“Our purpose is to put a name, a face, and a place to every cup of coffee you drink.” ~ Bob & Michelle Fish, Co-Founders of One Bigg Island in Space Escaping Our Own Mind
Listening with Both Ears There’s lots I want to share about my time in Nicaragua. First, the coffee farm we stayed on is GORGEOUS! No matter where we were throughout the 360 acres, everything was:
All that said, it’s the PEOPLE who made this trip so memorable:
On top of all that, I was able to lead yoga classes in the morning for whomever wanted to attend. If you’ve been in class with me, you know sometimes I give this unusual yoga cue: “Try listening with both of your ears.” While you may not think of our ears as having anything to do with yoga, this is a quick way to separate ourselves from the constant chatter that rattles around in our head. When we focus on trying to hear with both ears, we get outside of our head and into the soundscape that surrounds us. I teach in a lot of different environments, so sometimes this cue is less helpful. Who wants to tune into the noise of a highway or the loud lawnmowers and leaf blowers buzzing around? 🤪 But at El Recreo, this was the BEST cue imaginable. We listened to animated bird songs and bubbling waterfalls. I hope that soundscape stays with me, because it’s an imprint my nervous system needs! ♥️ So, take a moment to settle into a peaceful place and try it! Try listening with both of your ears. Reach far away for a sound. Then, bring your listening within to explore your own breath. Enjoy 5 - 10 rounds of expansive, even breathing. See how much better you feel?! 🥰 Yoga does not have to be complicated to be impactful, and it can happen anywhere! With love and light, ~m
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Hope to see you at Red Dock on Sunday | 3 - 7 P! 🎉🎤🥰
“I’m glad I understand that while language is a gift, listening is a responsibility.” ~ Nikki Giovanni Lessening the Stress
Elevating our Lives The 4th of July may seem like a funny day to think about getting quiet within. 😉 But, when so much else is heightened around us, it’s even more important to have the tools that keep us grounded and connected. Today, a short note. A sweet reminder:
And, a quick heads up. No newsletter next week. I’ll be back in coffee land; this time Nicaragua! 🇳🇮 My classes at Satya, Lakeshore Resort, and Yacht Club are STILL ON! 💪🏽 I look forward to sharing stories of my adventures 🥰 Happy holiday, ~m P.S. Mike’s Band is playing at Red Dock, right when I return! 🎉 Sunday, July 14 | 3 - 7 P Guest Vocals by my dear friend, and fellow traveler, Michelle Fish Trust me, you WANT to hear her sing!! 🎤 I hope to see you there!
♥️ “I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love.” ♥️ ~ Wendell Berry Reflecting on the past
Moving forward | Leading with love Hello friends! I hope your solstice and full moon were empowering, healing, and restorative. Last week I wrote to you about some of my own struggles. I am deeply appreciative of the conversations that took place as a result. It’s healing to share with people who are loving, and supportive, and who don’t turn away from our shadow side. In our challenges, it’s important to be reminded we are not alone As I took time over solstice and the Blooming Moon to listen within, I kept returning to this quotation: “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” ~ Paul Coehlo These past few weeks, we have been helping my parents pack up their home. They have LOVED their home, and their neighborhood, for the past 30 years. While they are ready for the ease of their new condominium, the transition isn’t simple. As we sift and sort through all of their belongings, I’ve un-earthed parts of my own life I haven’t looked at in ages. That asymmetrical short haircut I was sporting in the late 80’s?! The mustard color tent of a dress I wore to my brother’s college graduation? YIKES! 🤣 All of this reminds me of the learning we do over the years. I’m not talking about the learning that expands us, makes us more wise, and helps us evolve into better human beings. I’m thinking of what I call “learning worse” or “spiraling down” . . . the learning that diminishes us, makes us fearful, teaches us separation from others or from ourself. Seeing so many old photos and artifacts put me in a place of reflection. My inner voice was not always gentle and kind, but I was able to pause. And ground. And move myself into gratitude. Gratitude for all of the experiences, because each has shaped me into who I am now. I can continue to move the needle out of those old patterns into something brighter, more truthful to who I really am. And, when it comes down to it, I think Wendell Berry has it exactly right: 👀⬆️ to the quotation above ♥️ So, that’s it. I’m going to bask in love, use love as my balm, and be a source of love for myself and others. Big love . . . and thanks for being here, ~ m P.S. Mike’s Band is playing at Red Dock 🎉 Sunday, July 14 | 3 - 7 P Guest Vocals by my dear friend, Michelle Fish Trust me, you WANT to hear her sing!! 🎤 I hope to see you there! The beautiful poppies in Fennville, Michigan
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” ~ Alexander Den Heijer From Darkness to Light
Tending to your soul on solstice Hello friends! This solstice I hope you take time to care for your own soul. Truly. On this longest day of light . . .
