remarkable in our neighbourhood. Neighbours who have lived alongside one another for years are now exchanging phone numbers, checking in on one another, and finding ways to support Megha and Dhaval’s daughter and family through an incredibly difficult time. There is a bittersweet irony in this. Megha and Dhaval were the ones who made an effort to bring us together all those years ago. Now, in their absence, we are finding our way towards one another. I wish this had happened under different circumstances. But I am grateful to see the care that has emerged, and I can’t help wondering whether this, too, is part of their legacy. Perhaps the connections they encouraged, and the example they set, have helped us recognise that we can be more than people who simply happen to live next door to one another.
And then there was yoga. When Megha invited me to join her for a yoga class in 2017, I had no idea how much that seemingly small gesture would change my life. It opened the door to a community I might never have found on my own I gladly said yes, even though I had never practised yoga before and wasn’t sure if it was for me.
That day, my journey with Yoga Generation began. I tried different classes, attended workshops and events, and eventually applied to become a Karma Yogi at the studio.
In yoga, karma yoga is commonly understood as the path of selfless action: giving our time and energy in service to others without expecting anything in return. There is no need for grand gestures or recognition.
What does putting kindness into action look like at the studio?
- Introduce yourself (or reintroduce yourself!) to the person on the mat next to you.
- Offer a cup of tea. If you’re making one for yourself, ask someone nearby if they’d like one, too.
- Lend a helping hand. Notice when someone might need a little support, and offer to help.
- Share the joy of yoga. Tell a friend or neighbour why you love your practice, and invite them to join you for a class.
These small gestures help create a studio where everyone feels welcome, connected, and cared for. Karma yoga reminds us that
kindness doesn’t have to be complicated: it simply begins with noticing the people around us and choosing to act with care.
Megha and Dhaval lived this in their own way. They didn’t need a special occasion to put kindness into action. They simply made the effort, and that effort made a difference.
So, this month, let’s take inspiration from my dear neighbours and look for small ways to make someone’s day a little brighter. Let’s carry the spirit of karma yoga beyond our mats and make kindness part of our practice, both on and off the mat.
– Nadika Nowak