“While we can’t control what’s happening around us, we can cultivate the capacity to be with what is with more ease, joy, and freedom.” ~ Sebene Selassie Hello!
What a big week. We have new moon tomorrow, and then we’re right into Solstice. The word Solstice is a combination of the Latin words sol (the Sun) and sistere (to stand still). So, as we move towards the longest night of the year, I hope you find moments of deep relaxation and true rejuvenation. In my meditative moments, I’ve been feeling into the Sanskrit word, śraddhā (pronounced, roughly as, SHRA-dha). Yes, it’s a term centered upon faith, devotion, or conviction. All of that can be directed towards spiritual teachings or a spiritual path . . . and it’s also about a profound inner steadfastness. I imagine it as something that dissolves self-doubt. A powerful antidote to those (sometimes very LOUD) voices of my own internal critic. In other words, it’s about choosing to trust your own path, your own instincts, your own compass . . . even if the results are not yet showing up externally. And, it’s about staying committed to this . . . not with rigidity, or harshness . . . but in a way that nurtures a confidence from showing up for ourselves and our knowing. The word śraddhā can be broken down: śrad meaning, heart/truth dhā meaning, to place/hold Put it together? That which is held in the heart, or that which is holding the heart As is the case with most Sanskrit terms, there really isn’t a single-word translation into English. Some might say, “faith” or “purpose” as shorthand, but it’s just that. Short of the full context. I think whatever it is that truly holds our heart? Must be a positive energy that bubbles up from deep internal knowing. And that’s worth showing up for, time and time again. This helps me navigate the busyness of the season. It reminds that everything is right here within. And, if that gets taken out of focus, I can always re-read the quotation up above. 👀⬆️ Here’s to exploring it ALL with more ease, joy, and freedom. Spots are filling, and I hope you will secure yours for my favorite practice of the year. Please join me and Teresa Van Eyk: Winter Solstice and Sound at the Saugatuck Yacht Club. Sunday, December 21 | 6 - 7:30 P.M. Happy meditative moments, everyone. In service, ~m
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“The contentment found in gratefulness is not about ‘standing still’ but about showing up to your life and being present, always aware of the invitations before you; a receiving rather than a seeking.” ~ Joe Primo Hello my friends!
I love the season we are in. As we approach the longest night of the year, the return to the light, the change of seasons and the new year . . . there’s such a supportive atmosphere for contemplation. Yes, reflection. More importantly, looking forward. It’s a time to pause. To hush. And to celebrate. In my classes we’ve been doing some extra twists, and movements, and pranayama that help to rinse and release. That way, anything stagnant has an opportunity to begin gently moving. And, we’re focusing on our pathway forward. Firm in our foundation. With a clear view. And a focused vision. It’s incredible how breath and movement readily embodies, and supports, all of this powerful work within. It’s not magic. It may not be quick. But it’s happening. And it’s transformative. There’s something so powerful when we come together in community and do this kind of practice. We all benefit. And, we weave our thread of support into one another’s lives so each of us are uplifted. I’d appreciate if you could join me for my favorite class of the year. Winter Solstice and Sound at the Saugatuck Yacht Club. Sunday, December 21 | 6 - 7:30 P.M. If you’re looking for a powerful way to commit to your pathway forward, consider a fully-customized Sadhana. This is a daily practice that you and I create together. It’s wonderfully distilled to accelerate what it is you are seeking. The practice doesn’t have to be long. Or complicated. It will facilitate powerful shifts within. Have questions or feeling curious? Simply reach out, and we’ll talk more! Okay, keep it cozy everyone! And carve out some time to come into greater focus for yourself. Your pathway. Every day I’m noodling around for my single-word resolution for 2026. Not sure I have it yet. I think this year it’s going to be in Sanskrit? In service, ~m P.S. Javi cracks me up in his bandana after being groomed 😄 
“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." ~ Kristin Lin Hello, friends!