Over this past week, I had some unexpected challenges. Honestly? It got uncomfortable, and I got agitated. In my deepest frustration, I resorted to some old patterns . . . in both my thinking and in my behavior. None of it was pretty. I am trying to sift through the teachings from those challenges:
This internal curiosity is important. I think it’s helpful to look at, and into, the darkness. It’s okay. We all have our quirks, our challenges, our wounds, and our scars. And sometimes, we resort to old patterns. But, when we shed light on things, there’s an opportunity for growth. We can see things differently. Move the needle on the record into a different groove and help ourselves shift. I don’t want to be that frustrated. I don’t like how it feels in my body, and I don’t like what my mind starts saying to myself. It’s shocking how hard I can be self and how I can double-down on that narrative of self-criticism. So, today, I invite you to join me in bringing things into the light. Softly. Sweetly. Rather than expecting ourselves to move from absolute darkness into blindingly bright light, how about a gentle turning up on the dimmer switch? The darkness is not something to fear. And, we can use a soft internal gaze to bring ourselves further into the light. After all, no one else can do it for us. I was that frustrated. I was that hard on myself. I can learn from what happened and try something different next time. I hope all of us can do something in celebration of the light. The light that guides. Inspires. And leads us forward on our pathway. I know I will see some of you tonight at Oval Beach, and I can’t wait. For me, being in community, harnessing our collective light, is so powerful. I know our efforts are amplified when we come together, and I’m excited to be with you. Happy Solstice everyone! Enjoy that big, beautiful Blooming Moon. ~ m
“Time flows in the same way for all human beings; every human being flows through time in a different way.” ~ YASUNARI KAWABATA Softening In
Finding Flow I’m so thankful you are here, and I am grateful for your moments of attention. You are busy. I am busy. And yet, here we are. I love writing this newsletter. Each week it affords me the opportunity to pause. To gather my thoughts. To soften and feel into what’s bubbling up and wants to emerge. Honestly? It takes time. I don’t plan out my topics in advance. Instead, I settle in and explore. Hopefully, I find my voice and my flow. Ideally, it is of some small bit of service for you. This slowing down, this spaciousness for reflection, discernment, and connection seems like a revolutionary act. Maybe “revolutionary” sounds strong? Perhaps I should say this attentiveness is a “radical” act, but I don’t often care for that word. At the very least, gifting ourselves a moment to tune in, to connect, to feel, to check in . . . it’s an incredible act of self-care. When there are so many external things grabbing for our attention, it’s important to know we can direct our gaze where we choose. We are worth being tended to. It is good to slow down. I’ve been sitting with the quotation up above. 👀⬆️ Life asks a lot from most of us. Much of it is challenging. You are busy. I am busy. And yet, I don’t want to be an unnecessary obstacle in the flow of my own life. I want to be wholly present, so I can have true connection and see the magic that surrounds me. I want to be courageous enough to feel ALL the feelings so that I can continue to learn and evolve. Saturday night we shared dinner with a dear friend on the lakeshore. The weather was grey, raining, and lousy. Until it wasn’t! We were in awe of the sunset and the sky that continued to radiate its splendor afterwards. The weather that night seems a lot like daily life: sometimes unpleasant or uncomfortable; always changing; at times, magnificent! Thanks for being here. I have so many stories about my time in Burundi, and they are still percolating. I can’t wait to see what emerges from the experience! Light and love, ~ m We were greeted with vibrant, joyful song and dance. More than once!
I especially fell in love with the kids! I think this 15 second video shows you why. 😍 Watch to the end, volume on, if you can. So, for now, I leave you with that amazing amount of cuteness. 🥰
I need a little more recovery time and lots more reflection. I’m certain the learning from my time in Burundi will continue to emerge, and I’m excited to share with you. I’m thrilled to return to teaching tomorrow . . , hope to see you on the mat. Big ♥️, ~ m P.S. THE Summer Solstice event | Sign Up ☺️ Gentle yoga & soothing sound bath along Lake Michigan. ☀️🙏🏽 Thursday, June 20 | Oval Beach | 7:00 - 8:30 P.M. Teresa VanEyk, Harvey Deutch, and Me 🥰
“When Bob and I started One Bigg Island in Space in 2018 and took on the mission from BIGGBY COFFEE to be 100% Farm-Direct by 2028, we didn’t know what we were doing. And we certainly didn’t know how we were going to do it. But we got started anyway. It’s been like flying a rocket ship while you are building it in space.” ~ Michelle Fish Exploratory Trip
Expansive Opportunity Hello friends! When Bob & Michelle invited me along for their first “boots on the ground” trip to Burundi? This time, I did pause . . . at least for a moment. Truth? I wasn’t even confident I could spell Burundi, let alone locate it on a map. But, as I talked with Mike about my first-ever trip to Africa, my excitement grew. Within hours of the invitation I replied: “I’m all in!” That was only a couple of weeks ago, so the need to prepare kicked in quickly. I’ve been reading and learning about Burundi. I’m attempting to learn a few phrases in Kirundi. I immediately reached out to my Dr. asking about vaccinations and immunizations. This lead me to a Passport Travel Clinic in Grand Rapids where I learned a lot . . . including the fact that my body doesn’t love dealing in Yellow Fever nor Typhoid Fever. Thank goodness for the protection! It’s such a privilege to have this opportunity. Those coffee beans coming directly from Farm-Direct relationships? This is how it gets started. One exploratory trip at a time. Bob and Michelle have said they will follow any lead. While not all leads translate directly into a partnership, all leads do foster relationship building and new knowledge. I can’t wait to see all that emerges from this experience! I look forward to sharing more when I return! 💡 & ♥️ ~ m
