Life Changes, So Do You

What are you up to my friends? Besides attempting to retain a sense of calm and safety in the storm, how do we retain our vibrancy when it feels like what has held us is shifting so fast? What we may have depended on for that safe container of our family, community and work may have changed over these past 5 years since Covid and more. Change can be destabilizing and chaos creates a deep sense of fear and instability. It depletes our vibrancy without a strong platform within and without a connection to our personal relevancy and Spirit, we may loose our footing. What can we do individually, intimately, to calm the chaos and stabilize the unstable parts of ourselves? How can we find our footing again and have change be our friend not a foe?

Mar de Jade Retreat Center

Well, I have a couple of ideas for you:).

Shake it up and come on a fantastical and healing Yoga retreat in January 2026! Corinne LeBlanc and I are thrilled to collaborate to bring you this 7 day journey into a fully renewed and restored sense of calm, JOY and vibrancy.

Imagine once January arrives, this year is behind us all and we are ready to embark to heal, balance and dance our hearts out.

Reserve your room now with your deposit and your final payment is not due until August. Just do it for yourself, bring a friend and know that come post holiday season, you will be more than ready to head to a sunny beach and find your way home back to your tender hearts, healthy body and calm mind.

We have a superb week planned, see all the details here, and register now to get that special room that you want!! Register now.

Since 2007 I have LOVED leading yoga retreats. What a gift to gather away from our daily demands and sink into our bliss! Some past retreat comments: “You touched my heart, opened it up and inspired me so much this week. Thank you for creating this amazing gathering.” Read More!

Let’s Embrace Change and Stop Bracing Against it

Change is the only constant that does not change, it is always here with us. Our perspective is what we can control, our outlook and “inner looking”. Shifting our relationship to change is where we can learn to thrive and move beyond surviving. Embracing change as a constant instead of pushing back against it gives us more physical, mental and emotional energy to place in the areas we want to focus on. Some practices I do remind me that, the basics are there because they work. You know them, eat balanced meals at regular times, eliminate snacking, rise and sleep at regular times, get out into nature, notice the smallest of creatures and remember you are all of that which is, always was and always will be. Here are some soft reminders.

Gratitude for Mother Nature

Use your 5 Senses to keep balanced:

• Eyes guide feet: Stay Active: Regular exercise is essential for maintaining physical and mental well-being. Consider activities like walking, swimming, yoga, and dancing.

• Tongue and taste: Healthy Eating: Pay attention to the quality and taste of your food. Seasonal, fresh, fragrant and chemical free foods bring more pleasure. Include plenty of organic fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains in your meals.

• Touch and feel: Explore New Hobbies: Discover or rediscover your passions. Whether it's painting, gardening, playing a musical instrument, or learning a new language, engaging in hobbies can bring excitement and creativity into your life.

• Ears and Speech: Socialize: Maintain an active social life. Spend time with friends and family, join clubs or organizations, and engage in community activities. Social connections can bring joy and a sense of belonging. Come to yoga class!

• Smell and scent: Spend Time in Nature: Nature has a rejuvenating effect on the mind and body. Spend time outdoors, whether it's hiking, gardening, or simply taking leisurely walks in a park, notice the smells of nature.

• Overall: Laugh and Have Fun: Keep your sense of humor alive. Laughter is a great way to boost your mood and add vibrancy to your life. And one day, we will look back.

NEW exciting LIVE in person classes! I am finally back in the classroom at Santa Cruz Yoga (all classes are also Live Streamed).

Check out my new schedule including some fun summer subbing AND two courses that you can add to your library on line when you cannot get in to class.

NEW SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND COURSES

300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training is on going and virtual for your convenient learning. If you are local, the Mentoring hours can be in person in my home studio. If you live away, I welcome you on Zoom for Live Mentoring.

Beyond a typical advanced training, this course carries you into and through one of your most extraordinary journeys to find your deepest wisdom, your clearest voice and strongest connection within. Every graduate has shared their life changing stories and has lived their Heroine’s Journey to the fullest. I invite you to look into it, whether you are a teacher or eternal student wishing to deepen into your own Self Mastery, this is a doorway.

Look into the doorway, what will you find?

Friends, Thank you for your loving support, comforting words and genuine presence in my life. When I hear from you and remember who I am from your reflecting words and care, I feel better. I hope you know how grateful I am for you! Be well, stay steady on the path.

Love, Denise  

Benefits of a Yoga Retreat, More than Meets the Eye

On the surface, a yoga retreat just sounds yummy and fun, what is not to love? You get to get away to a beautiful serene location, with like minded new friends, eat awesome food you don’t have to prepare and do what you love: YOGA! On a deeper level, your entire body, mind and spirit get to experience an entire reset! Each element of a retreat heals something in you! Here are the actual behind the scenes happenings, to bring you a renewed sense of balance, health and actual joyful calm, that lasts far beyond the week long retreat:

• Unplug to plug into your true nature, give your eyes and mind a break

• Experience relief from chronic and long held stress and tension in your body and nervous system

• Genuinely live in the present moment, we take care of the plan and you simply show up

• Build new long lasting friendships, with others, and even, your Self

• Embrace personal growth, learning and connection to your spirit, your divine nature

• Gain new perspectives, shift your mindset, deepen your practices of yoga, meditation, and play

• Rejuvenate your PRANA, your life force and enhance your immune system

Speaking of play, have you watched children play lately? I mean the kids at a park, on the beach or in the forest, without any devices! A stick becomes a scepter, a rock a throne and on it goes. When left to their own imaginations they truly will create. We need that too, no matter how “adult” we are, we NEED to play, be playful and laugh to find balance.

Most Sundays, I bike ride out in an area that is so gorgeous I can still hardly believe it, even after 11 years of riding there. The changing seasons, when the fog blows in and when the sun shines, watching the changing color of the grasses, it is all very magical still to me. Flying downhill, my heart begins to soar and it feels just like when I was a kid and all joy rises. It reminds me how important it is to still be playful, no matter what is happening outside in the world. Deep within we can still choose to find our playful nature.

When is the last time you let go and played? Sat and gazed at something so beautiful it took your breath away? or felt your heart relax and your muscles release the fear and tension long held? Research continually shows us the phenomenal healing benefits of reaching that deep relaxation response in our body/mind system. Holistically healing, reaching this state of balance is essential for thriving and moving out of survival mode. Rasayana, is the Sanskrit term for just this, to reboot our entire system, from the inside out. Classically in Ayurveda (Indian science of health and well-being) we use herbs and practices to rejuvenate. In our retreat, we will use the Sense organs for healing, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin.

My dear friend Corinne Leblanc and I have planned a spectacular retreat for January 2026! A true time to reset our entire system, body, mind, and spirit with balancing Surya (morning) and Chandra (afternoon and evening) yoga sessions, carefully designed to meet individual needs, all body types and nervous systems! After decades of practice, research, teaching and working with individuals, we are offering a unique week long retreat opportunity for you! We chose a sweet and nurturing location just north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where all of your needs are taken care of, from delicious organic meals each day, snacks, beautiful rooms, a beach, pools, all yoga props, and our teaching!

Register Now

Simply sign up with our online form, Select your room and pay your deposit and final payment is not due until August 1st. We are limited in our total count, so do sign up now and reserve your spot. All details are here!

Absolutely any questions, email or call me! denise@divinelightyoga.com or 410-570-2878, I am ready to help. We are so excited to have your divine presence with us. I know from leading retreats since 2007, that the exact right people come together and form a bond, a community that is loving and supportive. We all need this now more than ever. Let us come together and hold the light, together!