I just dropped off Javier at the groomer’s. Simply getting there on our slippery back roads feels like an accomplishment. Especially with our boy in full trembles at my side. Javi has decided that ANY time he gets into a car, he might be going somewhere terrible and torturous. 😩 I’ve tried driving him around to lots of fun places (Grandma and Grandpa’s, doggo friends’ houses, his favorite hiking spots . . . ) so he knows odds are good he’s NOT going to the Vet or the Groomer. And, honestly . . . should the groomer be lumped into this same category? The woman who grooms him, LOVES him! When it comes to that appointment? I’m thinking Javi should embrace the spa day. 😉 Turns out, even for my little nine-pound wonder, life is complex. And talk about complex. This time of year can really do it for many of us. The Holidays contain lots of cheer and loads of sparkle. And, they can also be full of stress, difficult get togethers, challenging conversations, pressures on finances, etc. That’s why I chose this week’s quotation. It’s a long one. Give it another good look. 👀 I used to want certain things to be FULL of joy. Nothing else allowed in. Example: decorating the house for Christmas. My idea is that this activity should be full-on-holiday-cheer. Holiday music! Twinkly lights! Sparkly decorations! Everyone happy and sparkly, too. 😉 Maybe that’s real for some of us, Or maybe that happens once or twice. But frankly, that’s not the reality in our house. Invariably, some of the lights are not working. And, they’re tangled. We can’t find the box of red candles. Javi is chewing anything and everything that hits the ground. And now, with the house looking extra chaotic because we’re only half way through, we’re late for a dinner get together. This whole decorating thing is feeling like a bit too much. Why did it we do it this way? Can’t we carve out more time so it feels spacious and a bit more festive? Is there something wrong with us that we aren’t enjoying this more? Isn’t this supposed to be festive and fun? Again, the quotation. ⬆️ If we are trying to eliminate aspects of our emotions, we are probably setting ourselves up for a reckoning. So, rather than enter an activity insistent upon joy, or fun, or ease, or whatever else we are wanting . . . I propose coming in open to the actual experience. That way, when frustration, or anger, or resentment, or impatience, begins creeping in (or BURSTING through!), we can be with that as well. If we are open to the multitudes, we can more readily recognize whatever shift is happening. We can acknowledge it. Say hello to it. And then make conscious choices about what direction we want to move from there. We can take steps as to how best help ourselves. Then, we can continue moving the needle in the direction we want to go. Softening our jaw. Relaxing our shoulders. Taking a few, beautiful breaths. I hope all our holidays sparkle. And, I’m all about staying regulated. ♥️ Oh, and why not continue celebrating the smalls? Life’s little perks and pluses that are happening all around us. One beautiful way to celebrate yourself this season? Join me for my favorite practice of the year: Registration is open ✨ Winter Solstice Yoga + Sound experience at the Saugatuck Yacht Club Sunday, December 21 | 6 - 7:30 P.M. With love and light, ~m P.S. I promise! Pictures of Javi, next week! 🐶♥️ 
"Behold this day, for it is yours to make." ~ Black Elk Hi, friends!
I am grateful for you. Thank you. And, I look forward to connecting again next week, ♥️ One reminder before I go: Registration is open 😍 Winter Solstice Yoga + Sound experience at the Saugatuck Yacht Club! Sunday, December 21 | 6 - 7:30 P.M. You’ll leave relaxed and renewed as we turn towards the light. 💡 Join us! Deep gratitude, ~m 
"Make a habit out of celebrating the small moments in healing, gratitude, and growth." ~ Alex Elle Hello, everyone!
Thank you for this moment. This opportunity for us to connect. I hope our time together today is of service. Whenever I travel, and have an immersive experience, I try and gift myself some extra space for processing and integrating upon return. Oh, and I definitely offer myself lots of extra grace. ☺️ It’s such a privilege to get out there, and I never want to lost sight of that. I know when I am gone there’s even more Mike needs to do to keep our household happy. Especially during his final exam week . . . with tons of extra grading and preparatory work for his new classes, plus the start of his 7th grade boys’ basketball season! 😔 Life can be complicated. I’m astounded by how much is always happening, seemingly all at once. The pace, and the volume, of inputs can be pretty jarring, and taxing, and overwhelming. So today, as we build into the holiday season, a reminder: make a habit of taking small breaks for yourself. Go ahead, make that cup of tea. Put on that soothing, or energizing, music. Change into that cozy set of clothes. Connect with that friend you love. Feel the ground underneath you. Stare at something beautiful. Step outside and breathe in nature. And then, celebrate! Celebrate something in yourself. I love the Alex Elle quotation. ⬆️ Today, I’m celebrating my growth as a trip leader. Are there things I can do better? Absolutely! Is there more for me to learn? You betcha! And, I am growing . . . and I am grateful for that! So, that’s it! What are you celebrating within yourself today? I’d love to know. 🥰 Drop me a line. Shoot me text. Oh, and in the exciting news column: you can now register for our Winter Solstice Yoga + Sound experience at the Saugatuck Yacht Club! Sunday, December 21 | 6 - 7:30 P.M. You’ll leave relaxed and renewed as we turn towards the light. 💡 Join us! In gratitude, ~m 
"May we each discover our own form of spiritual electricity -- and light up our world." ~ Eileen Rivers Hello friends!
