<![CDATA[Michelle Shaw Yoga: Movement | Breath

<![CDATA[Michelle Shaw Yoga: Movement | Breath | Meditation - PAUSE]]>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:29:02 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[10 Years Strong]]>Thu, 28 May 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/june-02nd-2026

Nervous System Reset

This is my tenth season teaching at Lakeshore Resort. The partnership remains a wonderful one.

I love that resort guests are able to enjoy complimentary yoga classes alongside the shore of Lake Michigan. How lovely to stroll across the lawn for a class where nature provides the best playlist ever?

This year, we are also offering Sound Baths on the deck in the woods. Guests have a ten-minute guided walk, then are invited to relax. Take in the beauty of nature. Enjoy the variety of sounds. And reset their Nervous System.

“Find the thing that stirs your heart and make room for it.
Life is about the development of self
to the point of unbridled joy.”

~ Joan Chittister

Hi, friends!

Happy unofficial start to summer!
Memorial Day Weekend brought all kinds of weather: sun, rain, thunder, fog. chill,
warmth . . . yep, it happened.
Town was packed!
We had a blast with nieces and nephews and so many friends.

I’m especially thankful the weather cleared on Sunday. Yes, I got a little wet during my yoga class at Lakeshore Resort that morning, but Mike’s band got to play outdoors at the Burn Your Socks Party later in the day. (It’s a sailing thing that happens at Yacht Clubs to signify the end of winter. And yes, socks really were burned. 🤪)

When everything turned gorgeous on Monday, we made the most of the sailboat.
No actual sailing, yet, but we cruised up the river and took a quick spin in the Big Lake. The best part? After our delicious lunch on board, we were able to enjoy a nap inside the boat! That means Little Wing looks less like a tool shed these days, and is just about ready for prime summer season. 🩵

Amidst the barbecues and festivities, gratitude to all those who serve and sacrifice for our Country.

If you missed this week’s quotation, take another look. ⬆️

In preparation for Sunday’s Full Moon Yoga Circle, I’ve been thinking a lot about discernment. I find the definition of discernment interesting: “the mental ability to judge things clearly, perceive subtle details, and make intelligent decisions. It involves separating truth from falsehood and recognizing what is essential, even in complex or confusing situations.” (Merriam Webster)

So, it’s a mental ability that relies on perceiving subtle details to separate truth from falsehood.

Wow! That’s pretty complex.
At first, it sounds like our thinking mind is responsible.
Then, it layers in we have to be able to perceive subtle details.
How, precisely, does a person do that?
And, it sounds like our ability to do is important, because it helps us make good decisions.

This will what we’ll be exploring together at Sunday’s Full Moon - Blue Moon class.

How do we help ourselves perceive subtle details?
How do we build the ability to make really great decisions for ourselves, even when things are complex and confusing?

There’s a series of threads, called Sutras, that serves as the foundational philosophical text of Yoga. There are 196 Sutras, and it’s the second one I want to talk about today:

Yogas chitta vritti nirodha in Sanskrit.
In English: Yoga is the calming of the fluctuations of the mind.

So, if we can calm the mind . . . which wants to chatter and bounce around constantly! Then, maybe, that’s how we are able to perceive subtle details happening within?

While I appreciate that meditation (one of the eight limbs of yoga) is being more widely talked about, I wonder when I see something like this on TV:

Woman walks outside from her hectic hospital job and sits on a nearby bench.
Puts in earbuds.
Uses phone to turn on her Meditation App.
Spends 15 seconds trying to close eyes and be completely relaxed.
Mind stays busy. She is now even more frustrated?
Decides meditation is not for her. or that she’s “not good” at mediation.

To be clear, I have nothing against electronic versions of meditation.
I use an app myself sometimes.

But is it realistic that with no training, we can shift ourselves from real chaos into complete calm, simply by turning on a recording for a few seconds?

There must be a different pathway into knowing how to calm the fluctuations of the mind. And, when we can calm the mind, then we can tune into signals from other parts of our body and being. This subtle body perception helps us with discernment!

Sunday’s Full Moon Circle is going to be a lovely internal exploration all around this. I hope you can join us!

With so much love and light,

m

]]><![CDATA[Marking the Moment]]>Thu, 21 May 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/marking-the-moment

Happy Place
Okay, so the inside of the boat is NOT yet photo ready; however, the moment captured here was a LONG time (and a LOT of work) in the making.

