A Yogic Map of Motherhood

A Yogic Map of Motherhood:

A journey within myself

By Kelly Wantuch

The past year of my yoga journey has been one of transformation. A journey of clarity that has unfolded before my eyes, my heart and my soul. Yoga has become my anchor in life. My breath, meditation, self-study and asana practice are what bring me back. Back to my core. Back to my true potential. Back to my divinity.

I’ve embarked on another journey as well–motherhood. One of peaks, valleys, rivers and deserts. Time warped, energy exhausted, emotion zapped, love discovered. Yes, love for my beautiful and healthy daughter but even more so for myself. I’ve heard that pain is a portal to the divine. And I have come to really believe this. More than believe it, I have come to trust and surrender to such an idea. When times feel so incredibly difficult and I feel backed up into an inescapable corner all I can really do is surrender. Iask myself of nothing else except to exist, to be alive. To be alive is to be divine. Or as the yoga world knows as ishvara pranidhana.

When naps go haywire, sleep is interrupted an innumerable amount of times, a meal prepared with such love and warmth is thrown on the floor, and your once cuddly, affectionate baby has learned the word “NO” you can’t help but ask yourself “what the hell am I doing?!”. Yoga has taught me these are the times to stop, to breath, and to ask myself what do I need? What do I need to feel alive, to recognize my strength, to discover santosha in this reality, to return to myself? With only so much time and energy, I have learned to ask what really matters.

With practice, a lot of it at that, I have come to learn how to be patient with myself, to speak kind words to myself, to look at myself in the mirror with loving eyes, to rest and trust that I am enough and to let go and let the play of life unfold. Even when I am doubtful, I am shown that I can truly trust the guidance life has to offer me.

The journey of motherhood paired with my yoga practice has been one of union and harmony. I have been pushed to limits I could never foresee, yet yoga has been the greatest map to bring me back to myself and to guide me on my path ahead.

Note to self:

Patience.

Surrender.

Trust.

Love.

Practice.

Om.

CLICK HERE to check out Communtiy Yoga with Kelly!

Originally written Nov 2022. Published July 2023!

January 18, 2023

January 19, 2023

Kathy and I in the fall of last year, reunited in Vermont!

In reflection on the places that have gotten me to 2023 I want to say thanks first to Kathy and Yoga Vermont and my RYT500 ceritfication, which started in July 2012. All I knew is that I just wanted to do as much yoga as I could... I fetl this urge for more understanding. And today my students tell me this all the time, "I just feel this need to practice yoga, to learn more about it." or sometimes, "I really have no desire to be a yoga teacher, but I still feel drawn to the teacher training." Both of these we ENTIRELY true for me when I enrolled in YTT, plus I was a total "beginner" by all means. WHY Do we feel this way? What is that indescribable PULL to learn more, practice more, understand more?

Without boring you/repeating the rest of my personal story (see previous post), we arrive today in 2023 and I'm celebrating 9 years of owning a studio (now run *virtually*), 7 years of running yoga teacher trainings/retreats in over 4 countires and 5 years working independently as a consultant for retreat centers, studio owners, teachers and other wellness professionals. Just over a year ago, I purchased my travel agent license to sell travel to you and everyone you know. I’m even building a team of motivated worldwide travelers who are saving like mad people on their own trips and working online from the comfort of their devices!! What’s the point??? I've put in A LOT OF work, and now I'm working almost entirely online and have this funny sense of, "now what?"

The next step is a journey back to the USA for Bibby and I. Since he received his green card (YAY!) we are taking the time to be in the USA, acquire social security, a full time job (for him) preferably in the trades and for the Spring season till end of summer or fall, etc etc. I'm planning to offer a Yoga Teacher Training in-person intensive the JULY in Vermont as well. EXACT location is still TBD. Currently any lead on work, homes, a camper van would be INCREDIBLY sufficient, or a vehicle will be necessary also. We are taking it slow, just in the planning phase and looks like we may be housesitting in April as way to welcome, so we’re open to these sorts pf “gigs” also. Obviously, we'll be traveling with our 2 cats, and since I have the freedom to work from almost anywhere we’re staying open to any and all possibilities.

