A Heart Divided: A Ukrainian Yogi's Reflection on War, Loss, and Strength

Guest Blog

By Anna Pavel, Ukrainian Yogi, featured in the film.

Two years ago, a deep realization settled in my heart—one that has never left me.

There are things that only those who have lived through war can truly understand.

The torn feeling inside, the sense of loss that never fades. No amount of news stories, headlines, or social media posts can fully capture the weight of it. War isn't just something you see—it's something you feel, something that changes the way you experience the world forever.

And yet, somehow, Yogis of Ukraine conveys what words cannot.

When I watched scenes from the film and read the book, I saw my own pain reflected back at me—not just my pain, but the resilience, the love, the sheer force of spirit that keeps Ukrainians standing even as our world is being torn apart.

Thank you to everyone who made this film, to every person who is working to share our story with the world.

Between Two Worlds: Life in Safety, Heart in Ukraine

Today, I live in Florida. I am safe here. There are no air raid sirens, no missiles falling from the sky. I can sleep through the night without waking in terror.

But my heart is still in Ukraine.

My hometown, Odesa, is under relentless attack. Every day—destruction. Every night—explosions. My family remains there: my parents, my sisters, my nephews. Each evening, when night falls in Ukraine, I hold my breath. Please, God, not my parents' house.

Every single day, it's the same fear. The same prayers.

People often say that time heals all wounds. But how can you heal when the wound is still open, when the pain is still happening in real-time? How can you move forward when every morning brings new destruction?

The past few days have been especially difficult—constant shelling of Ukrainian cities, daily civilian casualties. Just two days ago, our best friend's mother was killed when a Shahed drone struck a bus filled with civilians.

Preserving Our Truth

Yogis of Ukraine —both the book and film—is a piece of history that will be preserved and cannot be rewritten. 

It documents the lives of ordinary people during this terrible war.

Let me share why this matters so deeply:

During Ukraine's Orange Revolution [a fight for Ukrainian democracy and freedom from Russia], when I was still in school, new history textbooks were printed acknowledging this pivotal event for independence. Yet after a change in government [to a pro-Russian government] just years later, these textbooks vanished from our educational system, replaced by old versions that erased this chapter of our history—as if it had never happened.

This is why Yogis of Ukraine is so vitally important. It bears witness to our tragedy and tells the stories of ordinary people during an extraordinary time. It ensures our experiences won't be forgotten or rewritten.

The Cost of War: A Nervous System in Collapse

It has been exactly a year since I last saw my family. A year of distance, of longing, of constant worry.

War doesn't just destroy buildings. It destroys the human nervous system. I feel the exhaustion in my bones. The heaviness never truly leaves. The body remembers trauma, even when the mind tries to push forward.

Yet through yoga and through sharing our stories, we find ways to carry on. We find strength in community, in bearing witness to each other's pain, and in the knowledge that our truth will endure.