We finally took a few moments to enjoy the boat rather than work on her. (Note: the gleam on the wood and the bright white everywhere?? 🤩) Javier is not convinced that being on the boat is the best. 😉 He did eventually relax enough for me to snap these two photos.

Next steps? Get the main sail on, and make sure the cabin becomes less of a tool shed and more like a place you want to take a nap. 😍 We’re getting there. And by we? I mean primarily Mike. He has done so much to get Little Wing ready! 🩵🦋

“The greatest gift you can give someone
is the purity of your attention.”

~ Richard Moss

Hello!

Well, since last writing you I think I’ve had the heat, and the AC, on in my car? Maybe on the same day?! 😅
Out of habit, I was still throwing on a layer every time I walked outside. Suddenly I realized it felt like summer . . . warm, humid . . . why am I wearing this puffy coat? And then, once again . . . where is my sweater?

My outdoor yoga season began at precisely the right moment. It was an honor to practice last weekend with the bride & groom + loads of their family on their wedding day! And, returning to the deck with dear friends for our Sunday morning class together? Incredible.

I often talk about yoga as a fabric. When we practice, we weave in our own thread. And together, we form a fabric of support. For ourselves. For one another.

In fact? We join all the other lights around the world, who are on this path, who call out OM . . . and this fabric becomes something we can lean into and rely upon.
For comfort. For guidance. For inspiration.

This fabric that is yoga connects us in unique ways.
It’s something that may seem invisible, yet it uplifts us at all times.

This week, I had the opportunity to spend time with a primary thread of support in my Yoga Fabric. The openness, the understanding, the ease, the connection . . . it’s been woven into our friendship from the very beginning. I am so grateful.

The time together was an important reminder . . . gifting myself that connection time is such a salve.

I love the Richard Moss quotation above, and I am trying to embody it further.

Turn off that phone. Settle the distractions that are all around. Savor the moment of connection. Gift others the purity of your attention.

In a world of constant information, inputs, chatter, and noise . . . remember to gift yourself that pause.

Thank you for being a thread in my fabric of support.
I am so glad that one way or another, yoga has woven us together.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to be together in person?
I’ll be at the Saugautck Yacht Club on Saturday mornings and Satya on Monday mornings.

I think there may still be a FEW spaces left for our Blue Moon Yoga Circle?

And Create + Restore in July will be the embodiment of tapping into our innate creativity and True self. So much power; Join us!

Love and light to you,

m

]]><![CDATA[Create + Restore]]>Thu, 14 May 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/create-restore

Ready or not?! 😀

This morning’s dog walk (Tuesday) was a frosty one! Hat, gloves, and warm shoes were part of the uniform. That said, Javi and I are still getting out on the front porch every chance we get.

And, my outdoor yoga season at Lakeshore Resort officially opens this weekend. Let’s hope Mother Nature agrees it’s time to begin? 😉

It was lovely having family here for a Mother’s Day Feast. Happy for the abundance of food and sunshine we enjoyed together, and can’t believe my Mom & Dad remain the undefeated Bunco Champions! 🤣

“When we trust our creative energy, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment—an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things.”

~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Hi friends!

An aspect of life that delights me at this age? The richness that comes from time with friends you’ve shared decades with. There’s something deeply special about the history, the knowing, the shared jokes, and the depth of love and caring that is built over the years.

Right now, Darcy is here hanging out with us. I met her when we were ten years old at Summer Sports School. Yep. that was a thing both our Moms invested in. And, why not? The School was five days a week, for several hours each day. We spent our time at the local high school learning how to play all kinds of sports: golf, softball, volleyball, basketball, track and field . . . what better way to occupy and exhaust a gaggle of ten year olds? 😂

Even though I broke two bones in my arm that year at Sports School, I wouldn’t trade any of it. Because . . . 46 years later? My time with Darcy connects me all the way back to that Tomboy I used to be.

I remember the first taste of freshly baked Potato Chip cookies I had at her house. My Mom likes to bake, so I understood homemade things. But, desserts without chocolate in them? Now, that was something new! Let alone desserts that contained potato chips. 🤣

When I turned 40, Darcy’s Mom drove out to my house with a tin full of nothing other than those famous Potato Chip Cookies. Such an incredible gift. 💝

Soon, my dear friend Theresa Gray will be back in Michigan. Okay, well not until July . . . but I’m already excited and time is flying!