SO wait, what does this all have to do with yoga? I have felt A LOT of resistance to advertising my online work since I started it almost 3 years back, until a few days ago when I realized it is basically ALL OF MY WORK! Not only that, but the value of the online studio and YTT programs is only getting better and better, the quality and the continued presence of community blows my mind, we arer eally doing some cool stuff and hard work. THANK YOU for being a part of it. As always, the moral of this story is that I wouldn't be anywhere without you. My virtual community has become my primary community and what's cool is we're all over the world!! From the Caribbean to Japan and Toronto or to Orlando, our people reach. We love you!!

In yoga there is a Niyama (observation/discipline) called Isvara Pranidana, and I’ve contemplated this long . and hard. IT’s the understanding that divinity exists in all things. Today I believe this energy is EXACTLY that energetic PULL that we feel towards yoga + meditation, or other spiritual practices, places and things. And while the practice of yoga in a warm studio filled with sunshine and human souls oozes with something potently DIVINE, the practice alone, in your home, with your device, and a recording feels a bit different. But may it still be divine? May we choose to praise and honor our practice no matter the form? The setting? The style? I believe we must. Otherwise we continue to wait in vain. As someone who used to personally manage a beachfront studio while owning a studio in the USA and supporting my husbands studio all at the same time (3 studios at once!?), now I have my living room and the internet. I’m right there WITH YOU! I feel you, and it’s only taken me 3 years to arrive to this newfound understanding that THIS IS DIVINE.

In 2023 I'm asking you to consider getting loud about it with me. Because honestly, you have all believed in me before I ever believed in myself. THAT for me is the definition of DIVINE. Try to exercise some of the following FUN practices in honor of this new appreciation:

  • SHARE our Patreon page link directly on you social pages and thru text, email or wherever you communicate with friends and family. Adding a little note about why you're a member and what it has to offer makes a really nice way to outreach and creat community. As always, your word of moth is always our best reference. Don't simply do this once, but try to do it a few times, it helps us SO much: www.patreon.com/gratefulyoga

  • CAPTURE your practice, whether with a quick selfie or a personal testimonial of how you feel after class or a timelapse or whatever, the dog!! TAG US @gratefulyogavt or @riseandvibeyoga to help create the community presence everywhere we go. This also creates a warmth of accountability and social action! Our instagram: www.instagram.com/gratefulyogavt

  • Make sure have hit the SUBSCRIBE option to my channel on youtube. Check it out. COMMENT, LIKING and SHARING the videos are all also allowed. I does make a difference. Visit, Subcribe and SHARE my Youtube Channel

  • TALK ABOUT US when you're getting a juice or picking up take out or catching up with a family member. By sharing your experience of yoga we can spread the Awareness with a big A.

These practices are both personal and universal, they are beneficial to physical, mental and spiritual well being. Especially when we consider colonization and destruction of many spiritual traditions worldwide, we should be happy to see yoga showing up universally in the histories of all humans. We are truly honored and blessed to have this knowledge and practice today!

Celebrate where you are today. Share this joy with people who appreciate it. Know that no day is equal to the next. Devote your time to doing the work that makes you your best self, the work that helps you see the divine parts of things, the work that isn’t always easy but always feels so good when it’s been done.

WELCOME 2023!! Lunar New Year is Jan 21 with the New Moon. Join us TONIGHT (Thurs Jan 19 at 7:30 pm) for CHANDRA YOGA to honor the lunar energy, OR catch the recorded version in on on-demand library.


UPCOMING DATES and EVENTS:

MARCH 19-25, 2023 : Spring Retreat in the Dominican Republic with Chrissy Lefavour and Abby Suskin CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!

