Yoga

Vibrations

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Everything in the universe is made of energy that vibrates at different frequency levels. Even seemingly solid objects like a rock, or your physical body are now understood by scientists to be made up of constantly moving energy that is organized by waveforms and frequencies. The rate of frequency you (or an object) vibrates at is called your vibration. Even our emotions have frequencies! Understanding this helps us to understand why we resonate or “jive” with certain people easily, and when we have a natural desire to avoid certain people. You must have heard the old saying “Your vibe attracts your tribe”. This is also useful information when we want to adjust feeling in a constant emotional slump. Learn more about the frequencies of emotions here.

Through scientific clinical research, essential oils have been shown to vibrate at a higher electromagnetic frequency than any other substances measured. Crazy, huh?

Matter and frequencies

Both crystals and essential oils are complex natural creations. Their vibration, aroma, and visual beauty can have a wide range of effects on our energy and vibration. Crystals have specific and unique vibrations.

Combining both of these amazing, natural properties into a blend and then applying it to myself brings such a sense of completion to my mind, body and spirit. I can target specific energy points in my body—known as chakras—as well by choosing specific essential oils and crystals that resonate vibrationally with that energy center.

When people come into my home or my studio I often hear that they just “feel” the peace and goodness. I believe it is because I have crystals everywhere and the vibe that comes from them infused my space. I also am consistent in using aromatherapy in my home and work space to support my energy, mood and physical body.

There are so many ways that we can influence our energy centers but I love to use essential oils and gemstones, as well as affirmations, meditation and yoga. Curious to learn more about chakras and natural ways to balance them? Check out this free ebook! 

Balancing Your Energy Centers

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Are you curious about your energy centers, also known as chakras? Years ago I had heard about them but had no idea what they were. Since then I have spent years studying the chakra system and learning powerful ways to balance them so that my mind, body and spirit are optimal.

There are seven major energy centers in the body known as ‘Chakras’.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means “wheel”. Our seven main chakras are connected to our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Blocked energy in our seven chakras can often lead to illness, so it’s important to understand what each chakra represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely.

There are many ways to go about balancing the chakras but two of the most accessible, effective and relaxing practices are aromatherapy and crystal therapy. When paired correctly, crystals and essential oils can create potent combinations that help to release blocked energy and restore the body to full charge.

Chakras are invisible to the naked eye and yet interconnect our physical and spiritual selves.

Each of the seven chakras is tied directly to a specific region and nerve center of the body. It is believed that each of the chakras absorbs and filters the energy that we emit through our thoughts and actions as well as through the thoughts and actions of all those that we come into contact with. When one of the chakras is out of balance as a result of negative energy flowing through it, it begins to spin too slowly or too fast. When a chakra is not balanced, it can effect that physical region of the body and also effect very specific aspects of our spiritual and emotional selves.

I am so excited to share with you an ENTIRE chakra series ONLINE.

You can choose between investing in the entire series for a discounted bundle rate, or pick and choose which chakra you’d like to focus on. I am happy to help guide you through a quick assessment of which energy center you might want to address.

For each chakra we will focus on the aspects of that energy center and learn how to balance it through discussion, yoga session, a custom essential oil blend with gemstones, and a beautiful crystal. Cost per chakra is $30, or the entire series/blends/gemstones is $197 (valued at $315). Also included is a free downloadable ebook. Once registered you will get an email from me with content and a package in the mail!

Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life.

Living Ahimsa

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One of my biggest gripes as a Yoga teacher is the assumption that Yoga is about the ability to touch your toes, or gain flexibility, or needing to being “good” at it in order to practice. Truth is it has really nothing to do with that at all..

One of my most treasured aspects of Yoga is how we go about with showing up for ourselves and others.

This is the essence of Pantajali’s non-harming Sutra known as Ahimsa. Pausing to consider kindness (ahimsa) influences the choices you make and how you truly show up for yourself and for others. Ahimsa (pronounced “ah-heem-sah”) literally means “non-harming” or “non-violence” in Sanskrit. In it most basic level, it’s refraining from causing harm. In the ancient time in which the yamas were first written down, this idea was a pretty big deal. The ancient world was rather violent, so what seems like a relatively simple instruction in the developed modern world (not to hurt anybody) was a revolutionary idea 3000 years ago. Crazy, right?