The funny things is: Theresa, Darcy, and I all went to the same high school; however, Theresa and I didn’t meet until I was 30. She and I agree that if we had met during our Holland High days? We may NOT have formed a connection. 😅

Our paths crossed at the exact right moment. We formed an immediate, and lifelong, bond. In fact? She is THE REASON I found my way into yoga.
And, she is how I found my path to teaching yoga! 🙏🏽

Throughout our 26 years of friendship, we were next door neighbors for years. We spent time shopping together, cooking together, walking our dogs every day together, planning parties together . . . it was pretty magical.
And now, even though we live a couple of time zones apart, it still feels like there is no separation.

When she and I create and build something together?
All of that history, that love, that understanding . . . it’s inherently built in.

I am honored to announce our newest guided experience: Create + Restore.

Create + Restore is an invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect—with yourself and with your innate creativity. .

Over the course of three nourishing hours, we’ll move through a gentle flow of breath, meditation, movement, and painting using beautiful natural pigments.

These pigments are sustainably sourced and free of heavy metals, offering a grounding, tactile way to work with color.

You don’t need to be an artist.
You don’t need experience with meditation.

Simply bring curiosity and a willingness to explore.

Together we’ll settle into a relaxed and welcoming space where breath, movement, and color support reflection, calm, and discovery.

You’ll leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and more connected—and with your own sizable painting on raw canvas to take home.

Sign up has JUST opened and space is intentionally limited.
I hope you can join us!

Sunday, July 12 | 10:30 A - 1:30 P
@ Manifest Events / Satya Yoga in downtown Saugatuck.
Free parking is available
Everything you need to move and to paint will be there

If you missed today’s quotation, take a look. 👀⬆️

Here’s to a supreme kind of enjoyment!

Love and light,

m

P.S. See you Saturday @ 8:30 for Yacht Club Yoga
P.P.S. Once in a BLUE MOON is happening! May 31. Don’t miss!

]]><![CDATA[Phases & Flow]]>Thu, 07 May 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/phases-flow

Special Moments

Ahhhhhhh, some sweetness from this past weekend.

Teresa and I are thankful to ALL who joined us for the first Full Moon Yoga Circle. You packed the house with your phenomenal presence, and you are powerful!

Our next Circle is Sunday, May 31 | 6 - 7:00 P.M. @ Satya / Manifest. We’ll be celebrating the Blue Moon, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us. 🌕💙

This photo of Javi and my boots may not look like much . . . but it represents a celebration @ Chez Shaw: the end of Mt. Mulch! 🤣

“That moment of inward breath, that pause and
awareness of ‘how beautiful this is’ is a prayer of appreciation,
a moment of gratitude in which I behold beauty and am one with it.”

~ Jean Shinoda Bolen

Hello!

We may not be basking in warmth, yet, but spring is definitely showing up and showing out. The leaves on our Japanese Maple and Kousa Dogwood have returned, I spy buds on our peonies, and the new growth on our Alberta Spruce is almost electric green!

I was surprised by the amount of people in Saugatuck over the weekend. I admit, I wasn’t quite ready for the struggle of finding a parking place?! 🤪 The abundance and amplification of energy is exciting. And, as an introvert, I am super grateful that our home in Douglas really is a refuge.

There’s no shortage of great events popping up all over town. I love that we live in a place where people want to visit . . . for a portion of the year. 🤩

I remain super inspired by what the flow, the phases, of nature can show us. Hibernation is necessary. And it’s not something to apologize for.

New ideas, new energies, emerge at the correct time.
Not because we command them to. Or force them to.

Something may be visible for a while before it bursts into bloom.
Our bed of iris is tall, and strong, and doesn’t have a single bud, yet.

I’ve been trying to cultivate more flow in my life. Not be so reactive to whatever is loudest in my field at the moment.

For me? So much of creating flow is building trust. Trust that I will have the energy and creativity I need when it’s necessary. Trust that the rest I am taking is the best choice, and it is of the highest good. Trust that the people, the resources, the connections I need are right here, emerging in front of me.

This isn’t magical thinking. It’s not just sitting back and thinking all things will come.