NOW ENROLLING : Online YTT at-your-own-pace with LIVE 4x weekly sessions via Zoom with Chrissy: MORE INFORMATION HERE! In person options explained there also…

JOIN CHRISSY’S TRAVEL TEAM: 3 ways -

  1. REGISTER on my site to browse and book travel as my customer: chrissylefavour.inteletravel.com

  2. JOIN my private facebook group where I’ll be posting more update and opportunities in 2023: https://www.facebook.com/groups/390230089433787

  3. EMAIL ME or text me or send a DM, and ask me about what I do, how I can help and what I have to offer. The website above is pretty standard and only a sliver of what I do! chrissylefavour@gmail.com

THANK YOU for being you. Including my meditation from Monday, in case you haven’t been meditating enough… Lots of Love! xo

December 22, 2022

THIS was my best attempt at a holiday newsletter type update. please read for a little life update and I hope you enjoy.

Happy solstice, happy new year, winter has arrived. so, how are you? scroll down to Leave a comment! Now taking suggestions (as always) for blog topics and future discussions in 2023… blessings!

Greetings!

It is with deep thanks and eternal gratitude that I write to you this morning. Truth is, I have been writing like a maniac my whole life and in the pandemic it’s been the one thing I really love that somehow disappeared. Seems weird, right? Like plenty of time and space and inspiration for writing these days… For a while I told myself “oh, but you write all day, lesson plans, emails, content, etc etc” and so I would write poetry in my journal every once in a while or create an extra long caption to feed that little pull towards the writer within.

In my reflections of 2022 (and beyond) I’ve come to the exact same conclusion I’ve come to before. Write more. And so today’s entry is just that, reflections in hopes to give a clear platform for what this space will be as we roll into 2023. This is the blog space for Grateful Yoga. Grateful Yoga is an Ashtanga inspired *virtual* studio that practices yoga, hard work, loving kindness and gratitude for everything. To read our full mission statement click here. While we no longer inhabit a physical studio space there is a lot of learning and sharing that comes through that piece of writing.

I started yoga teacher training in 2012 with maybe a handful of yoga classes in my history and no clear reason “why”. In 2014 I opened a yoga studio with zero experience as a business owner and zero capital. Three years later I moved to the Dominican Republic without my friends, my family nor my business by my side. For 2 years I ran Grateful Yoga from a distance and worked behind the scenes managing a studio at an eco-conscious resort. At the end of 2019 I pulled the plug working for the retreat center, decided to put the studio for sale and dive in fully to my venture of yoga teacher trainings, consultation and retreats. This felt like a huge leap, a scary jump, a deep purge.

Less than 3 months later in March of 2020, after independently hosting the largest group for YTT to date here in the DR, the whole world shut down. Suddenly the “independence” I created felt more like “loneliness”, or even “a huge mistake”... Honestly I was sure what to do but put myself online immediately and just try to stay above water. I even started a *new* job as an independent travel agent to draw in some income from another source. I thought about quitting yoga as a profession all together, I actually still find myself checking job listings from time to time.

For me, 2022 was a make or break year, or maybe more accurately a make AND break year. Firstly, I’m not selling Grateful Yoga. I love this community so deeply and we have evolved into a loving space online, connecting with each other over Zoom, tuning in on Youtube and now reading the blog for information + teachings on the non-asana aspects of yoga. How Yoga with a big Y can start to manifest into a lifestyle, a state of mind and a practice of constant study + appreciation for both our inner and outer worlds.

In addition to continuing weekly online classes and a monthly blog update for my Grateful Yoga community, I’m continuing to run and now expand the Rise + Vibe school of yoga as a dba to my original business model. We’re offering yoga teacher trainings online and in-person (in VT, in DR and BEYOND in 2023), plus retreats and consultations. The consultations are mostly designed for yoga instructors and wellness professionals looking for professional/personal direction. Behind the scenes for my clients I’ve been constructing websites, working on SEO, creating social media campaigns, budgeting/planning retreats, creating business plans for new studios, and so much more! 

** ALL PHOTOS in this post are from a wellness retreat where I was hired as the yoga teacher, hosted by a lovely group of women from Louisiana here in the Dominican Republic. I am SO GRATEFUL for the opportunities to share yoga and meet people from all around the world!

And a huge shout out to my husband Bibby @surfyogaretreatdr for the photos!