As we practice ahimsa in today’s modern life, there is more to this idea of non-harming than simply refraining from acts of physical violence.

We understand now that pain can be more than just physical – it can also be emotional and mental. The deepest pain we feel is often very emotional and it most often sprouts from our relationships with other human beings. The grief that we experience when we lose someone or a part of our life that meant so much to our identity. The loss of a relationship or a painful life change can bring about deep and soul-shattering pain.

When we practice ahimsa, we are thinking about how our actions could hurt others and doing so invites us to take into consideration the potential physical, emotional, and relational consequences of our actions. We pause to consider kindness.

This is Yoga.

This week my teaching and sharing Yoga varies from fit and active high school hockey players (with incredibly tight hamstrings), to the average middle aged woman seeking self-love, to the athletic man wanting to wind down, to the dear friend grieving the painful decision she made, to the many people in assisted living who have traumatic brain injuries.

Every single person that I was in front of learned about ahimsa. They also got to feel ahimsa in action.

Want to know how I know this? Because I witnessed the relief in their tired hearts from trying so hard to maintain their emotions, I watched the tears flow, I saw with my own eyes confidence rise simply with one word, I felt with my hands their muscles relax, I exchanged smiles, and I received the magic of knowing that my work matters. The foot rub for the man who receives no touch was ahimsa. And his ahimsa back to me was a twinkle in his eye as he thanked me.

I am frustrated with the non-kind world that exists where division and opinions flood our everyday lives. I am saddened at the lack of humanity and desperate need to be heard in what seems to be a constant “what about ME” mentality. I am exhausted with the lack of kindness for fellow human beings.

But, I chose kindness despite my own struggling emotions. I offered ahimsa for the exhausted world in which I get to share Yoga. I pause. To listen. To see. To feel. To give.

Kindness.

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The Practice of Svadhyaya (Self Study)

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Svadhyaya asks you to suspend looking outside for perceptions of yourself, and instead, look at your inner life–your beliefs, your priorities, and your actions. -Suzan Colon

The term svadhyaya literally means ‘one’s own reading’ or ‘self study’. It is is the fourth niyama of patnajali’s sutras and has the potential to deepen our yoga way beyond the mat.  My favorite translation or definition of this beautiful inner work called Svadhyaya refers to any activity wherein we quietly study ourselves and reflect upon our actions, thoughts, emotions, motivations, aspirations, desires and needs in pursuit of a deeper experience of our lives and our own selves.

The physical aspects to the yoga practice offers the perfect opportunity to explore svadhyaya.

To create each posture you must move and place the various parts of your body into a shape on a rectangle. You could do this without any real engagement or awareness, carelessly going through the motions while your mind is a million miles away, or you could work towards staying present with each and every moment as it arises. You could notice how the body responds to being aligned a certain way, observe physical sensations, watch how your mind reacts to what you’re doing with your body, experience any emotions that show up, and listen to the ebb and flow of your breath. 

Often when we’re practicing yoga on the mat discomfort—or sometimes pain—becomes evident.

If we slow down, apply this form of self awareness, or svadhyaya, and truly contemplate what’s happening in our bodies and minds, pain becomes an important teacher. We can examine the subtleties of pain and begin to understand the difference between “bad pain” that is harmful and injurious to our bodies; and “good pain,” mild or moderate discomfort that we can stay with, breathe into and observe as it shifts and changes.

Since my first hip surgery in 2016, I have greatly avoided the physical practice and therefore, avoided this kind of deeper self-inquiry. Sure, I did some chair yoga as I taught my classes and I would occasionally unroll my mat but honestly it was more as a way to simply say that I am practicing. Truth is I wasn’t practicing at all. Or at least very often.

I might find myself being a tad more consistent and then another injury and another surgery would put me back in the same resistance and emptiness of anything closely resembling a physical yoga practice.

With great honesty I can say that as time has gone on I have made up a million excuses as to why I was not practicing a physical yoga. Some of the excuses were legitimate and some of them were downright falsehoods.

I missed my time on the mat a lot, but I still resisting it until recently when I began to choose time on the yoga mat. Rather than spend too much time in the morning reading and journaling (and avoiding the mat), I have since shortened that sitting time to spend more of my so-called ‘spirit time’ with myself on the mat. This inner work has been transformative to me in just a few weeks.

