RealJoy Yoga

01/29/2026

Last year, on this day, I boarded a plane alone to Costa Rica getting ready to host my first retreat. My guests arrived 3 days later.

We had a life changing week.
It was magical. Friendships were made. We laughed. We cried. We ATE the most amazing food. We bonded. It was truly one of the best weeks of my life.

In 5 weeks, March 8-15, we go back to Costa Rica. This time to the Beach instead of the mountains. Out of the 9 people who went last year, 6 are coming again! That's how good it was. Plus 5 new folks.

There are a couple spots left, if you think you want to come but you're scared, come join us at the studio this Sunday, Feb 1st, at 1pm for our Info Session. All the paid participants will be there plus our beloved photographer and my right hand, Candice Lamarand Photography, Candice Lamarand, to go over our itinerary, share packing tips, and get organized.

Message me or comment here if you are ready to sign up for the trip, or if you want to come to the Info Session this Sunday.

You will make new friends, eat amazing food, see sloths, get to lay on the beach, go on a chocolate tour, get a massage, do lots of nourishing yoga, and meet a whole new version of yourself.

You belong on this trip.

01/28/2026

This photo shows the first time I ever really floated in Crow Pose. It was 2023 and I was determined. When I finally managed to float, I was ecstatic! I might have even cried a little.

3 years later.

I have so many things to say about my form, tips I'd like to offer, adjustments that would make this pose stronger and more comfortable. (All my helpful comments are listed in the photo caption.)

BUT... mad props to the younger me for doing Crow Pose!

I weigh more now and I'm not as strong because I'm coming off almost 6 months of debilitating plantar fasciitis. I can't quite float in Crow today. But my ability to TEACH Crow Pose now is 10x's better.

I'm just here to tell myself, "Good job, Cookie!"

For trying.
For being brave.
For learning.
For refining.
For accepting.
For non-self-judgement.
For improving my teaching.
For accepting my current body.
For loving both my 2023 self and my 2026 self.

Life lessons learned on the mat that translate off the mat.

*It's not about doing it "right."
There's no perfection, only progress. We learn through trying, even if we can't ever do things well.

*If you're not on the mat next to me, working on your own Crow, or standing beside me spotting and offering supportive encouragement, or mentoring me with real tips that will help me, I'm not interested in your feedback about my pose.

*I don't have to do Crow Pose. It means absolutely nothing to my everyday existence. There is nothing intrinsically important or useful about floating in Crow Pose. It's about the lessons I learned on the journey. The journey is the whole point. Not the pose.

*Cheering for myself in every phase of learning, all the way through my journey, irrespective of the outcome, is a non-negotiable for me now.

*I'm totally comfortable looking back on my previous failures, or imperfect tries, and celebrating those, too!

I am the real Joy behind RealJoy Yoga. Come study with me. Body. Mind. Spirit.
Journey...

PS: No AI was used for ANY part of this post.

01/27/2026

Conversely, if you could give your body to someone else for a year to take care of it, who would you give it to and why?

Many of us literally take better care of our PETS than we do of ourselves.

01/26/2026

LPS is closed due to snow so our 10am Monday Yoga Basics class is canceled today.

Evening classes will go on as scheduled. See you tonight!

01/26/2026

Friendly reminder...

01/25/2026

As Promised here are 2 snow day classes that I recorded this morning (plus a bonus old flow class). The first part is approximately an hour and it's a slow moving Yoga Basics class. I paused the recording without properly ending the class thinking I could restart, but that didn't work, so it's in 2 parts. If you choose to only do part one at least come back to the ground at the end, do a spinal twist and then give yourself a savasana.
Opening and Yoga Basics: https://youtu.be/CUJLW_2gT5s

If you choose to go on and do part 2 that's another 33+ minutes of Yin with legs up the wall. Sadly, the microphone died (gosh-darn-it!) and so there is no sound on the yin portion. You can watch and do what I do, legs up the wall. But there are no words to guide you. Maybe this is the Universe's way of inviting you to trust yourself to do a little yin on your own? Sigh. I will record another Yin class WITH SOUND soon. Sorry for this.
Yin: https://youtu.be/JwOYO6kQXBQ

They aren't perfect, or even good, but I showed up and I brought my authentic, honest self with me. I hope you find some use to these. I will keep learning and get better over time. It's a process and this is real life yoga happening. I am not going to beat myself up. I'll just notice it and adjust in the future.

For my Flow people, here is a Flow class from 2023 that I forgot I even recorded. If nothing else, you will get to see/hear how my teaching has changed over the last 2 years. lol
https://youtu.be/lxaVsUA_AVU

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

01/25/2026

Did you know that RealJoy Yoga has a 2nd location???

Ok, not really. Just my son's old room converted to a yoga and meditation space for me. This is where I come up with classes and new ideas.

I thought I'd give you a tour of my space because you'll only see a sliver of it in the video class I am about to record.

My intention is to do about an hour long class, sticking with Yoga Basics for the first half and then slipping into some Yin for the second half. Take what serves you and leave the rest. I'll be recording the class from 9:30-10:30 ish then I have to figure out how to upload it to YouTube and once that happens I will come back and share a link on my FB page. If you want me to send you the link another way, drop me a message.

Full disclosure, I can't guarantee you it will be a good class or a quality recording. It won't be edited or cleaned up. But I do promise that it will be an honest and sincere effort. What more can we offer?

01/25/2026

We are going to do our first ever book club on ZOOM tomorrow! Sunday, 1/25 at 1pm. The snow day canceled our in-studio classes, but we will all be home snuggled under blankets all day so we may as well try to meet by ZOOM.

Full disclosure, this is my first time hosting by zoom so please be patient with me!

If you were already signed up on Momence, I sent you a ZOOM invitation by email. If you weren't signed up but you want to attend now that it is by ZOOM, message me your email and I will send you the invitation to join. It's free to anyone who wants to come!

01/24/2026

The studio will be closed Sunday, Jan 25th due to inclement weather. Stay warm and safe, everybody!

I will attempt to record my yoga at home tomorrow to share. Stay tuned!

01/23/2026

Healing is subtraction.

01/23/2026

We DO have classes tomorrow, Friday. I know LPS canceled schools because of low temps but I'm not closing the studio unless the roads are dangerous. We aren't supposed to get snow, just cold.

So if you find yourself with the day off, you can come enjoy the warm & cozy studio:

Yin at 10am with Katie
https://momence.com/l/vrhgenEA

Flow at 4:45pm with Matt
https://momence.com/l/k8hQPJv1

And I'll see everyone who's signed up for our sold out Yin & Pin at 6:30pm!

Stay warm everyone!

01/22/2026

Huh. With this snow and cold it doesn't feel like we made it anywhere, yet.

Anyone want to come to Costa Rica with us March 8-15? We have one jungle bungalow left.

You can come to our info session on Feb 1st, where all the attendees and I will be discussing the details and deciding on our add on excursions. It's not too late!

Comment here or message me if you want something to look forward to in 6 weeks!