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Root 2 Rise Yoga with Michelle Chua
  • Home
  • About Michelle Chua
  • Store
  • Weekly Classes
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  • Workplace Wellness
  • Private Instruction
  • Free Online Yoga
  • Blog
  • Soul Movement
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    • Custom Retreat
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Root 2 Rise Yoga with Michelle Chua

A Blog About Living Yoga

Don't Just Do Something, Stand There! by Michelle Chua

1/24/2021
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Ever feel anxiety that you’re not doing enough?  In my first few months adapting to volunteer life teaching in Costa Rica, my host family’s most common words to me were, “tranquila,” or relax.  In their eyes, I seemed to constantly be seeking something, so often doing and trying to get somewhere and get things done.  I mentally kicked and screamed, resisting their slower pace of life that seemed to trust ambiguity and even embrace the unknown through the Costa Rican philosophy of pura vida, or “pure life,” meaning “it’s all good.” 
 
Through plenty of alone time with my inner critic and daily yoga and journaling, I gradually realized that at the root of my relentless pulse to keep busy sat a deep feeling of unworthiness and constant need to feel more useful.  Also, I longed for a sense of control to appease my fear and lack of trust in life and myself. Becoming aware of these root causes, I began to value the quality of presence over quantity of achievement.  
 
I began slowly un-gripping life and letting it flow.  Oh, is that what pura vida meant? My senses awakened more intently to the mesmerizing nature that I had been immersed in.  I gave myself permission to play more and pursued a more balanced life of work, rest, play, creating, solitude and socializing.  This space to breathe more deeply brought refreshing energy to the classes I taught and the relationships I cultivated, especially with myself.  And now when I see old habits creeping back in, I turn to the introspective practices that grounded me in clarity.
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Living in Balance is the focus of this Thursday’s Integrative Yoga Night.  We’ll implement these introspective practices: slow the body down to shed layers of tension through Yin Yoga, breathe more deeply using yogic techniques, cultivate nonjudgmental awareness through guided meditation, trust our inner guidance through self-inquiry journaling and share insight and support through conversation.  Use this nurturing space to redefine what balance in your life means to you.  

Join us for this donation-based Zoom gathering on 1/28 @6-7pm PT. ​
RSVP for Integrative Yoga Night
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Meet Nina Arhipov, from Our Root 2 Rise Yoga Community

1/24/2021
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Nina Arhipov began practicing yoga around 2015, almost dismissing it after her first try until she discovered Vinyasa Flow.  Her love for movement contributes to her youthful energy and adventurous spirit.  Learn more about the spirit behind this vibrant smile, by watching our interview below.  
Connect with Nina in our weekly Zoom yoga classes or community events.  Or, you just may spot her enjoying the views on her hike along Los Angeles' local trails.
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Nina practices yoga overlooking Costa Rica's countryside during our retreat in 2019.
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The 8 Limbs of Yoga: A Live Weekly Blog of Yoga's Essential Components, by Michelle Chua

1/4/2021
Whether you're new to yoga or have been practicing a while, the ​8 Limbs of Yoga are the 8-fold path explained in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and combine to form a well-rounded practice for mind, body and spirit.  Beginning January 4, 2021, I'll be adding to this article each week for a total of 16 weeks exploring these foundations.  Consider joining our yoga community live online on Zoom for yoga classes that further this exploration through direct experience simultaneously.  

An Introduction to the 1st Limb, the Yamas

​There are 8 Limbs of Yoga and these are the aspects that make up the practice of yoga, which means union.  The first limb, called the Yamas in Sanskrit, are a list of five ethical behaviors that guide our actions in the world to align with our yogic path to Self-realization, or uniting with our true nature, that of pure love.  