I began to feel like I had come home after years of being away. I felt like the dear old friend has returned and without any judgment she has welcomed me into the sanctuary of pure love and acceptance.

This morning as I was paying attention to the sensations within my body (while also fighting the grumblings of any ego based thoughts entering my mind about what my body used to be able to do or feel…more self-study), I realized this magnificent practice of self study is a gift that opens the doors to so many other deep discoveries. I found the voice speaking softly to me while practicing the way any dear old friend would speak; encouraging, kind, compassionate, loving. This beautiful friend reminded my body of all that it has endured and welcomed her back to feel and soak in the sensations as perfect and whole.

Supporting Small Business

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When you donate to my yoga classes, buy essential oils from me or hire me to share yoga in your rehabilitation center or with a private client, you are supporting ME in my small business. YOU are helping me sustain my purpose and my livelihood.

I am content with what I have, however, securing a financial future for me and my daughter is why I work tirelessly most days of the week. When you look to buy gifts this year, think about the small businesses in your life and support them. You can buy essential oils anywhere, but if you choose to buy them from me you are supporting me and not the big box chains and you are getting top quality oils that are safe. Choose small this year because really you are choosing to make a difference in someone’s life.

I am a yoga teacher and mindfulness coach. I am a wellness coach. I am a doterra leader and essential oil advocate. I am a mom. I am a CNA to my disabled daughter. I am the voice for others. Thank you for supporting ME this year.

If you’re ready to change your life, perhaps I can help. Check out all my offerings.

Letting Go

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One of my favorite aspects to yoga and mindfulness is taking a deep look inside to find the parts of ourselves that aren’t serving our greatest good and decide to let it go. The volume of space we create is enormous and it allows something better to fall into that space.

In my personal life I have many decisions ahead of me. It’s honestly been a grueling time for me and some major changes for my daughter. I also have ankle surgery scheduled, but with so many unknowns I am debating whether now is the right time.

When life shows up like it has recently, I have to remember to go inside and let go of the fear, the anger and the worries. Much like a leaf that falls from a tree, I know when I let go of it, there is space. Space means clarity. In the space of clarity, I know I will find my way.

This months schedule for classes is also very unknown. Certainly that causes this very disciplined and schedule savvy girl to feel unsettled. It is likely that I am going to be watching the weather and offer warm sunny fall pop classes. I will still be adding videos to my online session collection AND I am super excited to offer a chakras series! This is a popular series and I can’t wait to share more about the details.

Let this month be a time where you truly let go of something that is weighing you down, or that you no longer need—just like that leaf that did it’s job, it also can now let go. Even fear and feelings of uncertainty can be useful, but eventually it’s time to let it go.

Personal Yoga Practice

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I get asked a lot about my personal practice. The assumption might be that I am always on my mat in my gorgeous studio.I do practice Yoga everyday. But, the Truth is I unroll my mat mostly when I feel a disconnection.

I come to my mat to feel…to nurture my body…to connect with my sensations. I don’t practice asana (postures) everyday. Having a Yoga practice doesn’t have to be physical.

So yes…I practice everyday, but I come to my mat when I need to plug into my soul, and connect my physical body to that beautiful place inside.

You don’t “do yoga”. You are Yoga….Become Yoga…leave the “doing” for something else.

If you are wanted to learn the deeper aspects the practice of Yoga, I would love to chat with you. Send me a message and we will connect.

The Yoga Sutras

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In its highest form, yoga is a practice for your body and your mind. I have come to cherish my morning reading of one Sutra-the Sutras in simple terms are the attitudes and principles of how to live in harmony with yourself and others.

This book, Living the Sutras brings the wisdom of classical yoga philosophy into your life in an accessible and relevant way. The Yoga Sutras, a foundational text of yoga philosophy and practice, written by the guru Patanjali over two thousand years ago, are made up of 196 aphorisms that offer potent teachings on how to deal with loss and pain, and guidance on how to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.

This book is a training for the mind and spirit by introducing a sutra or group of sutras on a related theme, providing a brief commentary, and writing prompts to allow you to reflect on and apply the meaning of the sutras to your life. This active self-study helps you to engage with yoga wisdom in a deeply personal way.

It sure isn’t about touching your toes.

