There’s a Buddha statue that sits on my desk all curled up in a ball with his head sunk between his legs, hands covering his face sitting in sadness. I was given this statue years ago as it was said that this Buddha cries for the sorrows of the world. I don’t remember who gave it…
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Time for More – Michele’s Insights
This week was a turning point for me. Maybe for you, too. After learning that we were going to be sheltering in place for at least another month, I had to take a deep breath and a nice long walk. I had to soak in the idea that BYSJ will most likely be a part of…
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Breath and the Nervous System
Bikram Yoga Teacher, Misha Soltis, recently led us in our daily 10 am PDT live-stream Pranayama breathing on Facebook. She reminded me, and all of us, how great it is to have this one constant in our lives: our breath. With so much uncertainty, we often remind ourselves to stop and take a breath. We…
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Compassion from the Contrasts
Years ago, I recall Gary Vaynerchuk, a bold, self-proclaimed compassionate leading entrepreneur of this digital age, discussing the “me too” stories coming out as women started to un-silence themselves about the sexual abuse they had experienced. His takeaway was beautiful: “one day, from this, maybe the real lesson is that we’ll learn that we all have…
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The Flexibility to Adapt
Thank you to so many of you that reached out to see how I was doing with both my sister leaving and my ankle dilemma. My ankle is so much better, and the last two days I was able to take really long walks. It was glorious and another reminder to appreciate the joy of…
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What we need now more than ever – Self-Awareness
It so embarrassing to say this, but my first day back at running, I rolled my ankle (within a quarter mile of starting, no less). Oddly, I managed to “save” the ankle I rolled, and I was so pleased with myself. Only later could I feel a strain in my other ankle– the one that sacrificed…
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Breathe. Prevent. Be Present.
In 2006, I started having bad abdominal pains and drove myself to Stanford ER. I was there most of the day, waiting for test results and routinely talking to a very smart (and very busy) Stanford doctor. She took a liking to my yoga life after discovering that this might be why my blood pressure…
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One week in – a letter from Michele
It’s been just over a week since we closed and already it seems so long ago. The last few weeks prior to closing were so hard, navigating the fear and discerning what’s real in this unprecedented global event. Maintaining a yoga practice IN the midst of uncertainty is THE responsibility I adhere to most, and not just with this virus, in any occasion.
Michele’s speech, 17th anniversary, January 18th, 2020
Watch Michele share this speech LIVE at our 17th Anniversary Party Making good wine comes from vines that have been distressed. In France, the vintners purposely walk around and throw gravel at the grapevines that are thriving. They push the gravel into the soil, giving that vine a chance to toil, to become exquisite with…
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Michele’s Insights: The Nature of Transformation
“Transformation can come in many modalities, but few include the physical, like yoga,” states Craig Villani, teacher extraordinaire, at the beginning of our leadership intensive weekend with BYSJ teachers. This comment struck a chord with me. I’ve often wondered why this yoga is so powerful, even beyond the obvious of what does physically and mentally….
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