This takes a steadfast commitment to our internal wellness and our ability to hear from the intelligence within.
Spring is a wonderful time to check in with what’s emerging. And it’s okay to take time for it to bloom.

Here’s to enjoying the beauty all around and within!

Love and light,

m

P.S. Hope to see you Saturday @ 8:30 for Yacht Club Yoga

P.P.S. Grateful to be hosting family in celebration of my Mom this weekend! ♥️

]]><![CDATA[Transition Time]]>Tue, 05 May 2026 13:20:18 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/transition-time

For the ♥️ of Little Wing

Thank you for indulging me. 🤩

This past weekend, Mike and I worked on moving Mt. Mulch (my nickname for the 15-yard-pile in our driveway) and on getting Little Wing ready for the water. So, I needed to remind myself of why I LOVE our sailboat. Turns out? Refinishing the bright work (all the wood trim), waxing the hull, painting the bottom, etc. are NOT the fun parts of owning a boat. 🤪

And, to be very clear, Mike is the hero of this story. Not me. IF we can get enough accomplished between rainstorms, we hope Little Wing launches next week.

She’s an unfathomable privilege and joy.

“Peace, in its most fundamental form,
is the connection of one human spirit to another.”

~ Desmond Tutu

Hi friends!

First up, in case this newsletter ends up in the Too Long; Didn’t Read (TL;DR)category . . . a note to any and ALL Yacht Club Yogis:

Class this Saturday is @ 8:30 A.M.
Yep. It’s time for that early start; you can do it! 💖

In the good news column: we have class EVERY SATURDAY in May! So, if you’ve gotten out of the habit of making it to class on Saturday mornings?
it’s time to come on back.
Your brain. Your body. Your being will thank you. See you Saturdays @ 8:30. 🫶🏽

And, I am SO excited for the first Full Moon Yoga Circle @ Satya tomorrow (Friday) night! The Flower Moon Circle is Sold Out, and you can join the WaitList here. Our next Circle will be on Sunday, May 31 where we’ll be celebrating the Blue Moon. Please join us!

Gosh, I love this time of year. And, a few of my muscles had forgotten how much work it is! 😀 Our yard and boat both deserve some love and attention after a long winter of hibernation. There’s something satisfying about the exhaustion that comes with hard, physical work. Especially when you can finally sink into your front porch and admire the oh-so-tangible results.

It’s exciting to celebrate the abundant growth happening all around.
Nature’s vitality and beauty is impossible to miss!

I’m checking in a lot these days to see if my internal vitality and beauty are as evident? I’m feeling the shifts, and I don’t think everything is fully aligned and shining, quite yet.

And I think that’s okay.

I am enough.
I am evolving.

Here’s to all of us continuing to evolve and grow and burst into full bloom.
One breath, one moment at a time.

The lilacs have popped this week, and I am beginning to get wafts of perfume from our Lily of the Valley. Nature understands how to flow and adapt. It blooms when it’s intended to.

I’ve been meditating on yoga being about steadfastness.
It’s not magical.
It’s not accidental.
It’s not a bunch of woo-woo.
The shifts we want? The transformation we seek? We have to show up for it.
Time and time again.

And, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
It doesn’t have to take all kinds of time.

I can reset by simply pausing. Finding my breath. Feeling my feet on the ground. Turning my eyes to the sky.

And I have to continue showing up for myself in this way.
Through repetition and ritual.
Building my tool kit so I trust that everything I need? Is within myself.

Ahhhh, now that sounds like peace.
Love, light, and longing for peace,

m

]]><![CDATA[Full Moon + Flower Moon]]>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/full-moon-flower-moon

Leaf Week

It’s happening!

The leaves are finally showing themselves! Every time I pause and take a look out the windows, I am gobsmacked by the green!

Our irises are getting taller everyday, the dandelions are living their best lives throughout our yard, and I’m eager for the fragrances of lilac and lily of the valley. What I’m noticing most today? When I look up . . . there’s color, and texture, in those trees.

The shifts are incredible, and this has me thinking about the moon.

“As you live deeper in the heart,
the mirror gets clearer and clearer.”

~ Rumi

Hello friends!

