Step into my Yoga Haven...

Welcome to my Yoga & Meditation safe space for healing!     

Let's take the tour!

 

 

   First of all, how cute is this little elephant!! I just got him for Mothers Day, my family found him at our local antique store! I named him Ahimsa, which is the first Yama in the first limb of yoga! It’s Sanskrit for non-harm, and non-violence. It’s perfect!

 

 

 

 

    So much transformation happened during the pandemic in 2020! However, during that year, my small business was actually incredibly successful that year as I created macrame decor and accessories for my customers. This room was my office for my business I'd created and loved for 10 years. However, in 2021, I began to feel a pull into a different direction, a direction that included holding a healing space for a community that needed it, and needed me. 

 

 

  In 2021, when schools reopened and my two children had resumed their usual school days, I dove into my yoga practice that had been hibernating for a few years as my business flourished. After a few months of listening and being open to change, during my daily practice 4-5 times a week at my local studio, I knew that I wanted to become a yoga instructor! I felt an incredible longing and yearning to absorb yoga philosophy, and give the life lessons I've learned after loss, to as many women & men as I could, to live a slower, more fulfilling life and not rush through it. I began to shift the frequency at which I was posting to my biz's instagram page, and when the order amount lightened, I began my 200HR RYT Yoga instructor training. I had not loved being immersed into something in such a long time! I knew I had to close up shop, and retire my business. And so, during Christmas break, I cleaned out my office, packed up supplies, to make a blank slate for my yoga studio & meditation room! It was something both me and my husband needed as his work stress increased, and my motherhood days became overwhelming at times. This room became a safe haven, a retreat for our souls!!

 

 

 

 

   First thing on the list, was rather than fill millions of nail holes and repaint walls, I found beautiful tapestries to keep the space feeling super cozy! Plus I was on a time limit. I'm always wanting to bring the outside indoors, and the forest is a huge healing space for me, so I knew I wanted a realistic scene, and what I found was perfect! Also, being a live plant lover, I moved my bigger floor plants into this space. My fiddle leaf fig, peace lily, ferns and Chinese evergreen are perfect in here, lots of natural indirect light! I found this vintage bamboo swivel chair and it also rocks!! It’s super cozy, and I love that adorable monstera leaf pillow!! Beautiful cushions that hint to Indian design were essential to add for meditations and cozy reading time. My handwoven Mexican blanket I used during my yoga training for classes like Nidra & Yin, is available in a beautiful woven basket on chilly days. There is plenty of room for my mat to practice on, and, my mandala rug is so soft and beautiful to add fun energy to the floor space!

 

 

 

   My long table at the wall is essentially a dresser with 6 drawers, full of things like incense, additional decor I didn't know where to put yet, pens, notebooks, etc. I had this green Irish blanket for years and years, and it's perfect to hide the drawers! The tapestry behind it is important to me because it depicts both the sun and moon, both light and dark! We have to be willing to sit comfortably in the dark to truly thrive in the light when it does arrive, hence the name of my yoga business name, "The Light Poured In Yoga." It's a beautiful tapestry! My fiddle leaf fig we rescued from Home Depot is thriving in the corner, and one day, I'll add a pathos and another plant to my hanging plant holders in the corner! And my proud, framed certificate of my 200HR RYT completion, and accompanied certifications!

 

 

 

   The table is full of a few of my favorite things! A vintage globe, a nod to my passion for humankind and worldwide cultures & my minor in Anthropology! A blue moon sculpture for burning incense, a brown hand sculpture holding a lotus flower for incense, and the puppy guru was an obvious choice for the dog-obsessed girl as well!! His name is Iroh! A candle gifted to me during my 200HR RYT graduation ceremony, and of course more incense burners, the fisherman at his pond, the black elephant holds come incense, and a white swan hand carved from stone! Swans are all around the ponds near my house, I’ve photographed their families and all their babies! I love them! 😍 🦢

 

 

 

 

  My favorite pose is Dancer, so I had to have this bronze sculpture! All the little dishes, chakras & bumblebees to hold incense and palo santo! Singing bowls, and pothos, and my leather bound journal that holds my favorite classes! The embossed sun & moon are perfect for “The Light Poured In Yoga!”  

 

  

 

 

  I’m in love with my beautiful green macrame moon! She even has twinkle lights! It’s a vibe y’all!! And, an incredibly proud moment in my life, earning my RYT certificate!! Since YTT graduation, I've added more certificates! Yoga therapy for depression, anxiety, Eating disorder recovery, Reiki Healing, and Trauma- Informed Yoga! Along this wall are my favorite cushions, all the plants, my favorite elephant holding yet another globe, and ALL THE COZY BLANKETS!! I love these gorgeous hand-stitched Indian quilts I received for Mothers Day!! !! I found this wysteria basket at an antique store and had to have it for my blankets!

