Greetings, friends!

What a month June has has already been. The “reopening” process continues throughout our beloved state this week, as gyms, theaters and other businesses are allowed to reopen. The stay at home order has been lifted. Reemergence and reintegration are coming. How are you feeling? Excited? Overwhelmed? Scared? Have you taken the time to actually notice how you’re feeling? Yes? No? Whatever your answers, you are not alone.

Meanwhile, our country buckles under the weight of our past and present collective trauma. The racial situation is so much to fathom, let alone process, or navigate wisely. Forces divide, forces unite, we grieve, we rage, we ask ourselves “what can I do?” (Reading this is one idea.)

One thing yoga has taught me to do in uncertain times is to sit. Just stop and be still. Sit with the unknown. Be quiet. Listen. Feel. Slow down and be still long enough to feel all of it. “Know thyself,” said Socrates. How can we solve the world’s problems if we are clueless about the battles we wage with ourselves? We hold so much emotion in our bodies and hearts. Our minds try to protect us from these tender places by constantly steering us towards distraction, to-do lists, screens, you name it. So we feel numb, or we live in a state of reactivity, and we wonder why it’s so damn hard to feel inner peace.

I wish I could say that yoga delivers inner peace. It doesn’t, not any more than a healthy cookbook delivers a healthy lifestyle. What yoga does offer is a path to cut through the noise and go inward. If offers a practice to get to know yourself – all of yourself – and make peace with what’s inside. It offers a path towards self-compassion, which some might say is a prerequisite for compassion towards others. And usually, right off the bat, yoga makes us feel connected and alive.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” -Mahatma Ghandi What if one of these gentle ways was simply to make peace in our own hearts? Would the ripple effect be enough to shake the world?

Yoga this week – Join us!

During this time when much healing, introspection, and compassion is needed, we look forward to sharing space – physically and virtually – with you, as we continue with online and in-studio classes (read here for more info on physical distancing protocols for studio classes). We appreciate your support, and seeing you in class gives us so much joy and hope. Thank you!

Click here to sign up for classes and view the schedule. Remember, in-studio classes are currently limited to 10 people, so advance registration is strongly recommended.

Yoga updates

Patty Clark will be returning to teach Gentle Yoga at the Grayling studio on June 18th. Amy Bowman will sub this week on the 11th, which will be the last in-studio AND virtual Gentle Yoga class offered at this time (all other virtual classes will continue for the time being).

Amy Mertz will also start teaching in the Grayling studio on Monday June 15th, and she will also continue teaching that class virtually on Zoom.

Finally, visiting instructor, Annette Holbrook, will begin teaching Vinyasa Yoga on Saturdays, starting this Saturday at 10:00am.

Thank you for being with us on this journey! Lots of love as we continue to step into this new world.

-Mariah and the Stone Turtle crew