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” ~ Oscar Wilde Internal Curiosity
Shifts Happen 🥰 Hello beautiful people, Gosh, this time of year reminds me how much I enjoy color! My rhododendrons bursting into bloom make me smile every time I catch a glimpse. I’m actually a little giddy that our transplanted iris beds have a few blooms with even more buds awaiting their moment. Every time I walk Javi, I take in the progress of my favorite bed of poppies in the neighborhood. It won’t be long now! Getting to see the spectacular Northern Lights show last weekend?! Well, that just about put me over the top. I had a difficult time settling back in for sleep after our Friday night adventure. 😀 Natural beauty is something so calming, and healing, especially when we are present enough to truly take it in. This brings me to something I’ve been meditating on lately. Our ability to be present and open to it all. The splendor and the wonder. The struggle and the challenge. Or, as one of my yogi friends says, “The happy and the crappy.” 😉 Here’s what I’m starting to know. It all keeps shifting. And, while we don’t have ultimate control, we can train where we direct our gaze. Where we place our own energy and what we give energy to. Easy example: I’m a little busier than normal these days: more on the calendar; a longer “to-do” list. The other day when I got in my car to tackle a list of not-so-fun errands, I took a moment to check in; I noticed my mindset and my internal language. I felt hurried. A bit stressed. It felt like I was, indeed, braced to “tackle” my list. 🤪 Guess what? I was doing that to myself. It wasn’t necessary. And, I could help myself shift into a different space. One that was more calm. More present. More kind to myself and to others around me. I even began to experience gratitude for the opportunities that have created this busyness. Because truly? That long list of errands? ALL rooted in privilege. When I can access this space, everything feels easier. Moves with greater flow. Less agitation. Less struggle. I noticed I also have more fun all along the way. And why not? I’m going to do the errands one way or another, so why not go the more pleasant route? Keeping our mind focused, or training where we direct our gaze, our energy, takes practice. But, the practice is simple. It starts with checking in. Creating a moment of pause. Settling into breath. Beginning to notice more about your own body and being. Then, if warranted, helping yourself create that shift. Maybe through a moment of stillness. Or putting on some good music. Or noticing something blooming near you. Or taking a short walk. It’s simply a practice of internal curiosity. This curiosity leads to enhanced awareness. Our enhanced awareness fosters the ability to shift. The shift changes everything. ♥️ So much goodness happening all around. I hope to see you soon, ~ m
“The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am, and have, is given to me as a gift of love. A gift to be celebrated with joy.” ~ Henri Nouwen Growing Our Gratitude
Broadening the Scope Hi friends! Any day on the water feels special to me, but this particular journey was remarkable. In so many ways. Sailing has been part of my relationship with Mike from the very beginning. In fact, he proposed to me on a VERY cold day in May on the Big Lake in Elusive . . . the sailboat he co-owned at the time. Now that I understand all that’s involved in sailing? I honestly have no idea how he managed to get out a ring, propose, pop open a beautiful bottle of wine, etc. all while sailing in Lake Michigan. At that point, I was of NO help in terms of the boat. He managed to do it all, and I simply got to say, “Yes!” 🥰 Fast forward nearly 24 years to the day. Mike and I continue to love one another, and we love being on the water together. Everything that happened last Saturday fills me with so much gratitude and joy. The beauty, the connection with nature, the celebration with family and friends when we arrived at our slip . . . it’s all so restorative and expansive. And, I know I am SO fortunate to have that day. Special thanks to those who helped make this day possible. You know who you are, and you are loved. Gratitude is a word that gets used a lot. Maybe overused? When any word is used so often, in so many contexts, I feel like it loses some of its potency. The quote above is challenging for me. I love the expression of gratitude as a discipline. In other words, it is something that must be tended to, and practiced, in order to change our lives. Some people avoid the word discipline because it may have a negative, punishing, connotation. Not for me. I think of it as steadfastness. Showing up. While I wish it were as easy as wearing a t-shirt that says GRATEFUL on it . . . if that’s the only thing we do for our gratitude practice? We probably aren’t going to create much of a personal shift. And, if we think being grateful means being happy all the time? I think we’re really missing the mark. Kristin Lin offers us a more complete perspective: “A practice of gratitude is not about dismissing sadness, anger, fear, or confusion. Rather, it offers us the opportunity to see that we often experience multiple feelings at once; to welcome joy into the same places where we hold grief; to turn our attention to what is quietly growing and breathing day by day, which, to our possible surprise, includes ourselves.” Yes! I love this. Permission to feel all the feelings. In fact, not just permission, but a big, full, "Welcome to the party!" When I become more attuned with my body and being then everything seems to soften and flow more freely. Awareness, growth, and evolution are happening one breath at a time. This is yoga in action and in motion. Let’s take a nice big inhale. And an exhale. There. That’s better. Thank you body. ♥️, ~ m 🦋 |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
July 2024
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