 

 

  

 

   The Moroccan copper hanging lamps were so beautiful I had to have them, and are solar powered! And, my hanging macrame holder is waiting for a live plant as well. I have some shopping to do! HA! On the wall are the first two limbs of the 8 Limbs of Yoga as written by Patanjali, tools for transforming one's life! The Yamas and the Niyamas are framed for constant reminding toward a more beautiful life. 

• Yamas: 

Ahimsa: Non-harm, non-violence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Non-stealing

Brahmacharya: Moderation

Aparigraha: Non-attachment, Letting go

• Niyamas:

Saucha: Purity, Cleanliness

Santosha: Contentment

Tapas: Zeal, Self-discipline

Svadhyaya: Self-Study

Isvara Pranidhana: Devotion to higher power

 

 

 

 

 

   My absolute favorite chakra essential oil blends are DELICIOUS and can be found at essentialwellbeings.com. I'm still adding to the collection, but Melissa has a large variety of sizes, small vials, roller balls perfect for when you're on the go, small and large mist sprays for every chakra: Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, Crown, and Soul Star! Go visit her website for those and so much more, including books, crystals, jewelry, handcrafted tea blends, herbs, soothing salves, and more in her apothecary all crafted with her own hands! 

 

 

   I made this beautiful macrame banner, and I can’t sell it because I LOVE IT, and I recently added the bamboo tree chimes! This cozy window wall holds my kids’ stuffed animals and more beautiful meditation cushions! A dear friend from my teacher training class gifted that beautiful Yoga book to me and it’s my favorite full of beautiful photography, another passion of mine! And because I adore llamas & alpacas, well, there’re everywhere, these two are cozy on top of my heater & humidifier for the cold winter months, when my body craves warmth and needs it to get deeper into the movements & poses! 

 

 

 

 

   More plants make an appearance along this wall, including a pretty in pink beauty in this bright turquoise blue vessel, brought back from my husband's grandfather's travels in the 1930s to the South Pacific! I've tried many times to place where it may be from with no luck. But I LOVE IT so much!! I made the mosaic table in my early 20s, and inside the house sits essential oil blends for each of the 7 Chakras! There is also a smudge kit for cleansing the energy in the room after chakras have been balanced! The house also holds more favorites: Steve Irwin bobbleheads (he was my favorite!) , a handcrafted mandala dish by a talented local artist (Say Love Pottery), my sweet Liam, Guatemalan dolls, and more yummy handcrafted oil blends! 

 

  

 

 

   Lining the window sill are again, more favorites; this beautiful trailing plant, a stunning Flourite slab, laboradite stone slab, a variety of stones for all 7 chakras, balancing stones, and a chakra pendulum for opening chakras that are closed, more beautiful plants, sage bundles (I made the orange slice bundle last Winter Solstice!), and my hand carved girl in another favorite pose, Mermaid pose! 

 

 

 

 

   And, then there's this guy! Who the heck is this dude?? He is Java man! My husband's grandfather was a pilot and in the early 1930's traveled extensively throughout the South Pacific, a region of the world I'm very drawn to see in person one day! He brought back many things, including Java man, who my husband has had his entire life. I love him! Next to him is my little bookshelf quickly filling with essential reads like The Untethered Soul, The Dalai Lama's Book of Joy, and Waking the Tiger! Books all about somatic healing, meditation, yoga therapy modalities, and Pranayama! See my full Wishlist on my Pinterest board here! https://pin.it/2FPV3uZ 

 

 

 

 

 

   In addition to India, Thailand, and Indonesia…. Japan is another country I am dying to see, and this little zen garden is the perfect addition to this bookshelf! The salt lamp cleanses the air, and boosts mood, improves sleep, eases allergies, and emits the warmest, nourishing glow!

 

 

 

   This rack is the pretty rad! The shelf at the top holds blocks, decor, and my mat cleaning spray! Two mats are rolled up below, and a bolster below that! Hooks underneath hold straps, carrying bags, and yoga wheels sit underneath. When the door opens to the room, this rack is behind the door. The closet sliding doors hold little banners of inspiration from a little daily calendar I kept that spoke to me. The banners make up the first full year of teaching yoga! 

 

 

 

  This chakra banner is a beautiful MUST HAVE to the room! I love it so much, as it reminds me what is blocking my chakras, and how opening them can lead to a more balanced, free, peaceful mind, body, and soul! 

And, the BIG FINALE!! 

The moon light! My husband surprised me with this beauty! During my yoga asana practice, I kept hitting the fan blades with my fingertips! No bueno! So he found this fun addition that completes the room so well! She embodies yin, cool, feminine energy, reminding us to slow down and embody our true selves in a society that rewards exhaustion, speed, heat, masculine energy. Shine your light!! 

 

Thank you for taking this tour with me!!  I always shop small first, so I found pieces on Etsy, local shops, and then if I couldn't find it there, ventured to Amazon, and to the store, World Market. I hope you make time to create a special healing haven in your home that’s just for you!! 

 

May the Light Continue to Pour in! 

xoxo, Sasha