Offerings

If you are reading this page, you probably already have an image of what yoga is: a series of twisty poses, an athletic achievement for the impossibly flexible, or a perfectly quiet mind that you might never hope to achieve. Yoga is none of these things. Yoga is for YOU. If you are alive, you can do yoga. Let me explain.

Traditional yoga is not focused on achieving a certain pose, but rather on creating a livable, moveable and breathable body, and a clear and focused mind.

Building a livable body: With proper training and practice, yoga has been shown to lower blood pressure, ease anxiety and depression, decrease sensation of pain, improve concentration and more. In addition, the student gains flexibility and strength, and also improves posture, circulation and breathing capacity.

Yoga is for EVERY body: Yoga is not for the perfect body; it is for every body. Michelle works with each student to assess his or her particular patterns of posture and movement, and to design a program that re-establishes balance and ease in the body. The body is different at different life stages, and care is taken to address and prevent injury. The result is a practice that builds up muscles and joints through a thoughtful progression rather than causing breakdown through repetitive stress injuries.

 

A revolutionary and comprehensive approach to body sustainability at every age. The Yamuna^® Method teaches lifelong solutions to enhance flexibility and movement, without exorbitant cost, and you can use the methods any time and anywhere.

Body Rolling

Yamuna^® Body Rolling (YBR) starts with just a ball, your own body weight and gravity. It’s that simple. Inhale, exhale, sink and roll. Starting at the origin of the muscle, YBR uses traction to release chronic tension and compression and to restore length and space in the body.

Michelle will guide you through specific routines to unwind muscles and renew fascia from head to toe.  This is the perfect compliment to your yoga practice or other activity to keep you doing what you love for a lifetime.

YBR uses balls of varying sizes and firmness to create different effects on the body. The balls act like the hands of a therapist, working from the muscle all the way to the bone. The unique softness of the balls allows them to get into those hidden areas and work every part of the body effectively.

Stand taller, move and breathe more easily, as you free restrictions where you need it most. The Yamuna^® Method teaches you to problem solve and self-heal so your whole body will simply function better.

Foot Fitness

Our feet are the foundation of our whole body, and yet they often get little attention until they become a source of pain. Whether you experience plantar fasciitis, bunions, weak ankles, knee issues or other discomfort, Michelle will utilize the tools of Yamuna^® Foot Fitness to retrain your feet and restore them to full functionality.

Your feet have many reflexology points that connect to muscles all over the body. Yamuna^® Foot Wakers have “nubs” that serve to stimulate these reflexology points, which “wakes up” tired muscles. This will improve posture, alignment, gait, flexibility, strength and circulation.

Face Ball

Let’s face it. Most of us spend much of our day glaring at a tiny computer screen or at the road, squinting our eyes and scrunching our foreheads. This chronic facial tension contributes to wrinkles, headaches and more. Yamuna^® Face Ball offers a proven- effective solution to the effects of repetitive stress and tension by stimulating and aligning bone, activating muscle, increasing circulation and reversing the effects of gravity.

Using very soft balls made just for the face, we will lift and spread the bones of the face while softening lines of tension around eyes, mouth and neck. We will also release jaw tension that may contribute to grinding or TMJ. It’s like giving yourself a facelift. Anyone can do this!

One session is all you need to feel the difference. Yamuna Face Ball gives a logical, effective and affordable solution to approach lifetime facial care, and is the perfect compliment to any other regimen you employ for your face.

Meditation forms the heart of yoga. It can accompany a physical practice, or stand on its own to support and transform your daily life. Michelle shares this powerful meditation approach called iRest in workshops and interwoven through most of her classes.

Based on the ancient teachings of meditation, iRest is an evidence-based transformative practice that leads to psychological, physical, and spiritual healing and well-being. Its practice is integrative as it heals the various unresolved issues and traumas that are present in your body and mind, and restorative as it enables you to recognize your innate peace of mind that is always present amidst all changing circumstances of life.

iRest provides you with tools to help you relax deeply, release stress, increase resiliency, improve your interpersonal relationships and provide you with greater mastery and control in your life.

iRest nourishes noble qualities such as joy, peacefulness, empathy, forgiveness, patience and lovingkindness toward yourself and others, and supports you to resolve issues such as insomnia, anxiety, fear and depression. Please visit www.irest.us for more information.

The ancient art of Thai Yoga is based on the idea that vital energy, also known as prana in Sanskrit, flows through a series of channels in the human body. It is believed that stress and disease are caused when there are blockages to this flow. Blockages may be caused by many things, including physical and emotional stress and tension.

Utilizing a technique of gentle compressions, rocking, and yoga-like stretches, Thai Yoga Bodywork acts to release these blockages and restore balance to the body.  As a result, the recipient is able to relieve body stiffness, gain overall flexibility and promote greater balance in the muscles and organs of the body. Thai Yoga interacts with the muscular, nervous and circulatory systems to enhance the body’s own natural healing ability.

Thai yoga is a perfect complement and may be combined with other modalities, such as yoga and the Yamuna® Method, to release chronic tension and stress. This will enable an overall feeling of blissful ease in the mind and body.

Additionally, Thai Yoga can be taught to couples as a wonderful way to deepen a relationship and increase loving exchange of non-verbal communication.

Traditional teachings of yoga recognize that an active lifestyle is only one spoke on the wheel of wellbeing. Proper breathing, rest, meditation and nutrition form the rest of the wheel. Integrating a body, mind and spirit approach, Michelle works with you to cultivate holistic health grounded in a positive relationship with yourself and your body. Michelle  incorporates ancient wisdom from both Ayurveda and yoga, educating you on lifestyle and nutrition approaches to suit your unique body type.

A typical wellness consultation will include getting to know you, your problem areas and goals. Michelle will then work with you to develop an overall approach for a healthy lifestyle, including food choices, proper breathing and physical exercises to improve digestion, as well as relaxation techniques to manage stress. Together, this plan will provide you with the knowledge, motivation, and confidence to find greater peace with your body and vibrancy in your daily life.