The 1st Yama, Ahimsa (Nonviolence)

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​The first Yama is nonviolence, or ahimsa in Sanskrit.  There are many ways we can consciously and unconsciously inflict pain and suffering on ourselves, others and our planet.  To practice non-harm, I believe it’s essential to observe our thoughts, words and actions and the effects they have on ourselves and the world around us. What is the tone of your inner voice as you move about your day?  How do you relate to the feelings and needs of others?  How are your daily actions affecting the well being of your body, spirit, mind, household, loved ones, neighbors, communities, cities and all life around you?  In our interconnectedness what you think, say and do matters and its energy ripples; Ahimsa is the practice of rippling kindness, compassion and love.

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The Yoga Sutras state that as one fully embodies non-violence, their presence of peace emanates an energy field of peace around them, so that lower frequencies of hate, violence or destruction dissolve within that field.  There is power in kindness!

The 2nd Yama, Satya (Truthfulness)

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Our thoughts and words have creative power.  When they are misaligned to what we do and say, we feel (and others may feel) the state of imbalance and confusion.  Just as we consciously align our bodies in yoga poses, yoga includes aligning our minds, bodies and spirits so that our actions in our outer world match our inner intentions.  Living with such clarity and integrity we can live wholeheartedly, expressing our truth with ahimsa.

The 3rd Yama, Asteya (Nonstealing)

The 3rd yama is asteya, non-stealing.  When I think of the mindset that might motivate someone to steal an idea, an object, a relationship, someone’s time, natural resources or whatever it may be, I feel it boils down to a feeling of scarcity and undervaluing their own abilities and so-called possessions.  To me, it seems they may not understand their own power to access their own creativity, abundance, uniqueness or resources.   This may lead to competitiveness and even greed, and it’s based on illusions of the ego like, “There’s not enough for everyone” or “I’m not good enough.”  Interestingly, as we adhere to non-harm (ahimsa) and truthfulness (satya), we release the need to steal what does not belong to us.  Moreover, we can honor the balance of giving and receiving in our relationships when we connect to the truth that we are all part of a whole, like we’re ultimately on the same team.  Thus, we realize that the harm we inflict or generosity we share towards another being is ultimately what we are doing to ourselves too.  
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In practicing asteya, here are some questions to reflect on:
 
  1. What are you grateful for? (Practice gratitude, and acknowledge the many ways you experience abundance.)
  2. What human needs do you have in common with the being you might be tempted to steal from?  How might stealing from them affect them, their families, their community and the web of life? (Empathize with “the other,” see yourself reflected in them and think about karmic cause and effect beyond this situation.)
  3. If you notice that your thoughts provoke feelings of harmful competitiveness, jealousy, unworthiness or self-hatred, are your beliefs underlying them true?  (Challenge your ego and fear-based separateness, but be kind to yourself by remembering that you are not your thoughts and that you can change harmful beliefs beginning with self-awareness.)
  4. How can you respect others’ non-physical resources, like their time, effort, ideas or energy,  as you would like yours respected?  (Remember that stealing not only pertains to objects but many resources we might take for granted as free yet actually cost someone else some form of their energy.)​

The 4th Yama, Brahmacharya (Wise Use of Energy)

The 4th yama is brahmacharya, or wise use of energy.  How do you practice moderation and balance in all areas of your life in order to harmonize with divine consciousness, consequently experiencing pure vitality?  Interpreted by some to include celibacy, brahmacharya involves being mindful with how you spend your energy—your thoughts, time, attention, physical presence, emotions, finances and other resources—with the ultimate intent to align with infinite intelligence.  It also includes providing your body with clean nourishment and sufficient rest and engaging in a balance of contemplative solitude and socializing and work and play. It’s being purposeful with how you harness, contain and expend your energy in light of the bigger picture of your spiritual journey. Consistent practice of daily pranayama (breathwork), asana (postures) and meditation set the stage for cultivating brahmacharya.  
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To be continued...
Comment below: What are your thoughts?  How do you personally apply these limbs of yoga?  What challenges have you faced in doing so?