This time of year in West Michigan, maybe especially in Saugatuck/Douglas? It’s impossible to miss the shifts happening all around. Everyday it seems something new is bursting into bloom. Today it’s warm and bright. Tomorrow it’s cold and blustery. Adaptability, and lots of wardrobe options, are required. 😉

One by one our neighbors are returning to town. Local businesses are gearing up for “the season.” New events, new merchandise, new menus are popping up everywhere. Those of us in the service industry? We’re getting excited and may want to fit in one more getaway and/or a little more respite before swinging into high gear.

These shifts, these phases are all representative of life.
It’s a continual flow state.
And just like the weather, life requires a lot of adaptability from each one of us.

As I prepare for our upcoming Full Moon Yoga Circle, I was reflecting upon our Winter Solstice Yoga Celebration.
That night, it was dark.
We took time to sink into the darkness, rather than try and avoid it.
We meditated on the power of hibernation.
We breathed into the time of rest and gathering of nutrients (strength, ideas, energy, creativity) that winter provides.
Nature does not apologize for its season of rest.
I’m trying to learn the same.

And now, we are witnessing the results of that hibernation. Our surroundings are literally (and, yes, this is the correct moment for the overused word 🤣) bursting into bloom everywhere!

Gathering to celebrate the upcoming Full Moon / Flower Moon will be powerful. I love that this is the beginning of our Full Moon Yoga Circle Series at Satya. It’s extra special that at the end of May? We will have another Full Moon, making it a Blue Moon. (Yep, once in a Blue Moon there are 2 full moons in one month) 😀

It’s a special opportunity to think about what within is ready to blossom?
What truth of us wants to be brought into the light?

Our thoughts, our ideas, our inspirations don’t have to be fully formed to emerge.
Just a week or two ago my irises were barely a glimmer. Now, they’re a foot tall!

I’ve been resting into these two sentences:

I am enough.
I am evolving.

That’s it.

Allow that to settle into your belly.
Your heart.
Your throat.

If you are nearby and considering joining us for the Flower Moon, please do!
Only a few spaces remain. Teresa and I would love to see you.

Love, light, and longing for peace,

m

P.S. Thank you Rhoda Thurston-Lewis for capturing, and sharing, the gorgeous moon photo featured at the top of the page.

P.P.S. It’s our last LATE START Yacht Club Yoga this Saturday. See you @ 9:00

]]><![CDATA[Pain vs. Suffering]]>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/pain-vs-suffering

Emergence of Spring

We are getting a lot of rain this week, and it’s turning everything vibrant green. I love witnessing the emergence of spring.

It’s a perfect time to increase our calm, and our joy, by actively looking for glimmers:
A patch of daffodils brightening the hillside. The weeping cherry, crabapple, and magnolia blooms dotting the landscape. The burst of colors is magnificent.

And for Mike and I? Uncovering Little Wing added extra excitement!

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

~ Viktor Frankl

Hi friends!

Wow! What a phenomenal return to Yacht Club Yoga! When I arrived, Lake Kalamazoo was super foggy and misty. Soon after, the sun broke through and the fog cleared. It was pretty special.

Thank you to ALL who joined me! And, shout out to my two friends from high school who made their way from afar. What a wonderful surprise! 💕

Class continues at SYC this month on Saturdays, 9 - 10 AM. All are welcome.

Recently I read a study that was trying to figure out if there’s a difference between the way longtime meditators experience pain vs. the way those who do not meditate experience pain.

Being a participant in this study would have been miserable. Because, it involved basically scalding hot water being piped onto your wrist, repeatedly. Ten seconds before the hot water? A sound let you know , . . pain incoming. UGH!

Thankful I was not someone involved in the study, I am fascinated by its results:

The non-meditators began having a pain response VERY quickly after the sound. Even though nothing painful was happening quite yet.
The sound did not activate a pain response in the meditators.
Both groups experienced the pain with a similar level of response. In fact, the meditators experienced the pain slightly more acutely.
The non-meditators experienced a pain response for FAR LONGER than the meditators. In other words, the meditators recovered from the pain MUCH more quickly.

It’s this fourth fact that I find very interesting.

The non meditators continued feeling the pain. In other words, they continued suffering.
The meditators made a much quicker recovery, returning to a baseline that was free from pain.

Here’s how Cortland Dahl, a participant in the study explains the significance of this:

“So what they were seeing -- what the scientists found here in this particular study -- was the neural signature of the difference between suffering and pain. This is super important. Normally, we think that pain equals suffering, and this underlying assumption drives many of the things we do in our life.

