“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
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“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 
“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! 
“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! ♥️ 
“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 |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
May 2026
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