Deepen your yoga practice and connection to your inner wisdom through Integrative Yoga Nights, an hour live-stream community practice of yin yoga, self-inquiry journaling and courageous conversation focused on heart-centered mindfulness themes to help ground and uplift you into this new year.
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Noticing the Mind's Narratives by Michelle Chua

12/30/2020
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It’s interesting how the mind can create suffering by resisting what is or adding drama to the lens of perception around life events that can seem quite neutral to another person with a different history and lens. 

Have you ever felt so attached to an expectation of how something should be, like a holiday celebration, that any arising event that didn’t fulfill that vision created dissatisfaction?  And as one thought of dissatisfaction grows into the next, as the Law of Attraction goes, you sit in a puddle of disappointment, perhaps layered with a defensive mud of anger or resentment?  I’ve been there. 

Or, how about when you suspect you’ve been taken advantage of by someone you feel you’ve supported for so long?  Then, one thought after another compounds into a narrative of betrayal, distrust and resentment?  I’ve been there too.

Yeah, I’m human.  And my mind, as is its nature, likes to tell stories.  More specifically, the ego tries to narrate life’s events for its self-preservation, sometimes even elaborating stories with imagination and not truth. While our survival seems to be its priority, we can mistake the ego and its thoughts for who we are and forget our own power to oversee it and see life more clearly.

But what if I chose not to believe every single thought?  What if I remembered that I have a choice whether or not to get strapped into the roller coaster of anxiety, worry and fear?  What if I just sat still a moment to see the mind for what it is: in a state of constant change?  Not to numb myself, but allow the feelings to arise as catalysts to pay more attention to the thoughts I’m fed without consuming them all.  What if I cared about my well-being so much that I decided to just breathe, feel, observe and allow clarity?  This is my yoga, and it’s an ever-evolving practice.
In January 2020, we'll gather in community live online to explore ways to integrate our yoga practice in our daily lives, through our book club reading, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World.  Join us in the yogic practice of svadhyaya, or self-study, as we apply our understanding of the kleshas, or root causes of suffering.
Learn About Our January Book Club
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Winter Solstice 2020 & Ways to Celebrate During COVID by Michelle Chua

12/18/2020
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Winter Solstice is on Dec. 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s the longest night of the year.  It marks the first day of winter, after which days of sunlight grow longer into spring.  As with seasonal transitions, it’s an opportunity for self-reflection and setting intentions for the months ahead.  Uniquely on the winter solstice, colder weather and darkness invite introspection about the darkness, or what some may call our shadow self, that resides within us, under the belief that we are intrinsically connected with the natural world and its changes.  This inner darkness refers to the qualities, thoughts, beliefs and emotions that may cause us or others suffering, and they are often vulnerable parts of ourselves we have yet to make peace with and discover our personal strengths awaiting on their flip side.  For example, someone who is constantly jealous of others’ happiness may realize they are longing to feel happy within themselves, and through consistent inner work, can learn self-confidence, a strong sense of security and ways of perceiving the outside world from a state of alignment to inner joy.   The harmful jealousy was a signal for needed change to enable continued expansion or evolution.  
 
Through self-inquiry, meditation, journaling and personal ritual, we can build self-awareness and awaken inspiration for any needed purification, release and redirection.  Here are some practices to consider for your celebration of winter solstice:
 
  1. Sit or walk silently in nature, mindfully aware of your natural surroundings through all your senses.  Observe the metaphorical ways Mother Earth teaches us about change and life transitions, especially about the winter season.
  2. Contemplate the following questions: 
    • What has the past season taught me?
    • What am I ready to release to allow life force to flow freely through me?
    • What is my inner being drawn to create or welcome in this new season ahead?
    • What am I grateful for?
  3. Meditate on a quality you’d like to cultivate within yourself, something that inspires you or a self-inquiry.
  4. Create a peaceful home sanctuary that nurtures warmth and rejuvenation for your senses, perhaps with aromatherapy, candlelight, newly cleaned uncluttered space, inspiring visuals in art or words and relaxing music.
  5. Gather with a conscious community to practicing slow mindful movement that opens the body restfully and allows sustained moments of stillness for deep listening to body wisdom, breath and insight. Consider joining Root 2 Rise Yoga’s Zoom Community Slow Flow + Yin/Restorative + Meditation Yoga class on 12/21 @6-7pm PST by donation here.
 
