The Foundation of Yoga

August 30, 2025August 24, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

The Foundation of Yoga: Returning to What Sustains

September has always felt like a month of renewal. The air shifts, the light changes, and there’s a quiet invitation to pause, reflect, and come back to what sustains us.

In the busyness of life, it’s easy to get swept away from our roots — the practices that ground us, steady us, and remind us of who we are beneath the noise. Yoga, at its heart, is not just movement. It’s a way of returning home.

I created The Foundation of Yoga — a 3-part digital series designed to guide you back to your roots with practices that nourish both body and spirit.

What’s Inside the Program

Yoga Practice: Gentle yet powerful practices to reconnect with breath, alignment, and awareness.
Discussion: Reflections on the deeper meaning of yoga, beyond the poses.
Mindfulness: Simple practices to weave presence and grounding into daily life.

This program is perfect for anyone feeling the call to reset — whether you’re beginning your yoga journey, returning after time away, or simply longing to reconnect with the essence of your practice.

The beauty of this series is that it’s completely self-paced. As a digital download, you can begin anytime, anywhere — letting the practices meet you right where you are.

September is the perfect moment to return to your foundation, to breathe deeply, and to remember what truly sustains you.

Begin your journey today! Download this program HERE!

Come back to your roots, your breath, to yourself.

Mindful Practice: Returning to Your Foundation

1. Ground Through Breath
Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor or crossed on a cushion. Close your eyes and take 5 slow, deep breaths. With each inhale, imagine drawing nourishment from the earth. With each exhale, release what no longer serves you.

2. Root into the Present
Place your hands over your heart and gently whisper to yourself: “I am here. I am rooted. I am sustained.”

3. Carry It With You
Throughout the day, notice the moments when you feel scattered or pulled away. Pause, breathe, and silently repeat your affirmation to anchor back into your foundation.

“I return to my roots. I am grounded, sustained, and whole.”

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Looking for the tools and products I swear by? Visit my Amazon storefront for a handpicked collection of my favorite finds—from kitchen gadgets to wellness essentials. Click here to explore and shop my must-haves.

Interested in being part of my essential oil community and are ready to start using pure essential oils, shop here or email me for a free 1:1 consultation.

How Personal Development and Books Can Transform Your Life

August 11, 2025August 9, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Ignite Your Inner Seeker: How Personal Development and Books Can Transform Your Life

There’s something quietly magical about the moment you decide to seek more — more understanding, more growth, more connection to yourself and the world around you. Personal development is not just a goal; it’s a sacred journey, a gentle unfolding of who you are meant to be.

Reading books is one of the most beautiful gateways to this journey. Each page offers not only knowledge but also inspiration, compassion, and a spark of possibility. Books become companions, mentors, and mirrors that help us see ourselves more clearly, encouraging us to dream bigger and dig deeper.

When you dive into personal development through reading, you invite transformation. You learn to listen to the whispers of your heart, challenge limiting beliefs, and nurture resilience. This process awakens the seeker within — that part of you that is curious, courageous, and committed to becoming the best version of yourself.

The benefits are profound:

You cultivate greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
You develop tools to navigate life’s challenges with grace.
You open yourself to new perspectives that expand your understanding and compassion.
You build confidence in your ability to grow and change.
You create space for healing, hope, and renewed purpose.

If you’re ready to ignite your own journey, I’d love to share some of my top favorite books that have fueled my path of growth and healing. These selections offer wisdom, practical guidance, and soulful encouragement to support you wherever you are on your journey.

Shop My Favorite Personal Development Books

May these books inspire you to seek boldly, grow gently, and shine your light fully.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Interested in being part of my essential oil community and are ready to start using pure essential oils, shop here or email me for a free 1:1 consultation.

Join 30 Days of Yoga: Free Live YouTube Series for All Levels – Chair Options Included!

July 28, 2025August 7, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Join Me for 30 Days of Yoga: A Free LIVE Series on YouTube

Are you ready to feel more grounded, connected, and calm—one breath at a time?

I’m inviting you to a free 30 Days of Yoga series, live on YouTube, where we’ll explore mindful movement, breathwork, and self-compassion. Whether you’re new to yoga, returning after a break, or looking for a daily dose of intention, this is for you.