And yes, I’ve also taken on a job as an independent travel agent which I can do around my other jobs in pockets of time. Let me be clear, I did this because I need extra income, not because I want another job. Like many things in life, this new venture has blessed me not only with some extra income but also with some things I never imagined: new friends, incredible business/mindset coaching, marketing tools for entrepreneurs, knowledge about the world, a huge inspiration to learn more, travel more and continue forward on the personal journey of independence.

This is who I am today (professionally, at least, lol): a teacher, an advisor, a trainer, a creator, a writer and a travel agent. When they all roll together it’s pretty amazing. Do I get overwhelmed? ALL THE TIME! I feel like I’m the queen of feeling overwhelmed. Do I experience self-doubt? Probably DAILY! But the moments of doubt are also the exact opportunities to self-support, take a break or simply ask for help. Am I successful? Luckily, a long time ago, I redefined success in my own mind apart from money in this blog post from 2018. I’ve never had money, I’ve always had debt, and that felt hindering to the word success… As soon as I didn’t allow money to define my success I am super successful!!

Thanks for reading! Thanks for getting to know who I am today. And thanks for supporting me in my business ventures. They say don’t mix business with pleasure, I CALL BULLSHIT! Make your pleasure your business, prioritize it, even if just for a few minutes day: be barefoot, breathe deep, drink tea, slow down, write something, read a book, paint a picture, listen to your fave song, sing loudly, do a few sun salutations, look at a tree, hug a tree, talk to animals, smile in the mirror, talk to the person in the grocery line, paint your toenails, handstand!, clean the floor, cook a meal, tell someone (or everyone) you love them, hug yourself, put your feet up, should I keep going??… But really DO something!

And if you feel inspired, support me in my business ventures. Now, if you join the online community with Grateful Yoga you not only have access to yoga classes with me online, but there are also meditations and *BLOG* posts. Memberships start at just $30/month and each one of you who joins makes a HUGE difference in my regular daily life. Thank you! Retreats, teachers trainings and consultations can all be accessed thru Rise and Vibe, year long + ongoing! And for travel, reach out next time you or someone you know has a trip coming up, or book + browse right thru my site: chrissylefavour.inteletravel.com. If you can’t find what you’re looking for or are not sure what it means to be a travel agent, ask me! For those of you who love booking and planning your own trips like me, you might decide to become an agent for your own benefit. 

Regardless of all of the above, you know I love you. I miss you. And we are ALL together. And regardless of form, GRATEFUL YOGA has been a backbone for me conceptually ever since I thought about it for the first time. To cut at the beginning of page 3, that’s it! Grateful Yoga is still a HUGE part of my identity and I’m stoked about that, Rise + Vibe has given me a platform to shine in leadership and now the travel industry is literally opening doors worldwide for me. Let’s stick together in hard work, loving kindness and gratitude for all things, today and all days!

THANK YOU for sticking around

THANK YOU for practicing gratitude

THANK YOU for joining me in reflection on 2022

And THANK YOU for being you.

Chrissy was amazing! She made my wellness retreat complete. She is knowledgeable, compassionate and patient, going above and beyond to accommodate us and our schedule. I highly recommend… Love her spirit and vibe!

BELOW you’ll find LINKS and avenues towards more information

Join our virtual studio: www.patreon.com/gratefulyoga

Check out our upcoming virtual YTT: https://www.riseandvibeyoga.com/teacher-training/2023online-intensive

Here’s my travel agent page where you can browse and book all things travel: chrissylefavour.inteletravel.com

I mentioned consulting adn creating websites, in addition to all my own pages, check out this page I’m finishing up for our friend Emmi. Another sample of my work: https://www.pureenergymassageandyoga.com/

Anythings else? PLEASE be encouraged to leave a comment below

..and feel free to send me an email anytime: chrissy@gratefulyogavt.com

Be Great. Live Full. Do Yoga.

Enjoy this Community Class recorded Dec 24, 2022!

 

***UPDATED to include the recorded Community Class from 12/24/22. ENJOY and CLICK here to make a donation for class.

xo