However you may choose to celebrate, keep in mind the tone you are intentionally setting and how genuine it feels to you.  May you enjoy peace, clarity and pure love this winter 2020 and beyond.
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Negative Emotions as Teachers by Michelle Chua

12/16/2020
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This was an intense moment, even though it was performance-based.  I had to conjure up real thoughts that elicited true raw fear, the role I was dancing.  And while dancing, shaking, running and screaming can be helpful outlets to channel stress impulses, can we stay a moment and lean into what's there--what's really alive in us--before trying to rid ourselves of it?  Because, as with every earth experience, I believe, there's value in this pause and introspection toward our awakening from the sleep of our conditioning, i.e., the should's/shouldn'ts of how to be human.  

Being vulnerable is something I've long been trained to avoid, having found myself already categorized as the weaker underdog in so many contexts growing up as a petite female immigrant with a heavy "un-American" accent in LA.  And so, in building my internal defenses to feel stronger than I was perceived, my inner sergeant developed such competitive harsh mantras, like, "You need to show you're worthy.  Do more!  Always be productive and on the go!  Don't let them beat you.  You need to prove yourself!"  I've learned that repeated thoughts become beliefs, even if they're not truth but merely tainted perception, sometimes born out of insecurities.  

But as yoga has taught, while movement is important, stillness and deep listening are gold, too.  Self-inquiry that questions my long-held beliefs has been essential to help unveil illusions I've developed as barbed wire around my heart; The barbed wire helped me feel tough but didn't give room to expand beyond the limiting familiar.  It takes courage to sit with the discomfort of emotional pain, but in doing so with love, we can deconstruct the hurtful thoughts that imprison us.  Moreover, we can realistically approach the yogic practice of pradipaksha bhavanam, or transforming negative thoughts into their opposite, without spiritual bypassing and ignoring that there's any internal disturbance altogether.  

If you're feeling called to explore this courageous inner work, it will be the focus of our Zoom workshop, Transform Obstacles into Opportunity (Tools for Clarity), Thursday, 12/17 @6-7pm PST. Learn more or request a recording of the workshop here.
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9 Ways to Ground Yourself When You Feel Overwhelmed by Michelle Chua

12/14/2020
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How do you connect to your inner calm when you feel overwhelmed by worry, anxiety, anger or fear? Depending on the intensity of my anger or how disoriented I may feel in the moment, different strategies for grounding are more accessible than others. Like, taking a walk outside just isn’t wise at midnight in the dark streets of Hollywood. But box breathing can be just what I can pause to do where I am. It’s helpful to have a variety in your toolbox that you can use at any given moment.  Here are 9 you may or may not have tried:

​1. Box Breathing (Sama Vitti Pranayama, in sanskrit): Inhale 4 counts.  Hold your breath 4 counts.  Exhale 4 counts.  Hold your breath 4 counts.  Repeat slowly and as usefully as you can for 7-10 cycles.

2. Take a walk outside: ​Get some fresh air and sunshine and just take a break from the physical space and position you were in when you started to feel overwhelm.  

3. Orienting (for self-regulation): Slowly scan your immediate environment, using your senses.  Listen, see, smell, touch and taste to become more present.

​4. Practice being a witness of your mind: Set a timer for 5-20 minutes and sit still silently.  Allow your thoughts and breath to flow naturally as you observe them without judgment.  Feel your quiet inner presence beneath the thoughts and breath movement.  This is also mindful awareness.

5.  Hum a monotone: Taking deep breaths, place your hands on your chest center and hum a repeated monotone aloud.  Feel your soothing sound vibration, and focus your attention on the sound.

6.  Move your body: Let your body just move freely as it needs to release the energetic impulse of stress or overwhelm.  Check out soul movement here.