Here’s what to expect:

Daily yoga videos for 30 days – each around 15–20 minutes
Live sessions on YouTube with replays available so you can practice anytime
Seated options available every day – perfect for anyone needing a gentle or accessible approach
Themes to inspire your practice – from breath awareness to grounding and heart-opening

This is not about being flexible or achieving a perfect pose. It’s about showing up for yourself, one mindful moment at a time.

You’ll find yourself moving with more ease, breathing more fully, and approaching each day with a little more peace.

How to Join:
Subscribe to my YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you don’t miss a session.

Invite a friend, grab a chair or yoga mat, and let’s begin this journey together. There will be a fun giveaway at the end of August!

I’ll meet you there—with breath, presence, and gentle encouragement. Watch this intro to learn more about this fun month!

With care,
Stacie

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

If you would love to be part of my essential oil community and are ready to start using pure essential oils, shop here or email me for a free 1:1 consultation.

5 Gentle Yoga Poses to Reduce Anxiety — With Chair Yoga Options for All Bodies

June 24, 2025August 7, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

5 Gentle Yoga Poses to Reduce Anxiety — With Chair Yoga Options for All Bodies

We all experience stress and anxiety—but you don’t have to face it alone.
This new yoga video offers a short but powerful practice featuring 5 calming yoga poses, each designed to soothe your nervous system and quiet your mind.

Whether you’re brand new to yoga or seeking an accessible way to find ease in your day, these poses can help you feel more grounded, supported, and at peace.

What You’ll Practice:

Forward Fold – for gentle spinal release
Legs Up the Wall – to reduce swelling & calm the nervous system
Cat-Cow – to awaken the spine and connect breath to movement
Child’s Pose – to settle the body into rest
Seated Twist – to release tension and improve circulation

And the best part?
Every pose includes a chair yoga variation, making it perfect for seniors, beginners, or anyone needing extra support.

Plus, keep an eye out for Leo the cat’s peaceful cameo—adding a little joy to your practice ?

Chair Option Here:

Subscribe for more:
Embracing Spirit Yoga YouTube Channel

? Your 10-minute self-care break starts here. Your body and mind will thank you.

Stay Connected:
Website: embracingwisdomandwellness.com
Instagram: @embracingspirityoga
Facebook: Embracing Spirit Yoga

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

If you would love to be part of my essential oil community and are ready to start using pure essential oils, shop here or email me for a free 1:1 consultation.

5 Calming Poses to Support Cortisol Balance

June 12, 2025August 7, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Cortisol Reset: 5 Yoga-Inspired Poses to Help You Feel Calm and Grounded

Have you ever felt tired but wired at the end of the day—like your body is begging for rest, but your mind just won’t turn off?

That’s often a sign of high cortisol levels—your body’s primary stress hormone—still running the show, even when the day is done. Whether you’re managing chronic stress, burnout, fibromyalgia, or post-surgical healing (like me), that overstimulated nervous system can leave you feeling restless, achy, and emotionally depleted.

Over the years, I’ve found that weaving a simple, mindful yoga practice into my evening routine can help bring the body into a state of rest and safety. This gentle sequence of five poses is my personal cortisol reset—designed to calm the nerves, ground the energy, and support the body’s natural transition into rest and recovery.

1. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
This restorative inversion helps drain tired legs, calms the mind, and invites your body into its parasympathetic “rest and digest” state.

Try it for 5–10 minutes with a folded blanket under your hips and soft lighting in the room.

2. Supported Child’s Pose (Balasana)
This gentle forward fold cradles the nervous system. When supported with pillows or a bolster, it helps you feel held and grounded.

Let your arms relax and forehead rest on something soft to activate the calming pressure points.

3. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
A slow, inward fold that quiets the thoughts and releases tension in the spine and hamstrings.

Don’t worry about reaching your toes—just soften and breathe.

4. Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
A beautiful heart-opener that helps ease anxiety and promote stillness. Use pillows under the knees for full support.

Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly to connect inward.

5. Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
This twist helps release the spine, massage the organs, and encourage a natural detox of the stress hormones.

Let your breath be long and slow here, feeling into the release.

Bonus Tip: Add Essential Oils for Even Deeper Calm

Pair this practice with a calming essential oil blend for extra support. I like to use a blend of tulsi, cedarwood, clary sage, and chamomile—applied over the adrenals (lower back), heart, and wrists. Aromatherapy sends another signal to your body: “You are safe. You can rest now.”

