Tanasi Yoga

12/25/2025

🧘‍♀️ Confessions of the Wobbly Yogi

“Gratitude Starts With You (Yes, You)”

🎄 Tis the Season… to Remember Yourself

It’s that time of year again — twinkle lights, crowded calendars, and the pressure to feel grateful 24/7. We're supposed to slow down, be present, and cherish the little things. But if we’re being real? Sometimes you’re so busy checking off lists, cooking for others, or holding it together emotionally, that the whole “gratitude” thing feels like one more item to fake your way through.

Been there. Still go there.

But yoga — that trusty old mat I keep crawling back to — has a funny way of pulling me out of autopilot and back into what matters. Not in a glittery, perfectionist way. In a quiet, steady way that whispers: Start with you.

🌿 The Practice of Presence
Yoga teaches presence, but not just in the “peaceful zen” sense.
Presence is awareness — of your breath, your body, your thoughts.
It’s noticing that you’re clenching your jaw again or that you haven’t taken a deep breath all day. It’s hearing the birds outside when you step into Warrior II instead of your inner critic screaming that you’re not doing it right.

Gratitude doesn’t have to be loud.
Sometimes it’s just:
“I showed up today.”
“My legs are shaky but still holding me up.”
“My breath is here, and so am I.”
That’s presence. That’s gratitude. And you don’t have to wait for Christmas morning to practice it.

💛 Gratitude Isn’t Just for Others
We throw around gratitude like it’s a gift you give other people:
“I’m so thankful for my family, my friends, my dog, my mail carrier...”

Beautiful, yes. But here’s the part we skip way too often:
Gratitude starts with being thankful for yourself.
For the way you keep trying.
For the way you get back up when you fall.
For the quiet strength you carry through the chaos.

Yoga helped me rebuild that relationship with myself — the one I didn’t even realize I’d abandoned.

It helped me stop apologizing for needing rest.
It helped me appreciate my body not for how it looked, but for how it held me — through stress, through grief, through joy.

🧘‍♀️ Yoga as a Mirror

Your mat doesn’t lie.
It shows you exactly where you are: mentally, physically, emotionally.

Some days I feel like a warrior goddess.
Some days I feel like a broken Barbie missing a leg.
Both are valid. Both are worthy.

That’s the lesson. Gratitude is not about perfection. It’s about presence.
It’s about building a practice of noticing — and appreciating — what’s already here.
And sometimes, the biggest gift you can give the world is someone who’s at peace with herself.

Start there.

✨ This Month’s Mantra:
“Gratitude isn’t just thank you — it’s I see you, I love you, I honor you.
And yes, that includes you.”

11/22/2025

✨ STRIKE A POSE

When your day feels messy, your energy is low, or your confidence slips…
your body can lead your mind back to strength.

That’s the magic of posture:
Shift your stance → shift your state.

Today’s power move?

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

The pose that says: I’m here. I’m steady. I’m stronger than this moment.

Why Warrior II works:
• Opens the chest and lungs → more breath, more clarity
• Strengthens legs and core → instant grounded energy
• Aligns the spine → improves presence and focus
• Builds mental resilience → you hold the pose, and it holds you

How to Strike the Pose:
1. Step your feet wide.
2. Turn your front toes forward and your back foot slightly in.
3. Bend your front knee over the ankle.
4. Extend your arms long, gaze over your front fingertips.
5. Breathe like you’re claiming the space you’re standing in.

⸻

Why it matters:

Warrior II isn’t just a shape.
It’s a statement.
A reminder that when life challenges you — you don’t shrink.
You strike a pose. You rise up. You meet it.

11/19/2025

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING — AND THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT

Positive thinking isn’t just a mindset… it’s a measurable shift in the brain.

Modern neuroscience has proven something ancient traditions have been teaching for centuries: your brain changes based on what you repeatedly think and feel.

This is called neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire, rebuild, and strengthen new pathways.
Every intentional thought, every calming breath, every moment you choose hope over fear actually reshapes the architecture of your mind.

And here’s where physics comes in:
Your thoughts are not abstract ideas floating in space — they are electrical impulses and electromagnetic waves. Meaning the moment you think something, your brain fires a pattern of energy… and that energy influences everything from your emotional regulation to your stress hormones to your decision-making.

When you practice positive thought daily:

✨ The prefrontal cortex (logic and clarity) strengthens
✨ The amygdala (fear + threat response) quiets
✨ Dopamine and serotonin increase, improving mood and motivation
✨ Your brain becomes more efficient at returning to calm instead of spiraling

It’s not about pretending life is perfect.
It’s about giving your mind a new default setting — one that supports your healing, resilience, and growth.

Your thoughts really are building the blueprint of your inner world.
And every time you choose a higher thought, a kinder thought, a more hopeful thought…
you’re literally rewiring your brain toward a better life.

Think better. Feel better. Become better — one thought at a time.

11/09/2025

Confessions of a Wobbly Yogi: November Edition

“It’s Not Just Stretching, Sweetheart”

Let’s clear this up once and for all: yoga is not just stretching.
If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a yoga reel thinking, “that’s cute, but I can’t even touch my toes,” — I see you. I was you. But here’s the kicker: yoga isn’t about touching your toes, it’s about what happens when you can’t.
The truth is, yoga is a full-on life renovation. It’s a slow, sacred demolition of old habits, old thinking, and old ways of seeing yourself. You start for the movement — but you stay for the mental reset. Somewhere between the deep breaths and the shaky balances, you start rewiring your brain.