7.  Self-Inquiry Journaling: Free-write in a state of open flow, or ask your inner guidance, "What do I need to know right now?"  Write a letter to yourself from your inner guidance.

8.  Observe nature: Sit or move in nature and pay close attention to a flower, leaf or another object or being that catches your eye.  With childlike enthusiasm, take in the details.  

​9.  Walking meditation: Walk very slowly nd feel each breath in and out.  Feel your weight distribution in each step.  Try silently saying to yourself as you inhale, "I am..." and as you exhale, "Connected to all."

As I’ve learned from practicing yoga these past 19 years, the more I use my grounding tools as a daily practice, the easier it is to remember they’re there and to use them when I fall into moments of overwhelm.  Learning techniques on your own is one thing, but to have a like-hearted community to practice regularly with can help instill strong habits.  Additionally, together you can share ideas, intentions, insights, questions, roadblocks, solutions and encouragement.  Moreover, having a mindful relatable facilitator can also help you integrate theory into practice.  Check out Tools for Clarity, our live online workshop exploring yoga, meditation and mindfulness techniques that apply yogic wisdom beyond yoga poses to help ground through life's overflowing river. 
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Request a Recording of Tools for Clarity
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Transform Obstacles into Opportunity, An Invitation from Michelle Chua

12/13/2020
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What stories do you tell yourself about other's behaviors or day-to-day events?  How much of our mind's interpretations align with the truth of what we're observing?  How much of our thoughts, especially habitual ones, cause us suffering, with emotions like anger, resentment, jealousy, self-hatred, guilt, shame, etc, that we keep hidden in the dark side of our moon?  These questions were explored ages ago by wise sages, and their insights are still relevant in our common humanity.  Under the yogic belief that all is one consciousness, forgetting this as our true nature was identified as the main cause of human suffering.  In forgetting that we are not our bodies or even our minds, we succumb to other thought patterns that cause suffering: defining ourselves by our social or familial conditioning and fears, clinging to what's impermanent, resisting life's uncertainties and challenges and fearing death.  

So how do we regain clarity amid the mind's tendencies?  Cultivating self-awareness is an ongoing practice in yoga and mindfulness, and it's key to empowering our conscious choice to free ourselves from such suffering (as well as the suffering we may project onto others).  This light of clarity nurtures the courage and pure love within us to be who we truly are, without demonizing parts of ourselves or each other. Just as the moon is always full, despite our changing perceptions that it's less than, we are more than the thoughts that label or narrow us.   

This workshop session on Thursday, 12/17, is meant to plant (or water, depending on where you are in your journey) seeds of self-awareness, empower conscious choice and explore practical yoga and mindfulness techniques that help us to lead peaceful fulfilling lives, seeing beyond circumstance and allowing solutions to arise-- when we're in a state of grounded clarity and genuine self-love.  Let's work together to build unity consciousness, starting within.
Learn More about This Workshop
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Head Between Our Legs by Michelle Chua

11/19/2020
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Has this year got you feeling like you have your head caught between your legs?  Perhaps that's an understatement.  When the wheels of everyday life come to a crash, what's there to do to feel sane?  After we've sulked, continue to grieve over what's been lost and maybe even drown ourselves in ice cream or whatever mutes the pain, we're still here now.  

I find it interesting that in the eye of the storm sits complete calm, so they say.  Our head between our legs may not be comfortable, but it's surely a different perspective.  One that can let us see which of our previous ways may have actually been upside down. Or, were preventing our own flexibility for change and growth.  Or, were undermining our ability to transcend obstacles and surrender to creativity that flows through all of us--when our minds aren't busy in default mode.  

Change can be magnificent, said the caterpillar, as I've witnessed some of you creating your delicious lemonade with this year's lemons.  It's a state of mind, as yoga teaches, beyond the physical poses.  How can we be the eyes, centered in higher vision, throughout whatever storms arise?  Not expecting perfection, but aligning with our pure potentiality, knowing that we're in continuous evolution despite each's unique pace.  