Your Cortisol Reset Ritual

Set the tone with soft lighting, a cozy blanket, maybe a cup of herbal tea or magnesium. Take your time with each pose, focusing on slow, nourishing breaths. Even just 15–20 minutes can shift your nervous system in powerful ways.

Your body wants to heal—it just needs space and signals of safety. This practice can be your invitation to slow down and reconnect with that healing rhythm.

Let me know if you try this sequence—or share your favorite evening wind-down ritual in the comments. We’re in this together.

Looking for more gentle healing tools?
Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for upcoming guided videos and practice sessions.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Interested in being part of my essential oil community and are ready to start using pure essential oils, shop here or email me for a free 1:1 consultation.

Post-Hip Replacement Rehab Series Part 3 | Seated Balance & Tree Pose Prep for Hip Stability

June 6, 2025August 7, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Post-Hip Replacement Rehab Series Part 3 | Seated Balance & Tree Pose Prep for Hip Stability

In Part 3 of the Post-Hip Replacement Rehab Series, we focus on seated balance and gentle tree pose preparation—a beautiful combination for building confidence, strength, and coordination during your healing process.

This practice is designed for those who may not yet feel ready to stand but are eager to engage their hip flexors, improve postural awareness, and activate stabilizing muscles—all while seated.

In This Class You’ll Explore:

Hip flexor activation for stability
Controlled leg movements to build strength
Tree pose-inspired motions to promote neuromuscular connection
Breath-led awareness for calm and focus
Supportive cues for posture and alignment

Whether you’re in early recovery or looking for seated practices to supplement your healing, this class offers accessible yet powerful movement with compassion at its core.

Start Your Journey Today

• Watch Part 1 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NCSvw0_cogU
• Subscribe for the full series: Click here
• Support this work: Buy Me a Coffee
• Watch the full Rehab Playlist: View Playlist

Let this gentle practice guide you into deeper strength and steadiness—right from your chair.

With love and support,
Stacie

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Hip Replacement Rehab Part 2 | Standing Strength & Stability with Chair Support

June 2, 2025July 19, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Post-Hip Replacement Rehab Series Part 2 | Standing Strength & Stability with Chair Support

As we continue the Post-Hip Replacement Rehab Series, I’m excited to share Part 2, a gentle yet powerful practice focused on standing strength and stability.

After hip surgery, transitioning back into standing movements can feel intimidating. That’s why this session is designed to offer supportive, low-impact strength training—all with the help of a sturdy chair.

In This Session, You’ll Practice:

Chair-supported hip extensions to engage the glutes
Gentle squats to build foundational leg strength
Open-chain leg mobility work for increased range
Balance and coordination drills for safety and confidence
Breath-centered cues to calm your nervous system

This session is perfect whether you’re newly cleared to stand or working on gradually progressing your recovery. Move at your own pace, listen to your body, and remember—every small step is progress.

Start Your Journey Today

• Watch Part 1 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NCSvw0_cogU
• Subscribe for the full series: Click here
• Support this work: Buy Me a Coffee
• Watch the full Rehab Playlist: View Playlist

Let’s continue this journey together, standing strong with grace and care. With warmth,
Stacie

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

May 26, 2025July 18, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Gentle Journey Inward

Exploring Yoga Beyond the Mat with Compassion and Care

Yoga is so much more than movement—it’s a path of deep inner connection. Rooted in the ancient teachings of the Yoga Sutras, the eight limbs of yoga offer a holistic guide for living a more mindful, compassionate, and centered life.

These limbs are not steps to climb or rules to follow. Instead, they are invitations—soft, spacious ways to return to yourself.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve lovingly reflected on each limb through the lens of gentleness, healing, and everyday practice. Whether you’re new to yoga or have been walking this path for years, I hope these reflections bring comfort, inspiration, and clarity to your journey.

