Spring into action?

We are starting to already see bud break here in Napa, and I am by equal turns thrilled and shocked that we are midway through March. This morning it rained for a short period, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can keep it the rainy weather long enough to keep drought away!

It’s so beautiful watching the leaves unfurl, the blossoms opening, and green returning to the trees. Every time the seasons start to shift I like to take the time to consider my own personal shifts. Am I where I want to be at this point in time? How do I want to spend this new season? Have I taken the time for rest when needed? Often my work (in its various forms - I am no stranger to hustle culture) leads me to forget this last piece.

Looking forward, however - I am excited to be adding some new teaching opportunities over the Spring and Summer months ahead. As I’ve mentioned previously, being able to teach for the temporary visitors to our Valley gives me a boost of extra appreciation and curiosity about the place in which I reside.

Do you find yourself waiting to spring into action, or dive into your burrow for a little nap? I’m leaning towards the latter today. :)

napa valley dreaming

I love guiding visitors though movement and getting to view Napa through their eyes. I’ve been living in the Napa Valley for so long (nearly 16 years!) that sometimes I think I forget how lucky I am to live in the midst of all this beauty.

A reminder to spend more time exploring gratitude, which prompted me to focus their meditation on gratitude, remembering that we all have so much to be grateful for, even when it seems that the world is on fire in more ways than one. We have each other, if nothing else, to learn from, lean on, and share our bounties with.

Zoom Zoom zoom

I’ve been sitting with the idea to offer more classes on my own for a few months, but with the uncertainty of COVID I decided to wait and see what transpired as far as precautions. With more of us in restricted areas I felt like it was a good time to release more offerings to the community!

First up, a Monday evening Yoga Nidra offering. I’ve been teaching Yoga Nidra in private sessions and group workshop settings for nearly two years, and have been trained and certified in multiple approaches to this incredible meditative practice. Second, a Thursday morning Hatha. My first love of asana came in the form of a gentle Hatha class, and it is the style I practice most often on my own.

Mondays 6:30pm - Yoga Nidra: We will be focused on a few restorative yoga poses before settling into the yoga nidra portion of the practice. Be sure to make yourself a cozy spot for this long meditation, either with blankets, bolsters, or pillows. Comfy clothes, a candle or some incense can help to set the stage. Beginners welcome!

Thursdays 8:30am - Hatha: Recommended to have blanket, a belt or a strap handy, and either two blocks or a few stacks of sturdy books close by. This will be a focused practice, not a flow class. Special attention on learning and refining poses. Great for beginners!

Classes start November 30th, and will be 60 minutes. I will be teaching live over Zoom, and may consider a replay option for those that can’t make the time work. Sign up here ! The cost is $10, payable through Venmo/PayPal/Square. I wanted to keep the cost accessible; and specifically if you are a BIPOC, I’d love to offer you a reduced rate. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions!

self-care before selfies

Each day we wake up with our list of “to-do’s”. Work, school, caring for family, household chores: it all seems to hold precedence over that little voice telling us we need to slow down, just a little! I fight this same battle everyday. How to meet my obligations to others, while remembering that I have an obligation to take care of Michelle?

I don’t know about you, but this year especially has me left feeling like my tank is running on fumes, all the time. Some of my go-tos for bringing myself back to a grounded, rested space include:
making myself a cup of tea and sipping it slowly…
meditation…
15 minutes of reading a good book…
time spent outside with my children, eating tomatoes with a pinch of salt…
practicing yoga in a slow, restorative way that helps my body reclaim some of its lost energy - like extra moments in Bālāsana, (child’s pose).

Simple, but effective reminders that no matter how hard the hustle, I can’t leave myself off of the checklist.

How are YOU showing up for yourself these days? What ways are you showing yourself that you care? The longer held postures of a yin & restorative class are ideal for releasing tension, restoring balance to the nervous system, and has been shown to improve immune response (which we can all use a boost in!). Join me every Wednesday at 6pm PST either online or in-studio for Yin & Restorative yoga, and see for yourself.

Mind full or mindful?

It took a long time to get me to both enjoy and make time for a meditation practice. Yep, it’s true…I haven’t always liked meditation! In fact, I avoided it - telling myself all sorts of stories about why it didn’t work for me, why I could never... The excuses ran the gamut from “My mind goes too fast” to “I can’t sit still, it makes me fidgety", to “It just doesn’t work for me!”…all to avoid that time at the beginning of class when the teacher would ask me to sit and do nothing.

Then, a week-long yoga retreat in 2014 in the desert of Joshua Tree National Park showed me that not only could I meditate, but I NEEDED to meditate. My mind, always moving and planning, was actually craving the time to slow down, lose the judgement, and observe.

Fast forward to today: it’s a part of my personal routine, and meditation is an integral part of every class I teach. My lovely friend Alexander of Viral Mindfullness is fond of saying, “Make time for sit!” So the question is…have you made time today? What is stopping you from trying meditation right now? Let me know how I can help you start a meditation practice, or how you can bring more meditation into your yoga practice.