"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi

This is one of my favorite quotes. Participating in the practice of yoga which is deep breathing, movement for our bodies and meditation to move towards more clarity. So going back to that quote ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’ requires action and awareness. Yoga does help with those things. In studying yoga you come to understand that there is growing clarity and a shift in your perception. You may come for physical benefits but you quickly see there are emotional and mental health benefits due to the power of the practice. I often will go into a class and my mind will be cluttered, loud or cloudy and I will come out of class with more awareness and clarity. I am able to “see” more clearly. If we return to that quote ‘Be the change you wish to SEE’ requires that we see clearly first and foremost. Then it requires us to move towards some action step. To move towards a more harmonious peace of mind and then bring that peace into our world. I am reminded also of this living quote to be an answer to prayer from Jesus who prayed ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. This was his vision and mine as well. The practice of yoga not only shifts our mindset but helps us better relate to those that are in our world.  So go be the change YOU wish to SEE in the world.

Be blessed, Namaste~ Abbie

"Recovering drug, alcohol addicts turn to yoga for healing amid COVID-19 pandemic"

After 13 years of sobriety and practicing yoga about the same amount of time I know that yoga and recovery both work if you work it. I am very happy to partner with Kalamazoo studio Bent 9 to offer this Yoga 12 Step class. In this class I show the parallels of living a life of recovery by practicing the tool of yoga for relapse prevention.

Check out the full article and video here.

News 3 segment

To sign up for the class download the Mind Body app and look for Bent 9 studio in Kalamazoo.

Class will be offered Virtually by donation the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 6pm

Yoga off the mat

Studio updates after week 1....

Hello fellow yogis. Writing to you after a week of official shut down of schools and the studio space. If you can log onto Facebook where I have posted a few yoga videos to follow along with in your home. Although I know its not the same as being a part of the group energy and takes way more discipline but it is definitely worth your effort. Emotions need motion to move up and out in a healthy way. And as I always say 'No pose lasts forever'.

I am doing my best with what I have juggling now home school during the quarantine. As most of you know (or don't know) I am a single mama with a very energetic and also extroverted kido (like her mama). We have both been making the most of this time. Its funny because part of my new years resolution was to work on being more present with my daughter. So looks like God has presented quite a unique opportunity for just that. A bit extreme but I'm always looking for the silver lining. Gratitude is medicine and has a way shifting my attitude. Its a practice. Just like strengthening or becoming flexible in the body those benevolent qualities are also as equally important (if not more important) to exercise in our minds. Life continues to happen its how we react to it that makes all the difference. Again its a practice. One day at a time.

So now about the studio and how you can help.
I know most of you have an unlimited package and to keep the studio open and thriving after this road bump to let that expire and consider it a donation. This is just a big ask and a suggestion if you find it in your heart to help in anyway.
And/ or if you can or want to help by purchasing a River Bend Yoga tank please message me and I can get you one right away. I am working to learn quickly ways to enhance quality of video to bring to you so you can stay in your practice during this time.
I am also including a Donation button if you feel compelled at all to make a monetary donation to the studio to help support your local yoga studio.

I along with everyone else is facing this thing for the first time and we are all just doing the best we can with information given. I have been challenged to keep my mental health in check during this time as honestly this is where the practice becomes life. We are truly living our yoga off the mat. Working to put into practice presence, contentment, kindness, self reflection and any and all other practices to keep us centered during this time.

I appreciate all of you and miss seeing your faces. Truly makes me appreciate the community we have. This has been the update for now.....be well friends.

Awareness and Acceptance

I walked into the hot yoga studio today already noticing a sea of beautiful bodies and faces. Right away I started the comparison game in my head. I have trained my mind enough to know to step back from that thought and become an observer. How interesting that the first observation is one of competition and judgment. Why is my first instinct one of division?

I grew up as a dancer and had that same feeling every time I entered a studio space. Noticing all the other dancers and sizing up their skill level next to mine or lack thereof. I was quickly pulled back to those memories of feeling less than.

Yoga from my personal experience has sometimes become a show or performance. Often we can participate in the showmanship of the yoga experience by wearing our best yoga outfit or straining to hit that picturesque type pose. But that does not matter. And from what I realized no one really cares.

What I quickly recognized and snapped back from is the critical, judgmental, disconnected feeling that I had been a witnessing in my thoughts. I came to remember that this is a safe space in a sea of all different shapes, sizes, abilities and levels of flexibility. Bringing with them all types of life experiences they have carried or are carrying at the moment.

The real flexibility for me was the acceptance of where I was in the moment and how beautiful it was to be part of a group of like minded individuals seeking connection just like I was.

I have always mentioned my love for yoga came from the awareness of how yoga made me feel and not how it looked. For that I will keep coming back to my mat. For that I am grateful.