Take your time. Let your heart lead.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Yama: Living with Integrity
The ethical roots of yoga—guiding us toward kindness, truth, and compassion.
Niyama: Tending the Inner Garden
Practices of self-discipline, devotion, and inner peace that nurture our spirit.
Asana: Moving with Mindful Presence
The physical postures as a way to feel, listen, and lovingly inhabit the body.
Pranayama: Breathing Life In
Conscious breathwork as a tool for calming, energizing, and balancing the nervous system.
Pratyahara: Turning Inward with Grace
Withdrawing from outer distractions to connect with the richness within.
Dharana: The Steadying of Attention
Gentle focus and single-pointed awareness that anchors us in the now.
Dhyana: Resting in Presence
Meditation as a soft resting place—a return to stillness and ease.
Samadhi: The Quiet Union
A state of inner wholeness, spaciousness, and connection to all that is.

Each link above leads to a full blog post where I share how these teachings have touched my own life—through recovery, through quiet practice, and through a love of yoga that has always been rooted in softness and soulfulness.

Whether you explore one limb at a time or simply read what calls to you, may you feel supported, inspired, and reminded that you are already whole.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Samadhi

May 24, 2025July 18, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Samadhi: The Quiet Union

Samadhi is often described as bliss, enlightenment, or union with the divine. But for me, it feels more like a soft exhale. A moment where everything falls away—and all that remains is peace. A glimmer of wholeness.

It is the final limb of yoga. But not a finish line.

Samadhi isn’t something we chase. It’s something that rises when we’ve softened, steadied, and surrendered—when we’ve tended to our bodies, breath, senses, and hearts with care.

It is the gift of presence fully realized.

The Spaciousness of Union

In Sanskrit, samadhi means “to bring together” or “to merge.” It is the merging of the individual self with something greater—a quiet knowing that we are not separate, not alone, not lost.

And yet… this experience isn’t loud or grand. It doesn’t always arrive with fireworks or certainty.

Sometimes, it feels like:

A deep moment of stillness after savasana.
A tear slipping down your cheek in meditation—without story or judgment.
A sunrise that holds you completely in its beauty.
A feeling of wholeness, even in pain.

Samadhi can be fleeting. It can last a breath, or a lifetime. But once we’ve touched it, even for a moment, we know: there is more to us than our worries, our roles, or our wounds.

There is peace underneath it all.

How I Touch Samadhi

I don’t claim to live in samadhi. But I do catch glimpses of it. Through steady practice. Through softness. Through surrender.

Sometimes, in the quiet after pranayama or meditation, I feel a shift—like I’ve slipped below the surface of doing and landed in simply being.

And that is enough.

The Gentle Arrival

Samadhi reminds us that yoga is not about striving—it is about remembering. Remembering our wholeness. Our connection to all that is. Our sacred belonging.

It’s the culmination of the eightfold path, yes—but it’s also the heart of the entire journey.

Whether you’re practicing breath, movement, stillness, or awareness, each moment is a thread leading you home.

You are already whole. Already worthy. Already deeply, beautifully connected.

Samadhi just helps you remember.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Dhyana

May 22, 2025July 18, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Dhyana: Resting in Presence

There is a moment in stillness when effort dissolves. When the breath flows quietly, the mind softens, and the heart simply is. This is dhyana—the seventh limb of yoga.

Often translated as meditation, dhyana is more than a technique. It is a state of being. A soft, spacious awareness that arises when we’ve spent time tending the breath, steadying the mind, and drawing inward with care.

Dhyana is what happens when we stop trying to meditate and begin being with what’s here.

Meditation as a Gentle Relationship

I used to think meditation required silence, discipline, or a perfectly still mind. But over the years—and especially through pain and healing—I’ve learned that dhyana is much more tender than that.

It is sitting with yourself the way you’d sit with a dear friend: open, patient, without needing to fix or change anything.

It is staying.

In the discomfort. In the calm. In the mystery.

How I Practice Dhyana

Dhyana often arises naturally after practicing pratyahara (turning inward) and dharana (focused attention). It’s less about doing and more about allowing. About resting in awareness, however it shows up.

Here are a few gentle ways I ease into meditation:

Silent Sitting with the Breath – Simply being with the breath as it moves in and out, without needing to change it.
Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation – Silently offering phrases of compassion to myself and others: May I be safe. May I be well.
Guided Stillness – Using a soft voice or recorded meditation to anchor me in presence.
Open Awareness – Noticing sounds, sensations, or thoughts arise and pass like clouds in the sky.

There is no right way. No goal. Just presence.

Coming Home to Awareness

Dhyana reminds me that underneath all the doing is simply being. That the peace we seek is already within us, waiting in the quiet spaces between thoughts. It’s a returning—a homecoming to ourselves.