A Home Yoga Practice Space

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Nothing can take your yoga as deep as practicing at home. There are many reasons why you think you can’t, but those are often mental obstacles that are preventing you from a rich and intimate yoga practice.

To help hurdle some of the obstacles, it’s important to set yourself up for a great home practice by creating an inviting home yoga space.

Here are a few tips:

  1. Your space can be small. An intimate corner tucked away is a perfect place to create zen. Once before I had a studio I arranged my furniture in my family room so I had a place behind the sofa big enough for a make shift alter, and my yoga mat. Add in a device to view my videos and you’re there. A spare bedroom, unfinished basement, a tidy walk in closet, your entry way, a back patio or deck, or even a corner of your office all make great spaces.
  2. Make your space beautiful. Add a pretty plant, some nice art, a photograph, crystals, and a candle. I used an old breakfast tray for my alter and would light a candle, and have my pretty treasures near the top of my mat.
  3. Aroma is everything. Our sense of smell is directly linked to our mood and our excitability. My favorites to diffuse are sandalwood, any citrus and mint combo, or simple lavender.
  4. Be grateful. It is an honor to unroll your mat and spend time with yourself. You don’t need a fancy studio to bring you back home to yourSelf. A thankful heart doesn’t care where you practice.

If you would love a free thirty minute chat to help motivate you to get started and answer questions, I would LOVE to chat with you! Send me a message and we can set something up!

About Stacie

Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life.

Captivated By Purpose

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I didn’t follow the traditional path when it comes to becoming a yoga teacher. I knew early on that my path would lead me to sharing yoga with those who are unable to easily access a traditional setting. I got many small certifications and began teaching before I even thought about getting a 200 hour accreditation. And to be really honest, I still cringe when someone asks me “where did you do your 200 hour?” I cringe because so many times our culture puts a focus on a title or a perceived standard. As my favorite poem the Invitation says—“it doesn’t interest me where or what or with who you studied, I want to know what sustains you on the inside when all else falls away”.

My path to becoming a yoga teacher was the same old monkey on my back that I carried because I didn’t take the common path and go to college. Instead, I got married and became a mom. I didn’t take a college class until I was 43 years old! Until I was able to see my own success I always felt less than others because I chose a different way.

What I have come to learn is that the path we take is OURS. There is no space for comparison when you are fully engaged with your purpose. I knew I was supposed to be a young mom and I also knew that I was supposed to teach yoga a certain way. I knew then and I know now that the paper certificate or who I studied with is irrelevant—it is how I show up on the world that matters. And that is with divine PURPOSE.

Let go of the distraction to compare and compete and instead step into who you really are. You’ll find a treasure within yourself that will change the world.

When I made the decision to go online due to covid, I knew I didn’t want to take another traditional path of online offerings. I wanted to stay true to me—raw, real, authentic, and definitely not staged or overly “perfect”. I hold true to that, tho I will say I have found each week to be more and more my true voice as I get comfortable teaching to a screen.

If you’re ready to follow a path that’s true to you, I’d love to link arms with you.

Home Yoga Practice

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One of the most common things I hear from people who really want to start yoga is that they feel they have no discipline when it comes to a home practice. Believe me, I get it. I have struggled my whole time as a yogi and yoga teacher to have a consistent home practice. It seems we can come up with a zillion reasons/excuses as to why it’s impossible–no real place to practice, too many distractions, no privacy, and most common is lack of motivation.

Truth is all of those things can be overcome with some simple steps to hold yourself accountable.

After all, we all know how valuable a consistent yoga and meditation practice is, otherwise we wouldn’t be dying to get back to the studio for the classes that were on the schedule, right? Many of us are now working from home and our practice is suffering when instead, there are a few simple things to do to get back to the mat, at home.

Here are five ways to overcome the excuses and develop a solid home practice.

