Redefining Healthcare is a community effort, and we are honored to help cultivate a healthier community by sharing helpful, relatable information and resources from our members and the local health and wellness community at large to encourage healing and personal wellbeing.
Recently, Table Health caught up with Melissa Lande, Owner of ReWild Yoga Studio in Traverse City, Michigan.
Read on to learn more about Melissa and a special opportunity for Table Health members to take advantage of Melissa’s yoga practice.
Q. What is your full name, title, and area of expertise?
A. Melissa Lande, Owner of ReWild Yoga Studio, Certified Yoga Instructor, Zumba, HIIT
Q. What is the best, most practical way to start a yoga practice and stick with it?
A. If you are considering going to your first yoga class or trying to set a consistent yoga practice, my biggest piece of advice would be to keep your practice light and fun.
This world is full of obligations and heavy expectations for our lives. We have bosses that think it’s ok to text you 24/7. We read Personal Development Books that tell us to get up earlier in the morning, add 1 million habits to our day-to-day. We read blogs on how to be better moms, how to forgive our parents, how to eat practically nothing, how to make 10k a month while only working 4 hours per week…the list goes on and on. And while all of these expectations might be coming from a love and a willingness to help, all of these to-do’s boil down to one big expectation that we hold for ourselves: that we must change who we are, in order to be worthy and happy. This is a lie. You already are worthy. You are enough, just as you are.
So when it comes to starting a yoga practice, my biggest advice is to keep it fun and light. Try to release the expectations of how many times you “should” workout or the achievement that comes from the success of one pose or another. None of that truly matters. What matters is that every time you choose to be on your mat, you are actually choosing your own self-care. You are choosing to show up for yourself. That is the true gift. Let’s not “should” our way onto the mat
Q. What are the benefits of yoga, your approach?
A. The benefits of yoga range from decreasing blood pressure, improving sleep, reducing anxiety and depression, calming the nervous system, reducing chronic pain and fatigue, increasing flexibility and mobility, and adding strength and muscle tone to your body, which increases your metabolic rate and digestion.
At ReWild Yoga Studio, our approach to yoga is supplying an avenue of balance to your life. We specifically offer yoga classes for beginners to advanced, as well as cardio health classes, mobility and strength, weight lifting, and deep tissue massage.
We believe that it is necessary for the body to have experience in both strength and mobility, as well as the calmer more subtle effects of the yoga practice, in order to feel overall health and stability in one’s life. Plus, we make these classes fun and a safe space for all. If you’ve never lifted weights before, we’ve got you! If it’s been 5 years and 2 kids since you’ve walked onto a yoga mat, come on in. If you’ve been working on flexibility for years and yet never seen to go anywhere in your range of motion, this is normal and we have a class for you.
Q. How can a yoga practice and/or elements of yoga philosophy be applied to times of uncertainty?
A. The word “yoga” has been accredited with over 1,000 definitions around the world. But at its baseline, yoga means “connection.”
At ReWild Yoga Studio, we believe that connection to oneself is at the core of our mission. Yoga is not about what shape we take, the achievements or successes in postures, or the number of times we work out in a week. Yoga practice is about seeing who you are on the inside, noticing the old thought patterns and belief systems that no longer serve you, and being willing to let them go. In this way, we release the old trauma and our past wounds and allow ourselves to find within, something our heart has always desired: freedom and happiness, regardless of the outside circumstances.
So when stress occurs in your life (because it will), changes and uncertainty rev up the nervous system, and you say things to yourself like “I don’t know how much more I can take,” this is where what we teach at ReWild, becomes your foundation. We are avid believers that you are enough, just as you are. You are whole and complete, in this current moment. And because this freedom to connect with your inner strength is inherently yours, we know that the more we shed those old thought patterns and trauma stored in the body, you more you will begin to step into this truth.
So every time you encounter a situation that sends you into fight or flight, and the heart rate feels scattered, and the soul feels weary, do not despair. The peace you crave is inside. In yoga, we learn to touch that light, and to let it shine out unapologetically.
Q. How can our readers connect with you? Learn from you?
Please come visit us at our ReWild Yoga Studio (located in the same building as Table Health in Traverse City!) Sign-up for a class.
We offer over 40+ classes per week, that range from beginner’s to advanced yoga, strength training, cardio blasts, Fit in 45 minutes programs, and more. And as a special thank you to Table Health members, use code HAPPY30 for 30% OFF your membership or Punch Card for classes.