Even if you sit for just three minutes today, eyes closed, heart open—you are meditating.

You are practicing dhyana.

And in that stillness, something sacred stirs.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Dharana

May 20, 2025July 18, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Dharana: The Steadying of Attention

There is something profoundly healing about choosing to place your full attention on just one thing.

In a world that pulls us in countless directions, dharana—the sixth limb of yoga—offers the gift of focus. A soft, steadying of the mind. A return to the present moment with care and devotion.

Translated from Sanskrit, dharana means concentration or single-pointed awareness. But to me, it’s less about forcing attention and more about gently gathering the scattered pieces of ourselves and bringing them back to center.

The Beauty of Gentle Focus

Dharana doesn’t require silence or stillness, though those can help. It simply asks us to be with something fully.

When I practice dharana, I often choose something simple, something I can return to again and again:

The rise and fall of my breath.
A flickering candle flame.
A word or mantra whispered slowly.
The sensation of my hands resting in my lap.

Distraction comes, of course. That’s part of being human. But dharana invites us not to judge the wandering, only to notice and begin again—with kindness.

How I Practice Dharana

As someone who lives with physical pain and deep healing, dharana has become a refuge. It helps quiet the mental chatter, soften the nervous system, and invite a felt sense of peace.

Here are some of the simple ways I invite dharana into my daily life:

Mantra Meditation – Repeating a word like peace, soham, or I am with each breath.
Focused Candle Gazing (Trataka) – Gently gazing at a candle for a few minutes, then closing the eyes and observing the after-image.
Breath Awareness – Simply staying with the inhale and exhale, letting each breath guide you back.
Mindful Movement – Moving slowly and intentionally, noticing every shift, stretch, or sensation.

Even tasks like kneading bread, watering plants, or sipping tea can become dharana when done with full awareness.

The Healing Power of Attention

Dharana reminds me that I don’t have to fix everything. I don’t have to do more. I can simply be with what is here—and that is enough.

It’s a soft practice, not a rigid one. A gentle anchoring in a moment of presence. A kind of inner sanctuary you can visit anytime, anywhere.

In a world that glorifies multitasking, choosing one thing becomes sacred.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Pratyahara

May 18, 2025July 18, 2025 / embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Pratyahara: Turning Inward with Tenderness

There’s a quiet moment in practice—a soft pause—when we begin to draw inward. The world continues on around us, but something shifts. We are no longer reaching out. We are returning home.

This is pratyahara.

Often described as the withdrawal of the senses, pratyahara is less about escaping the world and more about creating space to listen—to yourself, to your breath, to the silence that speaks beneath the surface.

The Art of Gentle Withdrawal

In a culture that celebrates constant input, pratyahara invites the opposite: stillness. It’s the conscious choice to soften your gaze, to lower the volume, to turn your attention inward—not with resistance, but with reverence.

For me, pratyahara often shows up in the smallest ways:

Pausing before I respond.
Stepping away from screens.
Resting my eyes in meditation or supported savasana.
Noticing the wind on my skin or the rhythm of my own heartbeat.

It’s not about ignoring the senses. It’s about shifting where we place our attention.

How I Practice Pratyahara

Like all the limbs of yoga, pratyahara is a living, breathing practice. Some days it’s more formal; other days it’s a quiet decision in the middle of daily life. Here’s how I gently invite it into my own rhythms:

Guided Relaxation or Yoga Nidra – A sacred practice of conscious rest and internal awareness.
Soft Eye Gaze or Eye Pillow – Letting the eyes rest to encourage inward reflection.
Intentional Silence – Even just 5 minutes of quiet each day can recalibrate the nervous system.
Unplugged Walks in Nature – Tuning in to the breath and the heartbeat instead of the noise.

Pratyahara reminds me that I don’t need to chase peace outside myself. It’s already here, waiting in the stillness.

A Loving Return to Yourself

In many ways, pratyahara is the bridge between the outer world and the deeper practices of meditation and contemplation. It’s where we begin to turn the dial down on distraction and up on truth. On presence. On peace.

Even just one mindful breath taken with intention is a form of pratyahara.

So the next time the world feels too loud, too fast, or too much—close your eyes. Come home. The sacred lives there.

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.