  1. Set a schedule. If you are used to heading to the gym or studio for a Tuesday morning yoga class at 10am, then carve out the same time slot. Block it out in your calendar, set a timer, tell your family that hour is off-limits, and stick to it. Show up on time just as you would for the class at the gym but without the commute! Try for twice a week and watch what begins to happen.
  2. Choose a space. Let’s face it, not everyone is going to have a perfectly zen area in their home dedicated to yoga. No worries! You just need a space that is open enough to feel comfortable on your mat and perhaps a door to close. Light a candle, burn some incense or diffuse your favorite essential oils, and unroll your mat. Keep this space free of clutter, work items, and household chores like laundry to fold. Create a place that feels good, but let go of the idea that in order to practice it has to be perfect.
  3. Set boundaries. I love that yoga is called a practice because it truly does help us to see how we can apply the things we learn on the mat to our everyday life. Like boundaries. Decide first and foremost that you are worth it and then let your family know that you are giving yourself one precious hour. Feed your dogs and cats prior to practice and lock them out of the space or put them in a kennel–they will survive an hour without you. Turn off your phone. Yes, turn OFF your phone. If these things are hard for you, then revisit your worthiness and try again.
  4. Commit. Remember the first few times after you started to “get” this practice? You know, when your mind and your body came together into harmony and you started to feel something shift? Revisit that. Feel it. Does it really take a class on a schedule, in a germy gym with a bunch of strangers to motivate you? How about instead the physical health that you are developing? The reduction of stress your body is receiving? The peaceful state of being that your spirit feels? That should be plenty of motivation.
  5. It’s a practice. Remember, yoga is a practice not a perfection. Give your self some grace and try again. Any habit takes time to develop. Some say a new habit takes 21 days. How about trying 4-weeks of coming to the mat twice a week and see if you don’t develop a solid home practice that is based on self-love and cultivating a sense of self without the need to leave the sanctuary of your home.

The added bonus to all of this is that you will teach others around you the value of self-love and they just might see the peacefulness in you and make some changes themselves. It is after all a practice for the self, but it becomes selfless in how it enhances the lives of others as well. That is the ripple effect that we love to discover while on the mat.

Follow me for more goodness!

Honoring the Winter Solstice: A Time for Stillness and Renewal

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“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.”

Honoring the Winter Solstice: A Time for Stillness and Renewal

The Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year, a sacred pause where nature invites us to slow down, turn inward, and embrace the quiet beauty of the season. As the earth tilts gently toward the returning light, we’re reminded that even in the darkest moments, new beginnings are quietly stirring beneath the surface.

This is a time for reflection, releasing what no longer serves us, and planting seeds of intention for the months ahead. By aligning with the rhythm of the solstice, we can create space for rest, renewal, and the soft whispers of our inner wisdom.

In this post, we’ll explore simple and meaningful ways to honor the Winter Solstice—through rituals, mindful practices, and gentle moments of self-care to nourish your body, mind, and spirit as you welcome the return of the light.

In yoga, and in astrology, the sun symbolizes the soul. The word “solstice,” in Latin, means sun standing still, so in a sense, we could say the soul stands still on the solstice—maybe even long enough for you to catch a glimpse of it, as some legends say you can at this divine time of year. The darkest night contains the most magnetic power, too; this is a time to draw forth what you want, to incubate your best intentions. As you enjoy the longest night and the brightest lights of the season, please remember this: your soul is the light of the world. You carry the light within you. You shine.

The Solstice is a time of quietude, of firelight, and dreaming, when seeds germinate in the cold earth, and the cold notes of church bells mingle with the chimes of icicles. Rivers are stilled and the land lies waiting beneath a coverlet of snow. We watch the cold sunlight and the bright stars, maybe go for walks in the quiet land. . . . All around us the season seems to reach a standstill — a point of repose.

These longer hours of darkness allows us to see into the deepest and darkest parts of our soul and presents us with an opportunity to go within and become aware of the subtle stirrings within our beings.

Winter darkness has a positive side to it. As we gather to celebrate the first turn from winter to spring, we are invited to recognize and honor the beauty in the often unwanted season of winter. Let us invite our hearts to be glad for the courage winter proclaims. Let us be grateful for the wisdom winter brings in teaching us about the need for withdrawal as an essential part of renewal. Let us also encourage our spirits as Earth prepares to come forth from this time of withdrawal into a season filled with light.

The winter solstice celebrates the return of hope to our land as our planet experiences the first slow turn toward greater daylight. Soon we will welcome the return of the sun and the coming of springtime. As we do so, let us remember and embrace the positive, enriching aspects of winter’s darkness. Pause now to sit in silence in the darkness of this space. Let this space be a safe enclosure of creative gestation for you.

~excerpt from A Celebration of Winter Solstice” from The Circle of Life by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr.

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