How are you doing with the adjustment into Daylight Savings? ⏰ And, how spectacular was yesterday’s Full Moon, SuperMoon?? 🌕 Last week I wrote about staying regulated while moving through the world. I love this as a practice, and I definitely need more practice. 😌 I’m going to keep this going. As a primary focus in my day to day. Why? Because I’m already noticing things in my patterning that I can shift. And, when I create that shift, things are lighter. And more beautiful. In addition, I moved a couple of things forward that have been stagnant for a while now! Example: I love knitting. Once Javi came into our lives, I put away all my knitting projects in the basement. I’m talking deep storage. This past week? My Mom had a knitting question for me (and that’s some strange role reversal right there! 😉). So, I (rather reluctantly) dug out a bunch of my things. And then, Darcy started asking questions about knitting. Could I teach her? Now, I’m about to finish a beautifully cabled scarf I started 3 years ago, and Darcy has successfully knit several rows all on her own! 😊 In a different moment, a dysregulated moment, I may have gotten out what my Mom needed and hurriedly put everything back away. Unable to hear, feel, notice the pull for me to return to this thing that I love. In this moment of trying to stay regulated . . . more present and connected . . . I felt nudge, after nudge, after nudge to continue exploring. To take time with all the projects I had started. To see what might be possible today. Getting back into my yarn and my needles has been so fun, and now that I”m sharing it with someone I love? It’s even more rewarding! Speaking of people I love, last week the Hope College Men’s Soccer team became the MIAA regular season Conference Champions. For the first time in 20 years 🧡⚽️💙 Inspired by how my Aunt and Uncle showed up for me so long ago, having Evan here for his college years has been truly special. I can’t believe he’s already a Junior, and I’m super excited for this year’s Championship Season. Next week though, I’ll be in Nicaragua. Leading a trip to one of our Farm-Direct partners, El Recreo. Before I go, a couple of reminders:
Keep it regulated, everyone. ♥️ With love and light, ~m 
Regulation is the ultimate win. In a breath-in-the-body, I-know-my-center kind of way. It's not easy. Especially when there's pressure, conflict, rage, grief, or even just the ache of being a messy, imperfect human. But staying regulated—emotionally, physically, energetically—means I don't have to abandon myself in order to prove myself” ~ Kris Carr Hi friends!
This weeks’ sunny start in West Michigan has been glorious! I’m grateful for the blue sky and the sunshine because it makes everything seem just a bit brighter. ☀️ I read an email newsletter a few days ago that is really staying with me. In the best of ways. Kris Carr wrote about preparing herself for a really difficult conversation and found that she was rehearsing the whole thing in hopes of coming out “on top.” Then, something shifted for her. She quieted herself enough to hear a little voice that said, “The goal isn’t to win, it’s to stay regulated.” I’ve often thought about our ability to respond rather than react. If we can take the moment to check in, to breathe, to move, before reacting in a situation? We have a better chance of responding in a way we’re going to feel good about rather than reacting in a way we might regret. The chemicals in our brains are powerful, and if we’re reacting from a place full of cortisol? We’re definitely not at our best. 😫 However, what if we added to that? What if we went beyond that by avoiding the cortisol bath altogether? What if while moving in the world for the next week, we made it our goal to stay regulated? There’s something about that as my moving meditation that instantly softens me. I view life as a breath by breath, moving meditation. What if I kept that breath rhythm as my regulation metronome? I think it would help me drop my shoulders a bit more and relax my jaw. If I keep my focus on remaining regulated as I move about the world? I imagine it will be like having an internal bright blue sky and burst of sunshine. Need more inspiration or guidance? Take another look at the quotation above ⬆️ To close it out today, a note to any and all of you who have ever attended Yacht Club Yoga. Thank you! 🙏🏽♥️ My initial six-week attempt at having Saturday class at SYC back in 2017? Class been happening consistently, year round, ever since. It’s a VERY special place to hold practice, and I love being there with all of you. This winter, due to my travel schedule, our Saturday Yacht Club Yoga class will be taking a bit of a sabbatical. Just for a few months. No Yacht Club Yoga, November - February. I promise, we’ll make a spectacular return sometime in the Spring (mid March?). I hope you’ll ALL come out and join me. And, we’ll have one VERY SPECIAL opportunity to gather at SYC to celebrate Winter Solstice on Sunday, December 21. Please save the date to join me and Teresa Van Eyk for gentle movement, meditation, and sound. It’s my favorite class of the year. ✨ ~m 
“To love, we need to be sensitive to those around us, which is impossible if we are always racing through life engrossed in all the things we need to do before sunset.” ~ Eknath Easwaran Hello!