These past months have inspired new offerings that enliven me to share with you.  But here's the soonest upcoming...To bring conscious closure to this eventful 2020, join me online with a soulful community on three Thursdays, 6-7pm PT in December for a workshop series birthed from last month's virtual retreat, Tools for Clarity.  Each session includes 15 min. chakra-focused all-levels yoga postures and breath work, 10 min. guided meditation and 35 min journaling and group/partner conversation.  Each session builds on the next:

12/3 Root in Clarity & Alignment 
12/10 Empathy Empowers Peace
12/17 Transform Obstacles into Opportunity


We'll dive into practical tools to become aware of our unwanted daily patterns and choose freedom and to strengthen our volition and skillful capacity ​with wisdom from the Yoga Sutras, mindfulness practices, Nonviolent Communication, activational thought leaders and most importantly, from within.  Let's connect in meaningful ways and invite grace as we transition out of 2020. 

May you ride the waves with peace in your center.

Find our workshop details and registration at sliding-scale investment here.
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Staying Healthy During the Holidays by Michelle Chua

11/17/2020
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Ever feel anxiety about the holidays and the inevitable Thanksgiving feast food coma, cold weather sluggishness and or even slight depression? 

For decades, I subscribed to my limiting belief that holiday binge-eating and winter colds and flus were a staple part of the holiday season.  I gave into eating all my Halloween candy and welcoming the seasonal viruses with poor diet, guilt-driven sporadic exercise as punishment and being down on myself, all under the excuse that I lacked self-control. 

But I grew tired of this hamster wheel and being seasonally sick, and decided to change--one small thing at a time. 

A gift of becoming a yoga teacher over ten years ago was feeling inspired to make the kinds of choices I wanted to help others to see they had, because I wanted to lead by example (as I was always taught, being the oldest of 5 siblings).  Choice is powerful, and we exercise it constantly through action or nonaction.  And by being consistent in these choices, I gained my trust in myself.  And by gaining self-trust, I knew I was stronger than my habits.  Anyone can create new habits that better serve how they want to feel and be.

Join our community supporting each other in our choice to celebrate health and peace these holidays!  I've put together my top 5 Favorite Ways to Stay Fit and Peaceful During the Holidays.  Enter your info below to request a copy!

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What Our Clients Are Saying

Michelle truly lives out what she teaches. She is so much more than a yoga teacher - I learned this when I went on her exquisitely curated trip that she organized to Costa Rica this past June 2018...Hopefully like me, you'll be delighted by her effervescent love of movement, nature, and all people!
-Rebekah B. (Los Angeles, CA) *See more YELP Reviews
Michelle clearly stands out with her beautiful and bright energy. I love how her practice and teaching encompass body, mind and spirit. She not only teaches yoga but lives and exudes it.
-Marianne Manes (Los Angeles, CA)
Michelle not only teaches 'yoga', she embodies it fully with her heart and soul...
​-Christin M. (Los Angeles, CA) *See more YELP Reviews
Michelle is by far one of the best instructors I've ever had, period. Patient, clear in her explanations and demos, and so encouraging...
-Jessica L. (North Hollywood, CA) *See more YELP Reviews
My first yoga class was with Michelle years ago.  ​You can have the best (yoga pose) sequence and not teach from your heart.  With Michelle, I also feel her passion when I'm in her class.  I can see she loves what she does, and she inspired me to want to teach yoga, too.
-Janette Guzman (Northridge, CA)

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I’ve had dozens of instructors over the years, but Michelle is far and away the best yoga mentor I’ve ever practiced with. She epitomizes grace during these difficult times. Michelle has saved my sanity and my back while working from home, keeping me grounded with her sharing of yogic teachings and meditation techniques. Her repertoire of physical asanas is encyclopedic, and I’ve loved learning new poses and stretching my boundaries. Jump in, all. You’ve got this!

- Cathleen Fager (Attends Zoom Yoga Classes)
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