We're basically trying to avoid pain and discomfort because we think that by doing so, we will be able to avoid suffering. What this showed is that there's actually a hidden variable that most of us are completely unaware of. Suffering does not equal pain. Suffering equals pain times resistance. So if you can dial resistance down to zero, you are not doing away with the pain, but you are completely eliminating the suffering.

Super, super important fact. So if you understand that fact, this is a total game changer for how we live our lives.”

I fully understand life is not only made of glimmers.

We have physical bodies. We will get sick. There will be pain.
We are in relationships. There will be loss. There will be pain.

The real question is: How do we help ourselves deal with, recover from, the pain? How able are we to return ourselves to baseline?
Not by burying things. Or suppressing them. Or pretending they did not happen.

But by experiencing them fully. And then releasing ourselves from suffering.

If you missed the Viktor Frankl quotation up above, go ahead and take another look.

Here’s to our collective growth.

Love, light, and longing for peace,

m

]]><![CDATA[Spring Break]]>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/spring-break

Sweetness of Home

Mike is on Spring Break this week. Lots of his colleagues, and his students, are traveling. I get it! The weather here can’t quite decide if it’s finished with winter?! Opting for warmer climes makes all kinds of sense.

For us? We’re enjoying a week at home. Extra walks and snuggles with Javier. Some clean up of the yard. Momentum on a few projects that have stagnated. Time with family and friends. A National Championship for Michigan. 💙💛🏀

Additionally, for me? Some extra rest.
It seems my sinuses are still suffering a bit from whatever I picked up in El Salvador. 🤧

“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty:
to reclaim large areas of peace within ourselves, more and more peace
and to reflect it towards others.
And the more peace there is in us,
the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”

~ Etty Hillesum

Hi beauties!

The long awaited moment has arrived:
Yacht Club yoga is THIS SATURDAY! 9 - 10 AM
ALL are welcome!
Please bring your own mat and whatever else to keep yourself cozy.

Space is filling up for our first Full Moon Yoga Circle @ Satya Yoga | Friday, May 1 | 6 - 7 PM. Teresa and I would love to have you join us for this special evening. 🌕

Amidst the chaos and tumult of our current world, today I want to talk about something each of us can do to make OUR OWN world a bit brighter.

Look for glimmers 💖

What are glimmers? Well, think of them as the opposite of triggers.

Instead of our nervous system being hijacked by things that upset us, a glimmer is something that helps soothe, calm, and maybe even sparks some joy!

Here’s the thing. There are glimmers around us, all the time.

There are also potential triggers surrounding us.

We have discretion about where we direct our attention.

Notice I encouraged us to LOOK for glimmers.
This means it’s an action.
A choice.
Something we decide to do.

Try it with me this week.
Actively look for small, good things that are around you.
And, stay there with your attention and your presence for a few relaxed breaths.
Maybe allowing the corners of your lips to curl up into a smile.

Not sure where to start? How about enlivening your senses with that first smell of coffee in the morning. Or, tuning into the sunlight dancing on the water.

The moments don’t have to be big, but the reward system activated in the body is huge! And, the more we do this, the more readily the brain recognizes the glimmers around us. 🌟

Here’s to cultivating internal peace.
Om shanti, shanti, shanti (peace, peace, peace)

m

]]><![CDATA[El Salvador & Off Again]]>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/el-salvador-off-again

Producer Roaster Forum

Most of the time when I travel with One BIGG Island in Space (OBIIS), I am visiting coffee farms.

Our trip to San Salvador was different. We were at a Trade Show that brings together Producers and Roasters from throughout Central America.

“We cannot have a healed society, we cannot have change, we cannot have justice,
if we do not reclaim and repair the human spirit.”

~ Rev Angel Kyodo Williams

Hi friends!

My time in El Salvador was enlivening, busy, wonderful, and exhausting. I loved being with our producer partners from Honduras and Guatemala. Our team also got to make LOTS of new connections. I REALLY need to improve my Spanish! But outside of that, I believe we accomplished what we set out to do.