We are experiencing some wet and windy days here in West Michigan! 💨🍁 ☔️ These blustery times are ideal for reflecting on what shifts we want for ourselves. 🙌🏽 Creating shifts in our lives may seem really difficult. Or expensive. Or painful. Or super time consuming. And yet, I don’t think it has to be that way. I think big shifts can happen through small internal adjustments. And guess what? There’s no physical pain involved! And, it’s free! How? Well, I think it begins by observing our internal landscape. That’s right. Simply slowing down enough to notice. You know, noticing when you feel that little pang . . . or hear that little voice. If we’re so hurried. And busy. And determined to get things done. Most likely, we are unable to hear, or we are ignoring, those small signals from our body and being. 😔 Reminder: stress is LOUD. It can block out almost everything else that’s being communicated in our bodies and beings. So, we need to turn down the volume of the thinking mind. Quiet the stress. And tune up the awareness in our body. One fantastic way to do this? Gift ourselves moments of real rest. I’m not necessarily talking about napping . . . although there are days when I am a FAN! How about a midday savasana? You know, those amazing 20 minutes where you put everything on Do Not Disturb, lay down, cover up, and zone out? Or, maybe you opt for a few device-free-moments in nature? Turns out these brain breaks actually increase our productivity! And, they help steady us for the next meeting, conversation, or challenge. If we all do small things for our internal well-being, I think it could make big differences in the world around us. And guess what? We’re all worth it! With love and light, ~m P.S. SAVE THE DATE | Sunday, December 21 | WINTER SOLSTICE YOGA @ SYC 
“Remember something about attention. Yes, it’s possible to buy, grab, or even steal it. But it’s far better to earn it.” ~ Baratunde Thurston Hello friends!
When I read the Baratunde Thurston quotation up above, it ignited a spark. The stories we tell to others, and to ourselves, help create meaning, and order, and shape our identities. Our stories can connect us to others through shared experiences, and our stories can separate us by exposing perceived differences. So, it’s important to observe our own narratives. We are participants in creating our reality, because we have real power in deciding what meaning we attach to our own stories. We are telling ourselves a story. And attaching meaning to it. So, what is worth earning our attention? Fact: negative incidents and moments sure do like to dominate. At times, it seems the frustrating situation will try and hijack everything else that happened in a day! But, that’s our own thinking. And while our thinking shapes our reality, our thoughts are just that. Our thoughts. We can shift those thoughts, and it’s simple to get started. When the mind is chattering away, take a moment to pause. Observe what it's saying. Notice it. And then watch those thoughts float on by, like big puffy clouds. Then, see what comes in next. As if you are observing your own thought bubbles emerging. Don’t get too attached to any one thought. Notice anything that’s on heavy rotation. Pay attention to the tone, the word choice, the energy of the thoughts. If there’s something dark, or unsettling, or harsh, or critical dominating the scene, observe it. Thank it for showing up. And let it drift on by. Then, invite in compassion. And gratitude. Allowing yourself to soften into a different narrative groove. This week? As I listen to my own internal narrative, I’m going to see what’s worth earning my attention, and keep moving in that direction. Full of love and light, ~m 
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen Hello my friends!
Today? Gratitude. For each and every one of you. I am so thankful our paths have crossed and that we continue fostering our connection with one another. You are an important part of the fabric of my life, and all of these gorgeous threads weave one magnificent tapestry! This newsletter is nearing its 4th anniversary, and we’ve been on quite a journey together over the years. I feel super supported, and uplifted, by our community. Writing (almost) every week always helps me gain clarity. Taking time to get still, reflect, and decide what it is I have to say? It’s a challenging exercise. And, oh-so-rewarding. My primary focus is speaking with an open heart, and a clear mind, in hopes of offering something of service for you. The pace of our world can seem frenetic. And life can be chaotic. My aim is that in these few moments of pause we can drop our shoulders a bit. Relax our jaw. Enjoy a quiet moment to reset and restore. So, thank you for your presence here. For being a gift in my life. Keep shining brightly 🌟 ~m |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
March 2026
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