The Mat is Just the Gateway

That rectangle of rubber isn’t just where you stretch — it’s where you meet yourself. Every wobble, every sigh, every eye-roll when the instructor says “breathe into your hips” (what does that even mean?) — that’s yoga.
Then one day you notice it slipping off the mat and into your everyday life.
You start catching yourself before snapping back at someone.
You breathe before reacting.
You walk through chaos with the same focus you used to survive a Tree Pose.
That’s the magic of it — yoga sneaks into your soul and starts rearranging the furniture.

The Brain Reset Nobody Warns You About

Science will tell you yoga changes your nervous system. But what it really changes is your perspective. You start to see the world through calmer eyes. You stop chasing everything and start experiencing it instead. Suddenly, slowing down isn’t lazy — it’s revolutionary.
You realize your worth doesn’t depend on how productive you were today. It’s found in the stillness between breaths, the quiet between thoughts, the moments you finally stop running from yourself.

Wobbly and Wise

I’m still wobbly — on and off the mat — and honestly, I hope I always am. Wobbling means I’m still learning, still listening, still living this practice instead of performing it.
Yoga isn’t something you “do.” It’s something you become.
And once it gets into your bones, there’s no going back — just softer landings, steadier breath, and a whole new way of seeing the world.
So stretch if you want, but don’t stop there.
The real yoga? It’s everything that happens once you roll up the mat.

Monthly Mantra
You don’t have to be perfect — you just have to be willing.

11/09/2025

A path to wellness awaits with resources designed to nurture the mind, body, and spirit. Visit our website now to explore holistic health workshops and stress reduction techniques that can transform daily life.

http://tanasiyoga.godaddysites.com

10/31/2025

10/18/2025

NEW MONTHLY YOGA BLOG

🧘‍♀️ Confessions of the Wobbly Yogi


I Didn’t Come to Yoga for Enlightenment... I Came Because I Was Falling Apart


🧘 I didn’t come to yoga for enlightenment. I didn’t even come for the excuse to always be wearing leggings. I came to yoga because I needed something — anything — that could help me hold it together when everything else felt like it was falling apart.
I wish I could say I had a graceful, glowing start. But the truth is, I showed up on the mat the first time with a skeptical attitude, and a whole lot of emotional baggage. And still… something about it stuck.


I wasn’t flexible. I wasn’t calm. I wasn’t even particularly spiritual. I didn’t know a down dog from a corn dog.

What I did know? It helped.

Yoga wasn’t love at first pose. It was awkward. I felt exposed. I wobbled (a lot). I cried in savasana once and tried to pretend I had something in my eye. But I kept coming back.
Not because I wanted to master handstands or chant in perfect Sanskrit — but because for the first time, something felt like mine. I felt in control. Something was working its way into the cracks, softening me, showing me that falling apart could actually be part of the healing.

I’ll be honest — I ghosted yoga more than once. We’re talking full-on silent treatment for years. But what pulled me back wasn’t a peaceful retreat or some bendy Instagram yogi post I saw. It was a group of straight-up hardcore Viking warriors, better known as the Navy SEALs. Watching them roll out mats and use yoga to sharpen their minds and stay sane…well

That hit different. I didn’t fully dive in right away — it took me another ten years of sidestepping my own healing — but deep down, I knew: yoga was the only thing that could actually pull me out of the spiral. And eventually, I stopped running from the mat.

🌱 I never set out to become a yoga teacher. In fact, the idea of standing in front of a group and telling people to breathe made me want to vomit.

But somewhere along the way, yoga stopped being just about me.

I started to notice the power of showing up wobbly and real — not polished or perfect. I realized there are so many people out there like me: folks who thought they weren’t “yoga people,” who didn’t see themselves in glossy yoga magazines, but who needed the practice just the same.

Becoming a teacher wasn’t about being the best. It was about holding space for people to show up exactly as they are. And maybe, just maybe, helping someone feel less alone on their mat — and in their mess.

🧘 Yoga isn’t about touching your toes. It’s about what you learn on the way down.
It’s breath when you want to quit. It’s learning to pause before reacting. It’s letting go of the myth that healing has to be pretty or that strength means never shaking.

Yoga taught me to sit with discomfort, to breathe through chaos, and to begin again, over and over again as many times as it took.

That’s what I try to teach now — not perfection, but presence.

💬 Tanasi Yoga Mantra
“You don’t have to be flexible, spiritual, or calm to do yoga.
You just have to be willing to show up wobbly.”

10/09/2025

We had such a great time with the cyclists giving them a much needed stretch after riding all week.

10/01/2025

This Saturday at 10 am
The Language of Flowers Yoga Workshop

Bouquet making and slow easy yoga on Acres Abloom Flower Farm

Thursday is the last day to get tickets!

Click the link below

Join us for a morning of movement mindfulness and blooming beauty at Acres Abloom Flower Farm, taught by Tanasi Yoga, a Veteran Owned Yoga Company.

09/24/2025

Who is up for doing yoga in the middle of beautiful flowers and did I mention that you also get to create your own bouquet.

Well what are you waiting for register now for your spot at this unique workshop.

https://mailchi.mp/acresabloom/the-language-of-flowers

09/21/2025

What a great yoga class Montgomery Bell State Park teaching all the cyclists there this week from BRAT Bicyclists across Tennessee Across Tennessee.

Beautiful day at the lake. Feels so great to teach yoga at such a serene place with great people.