Next up? 4 of the OBIIS team are traveling to Florida. This time, we are meeting with people from within the BIGGBY sphere about our Farm-Direct program. It will be a quick trip, and I still need to pack plus practice my presentation a few more times. 😉

Before I go, a few reminders about upcoming events:

Yacht Club Yoga Returns! Saturday, April 11 | 9:00 - 10:00 AM
Full Moon Yoga Circle with Michelle Shaw & Teresa Van Eyk @ Satya Yoga.
Friday, May 1 | 6:00 - 7:00 P.M.

Each session will focus on the themes of the current moon. Offerings will include yoga, breathwork, meditation sound healing, journaling, contemplation and connection. May 1st is the Flower Moon — abundance, growth, new life, and manifesting your most beautiful dreams. Space is limited. Sign up is highly suggested.
Create + Restore with Michelle Shaw & Theresa Gray @ Manifest Events / Satya Yoga
Sunday, July 12 | 10:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. | Save the date!

Create + Restore is an invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect— with yourself and with your innate creativity. Over the course of three nourishing hours, we’ll move through a gentle flow of breath, meditation, movement, and painting using beautiful natural pigments. These pigments are sustainably sourced and free of heavy metals, offering a grounding, tactile way to work with color. Sign up coming soon!
This will be powerful. I hope you can join us!

Happy Pink Moon everyone!

I hope you’ll take just a few moments to watch something profound and powerful.

Here’s to moving forward and healing, one step at a time,

m

]]><![CDATA[New Moon + Spring Equinox]]>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttp://www.michelleshawyoga.com/pause/new-moon-spring-equinox

Wild Weather

I realize we are almost officially into Spring, but as I type (Tuesday morning) it is currently snowing, blowing, and our temperature is 20 degrees, feels like -1.
Yikes!

So, while it’s wonderful spending extra time inside my home studio (I’m SO excited about my newly framed Yantras that were were gifted to me by the beautiful Virginie Morel),

I am also eagerly planning the not-so-far-away outdoor season . . .complete with some new, special events!

“Just because the mind is saying something
doesn’t mean it’s right.”

~ Shi Heng Yi

Hi everyone!

Hard to believe last week I was writing about sitting outdoors, enjoying our front porch. 🤣 I guess our Big Winter has a few more things to say before saying, “Adios!”

On Sunday, I saw the most beautiful, TINY, purple irises blooming outside Pennyroyal. They were such a stunning pop of color. I’m worried about how they’re faring, and about the HUGE buds on our neighbor’s Magnolia tree will survive. I think our entire neighborhood delights in its big blooms because they really feel like spring.

Last night, in this Winter Storm, Javi alerted Mike and I to the deer that were making their way down the middle of our street.
Nature has to be resilient around here. And, tough.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how nature both survives and thrives.

There’s an interesting juxtaposition for me right now between getting ready for the more busy, more active, more social outdoor season, and the wintery weather that has me feeling like a bit more hibernation. 🤪

Turns out, I don’t have control of the weather, so here’s to honoring it all. And, I’m learning that I truly love the seasons for their different energy.

The hibernation provides us with time to dream, vision, and plan. That way, our creative energy is sparked, and new ideas can take shape and emerge . . . or blossom. 🌸

In addition to counting down the days until the return of Yacht Club Yoga (we start Saturday, April 11@ 9:00 - 10:00 AM), I am announcing 2 NEW OFFERINGS.
As always, you find out here, first! 💕

Full Moon Yoga Circle with Michelle Shaw & Teresa Van Eyk @ Satya Yoga.
Friday, May 1 | 6:00 - 7:00 P.M.

Each session will focus on the themes of the current moon. Offerings will include yoga, breathwork, meditation sound healing, journaling, contemplation and connection. May 1st is the Flower Moon — abundance, growth, new life, and manifesting your most beautiful dreams. Space is limited. Sign up is highly suggested.
Create + Restore with Michelle Shaw & Theresa Gray @ Manifest Events / Satya Yoga
Sunday, July 12 | 10:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. | Save the date!

Create + Restore is an invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect— with yourself and with your innate creativity. Over the course of three nourishing hours, we’ll move through a gentle flow of breath, meditation, movement, and painting using beautiful natural pigments. These pigments are sustainably sourced and free of heavy metals, offering a grounding, tactile way to work with color. Sign up coming soon!
This will be powerful. I hope you can join us!

Thanks for being here, and keep it cozy, my friends!

With love, light, and longing for peace,
m

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