Hola…

I often find myself thinking of how many different lives are being lived at one time. I find it so enjoyable to read all your responses & where you are writing from in this world. It’s always so nice to hear back from readers – it really is what keeps me going – I know I say this at the beginning of most of my newsletters & I will continue to share my appreciation for your time & attention  🙂
Here’s a link to some great world music
https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2020/royal-albert-home-nitin-sawhney/?fbclid=IwAR0xbws3ZN7ywryaqlmXvE3of3m5eGxH-c6oC9yacmZa7ym-ayYn3ZDpNbI

There’s a great divide in how we conduct our lives.  One side is accepting our Wholeness – offering ourselves compassion and kindness. Loving all parts, the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s about being around others who also accept our wholeness and offer us support.

The other side is criticism and how much of that we are accepting in our lives & how much of that we are serving up to others & adding to the world.

This month’s theme is directing the practice of compassion to our self. Accepting our wholeness and releasing the inner critic we’ve created through our thoughts & actions. When we become kinder to ourselves we are open to accept that kindness from others. We release more of the critics that don’t serve our growth.

Give it a Go? See how it feels? Create space for an inner voice that’s kind, release the external attacks and projections of others shortcomings. Your load will feel lighter.

Creating An Affirmation:
First we must recognise the voice in our head that is not very kind to us. Then we are creating a ‘new program’ by stating an affirmation to the mind that is kind, loving & compassionate. This is to be repeated 20 times everyday to yourself.  You can also write it down 20 times a day which will make it more powerful.

If you do take on that practice feel free to share your experiences –

Wishing you all health in body, mind & spirit

MBY 2020 Offerings 

Mawk Phoenix House Concert Series IV
Saturday July 25th | GOZO
20.00 -23.00
https://michellebartoloyoga.com/news/mawk-phoenix-house-concert-series-iv-saturday-july-25th-gozo/

Online Private Sessions |  75 mins = 60 euros
From your home to mine at your time
Tailored to your individual mental, emotional and physical needs
https://michellebartoloyoga.com/product/one-one-online-yoga/

KriyaAsana Yoga Retreat WEEK
October 10th – 17th | GOZO
https://michellebartoloyoga.com/gozo-yoga-retreat/

MBY 200 hr KriyaAsana YTT
October 21 – November 15th
November 25 – December 6th (all dates required)
Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays
10am – 5pm
https://michellebartoloyoga.com/mby-teacher-training/

SatNamNamasteShantiShanti

” Master, how can I face isolation?

Clean your house. Deep down! In every corner. Even the ones that you never felt the courage and patience to clean up. Make your home bright and well cared for. Remove dust, spider webs, impurities. Even in the most hidden place. Your home represents yourself: take care of it, too.

– Master, but time is long. After taking care of myself and my home, how can I live the isolation?

Fix what can be fixed and remove what you don’t need anymore. Dedicate yourself to the patchwork quilt, sew the start of the pants, sew the worn edges of the dresses, restores a piece of furniture, fix everything that is worth repairing. The rest, throw it away. With gratitude. And with the consciousness that your cycle is over. Fixing and removing what’s outside of you allows you to correct or remove what’s inside.

– Master and then what? What can I do all the time by myself?

Sow! Even a small seed in a vase. Take care of a plant, water it every day, talk to it, give it a name, remove the dry leaves and the weeds that can choke it and steal precious life energy. It’s a way to take care of your inner seeds, your desires, your intentions, your ideals.

– Master what if the void comes to visit me? … If the fear of sickness and death comes?

Talk to them. Prepare the table for them, too, reserve a place for each of your fears. Invite them to dinner with you. And ask them why they came so far to your house. What a message they want to bring you. What they want to communicate to you.

– Master, I don’t think I can do that…

– Your question is not to isolate the problems, but the fear of facing your internal dragons, the ones you always wanted to get away from you. Now you can’t run away. Look in their eyes, listen and you’ll find out that they put you against the wall. They isolated you so they could talk to you. Like the seeds that can only sprout if they are alone.

(original post from Zen Toyo)

I hope you’re all enjoying the fresh smell of Spring in zee air – and the scents of all the flowers in bloom – 

We have now settled back into small island living here in Gozo & to kick spring in action I’ve created some new KriyaAsana courses which I will be running for a duration of 7 weeks running once/week in both Gozo & Malta.

Classes will be held every Monday night in Gozo and every Thursday night in Malta – this will be a closed group hence no drop ins.

We will be focusing on a Kundalini set that prepares our bodies for Spring & Summer, working off the winter slumber. I will then lead you into a Vinyasa Asana sequence to further help the detoxification process followed by a mediation.

As spring arrives, we awaken from our hibernation in winter to plant the seeds of our intentions for the year.

To create a foundation for change, we must first do some ‘spring cleaning’ internally. Spring is the time to clean out all that isn’t you and all that separates you from living the life you love.

“Springtime is when new blood starts coming in. It’s a good time to cleanse.” –Yogi Bhajan

Gozo: Monday April 29th – Monday June 10th

Malta: Thursday April 25th – Thursday May 30th

Time: 19.00 -20.30 (both locations have the same start time)

Location:

  • Gozo location will be in Gharb (will forward address at a later date)
  • Malta location is 54 Cathedral Street, Sliema | Lily Agius Gallery

 

Investment: 90 euros (full payment secures your spot)

* All levels are welcome

* Maximum 10 students

* Payments can be made directly in my BOV account – please message me once payment has been made so I can secure your spot.

Michelle Bartolo
BOV / Savings Account
# 16606250015

If you have any further questions feel free to inbox me on FB

Looking forward to sharing this latest set I’ve been practicing and the benefits that come along with a regular practice. Commit- cause you’re worth it 🙂

SatNamNamaste
Michelle x

I’ve a story to share of these two ladies who met on an MBY Inside/Out Retreat in Gozo 3 years ago.

They were strangers to one another arriving from very different backgrounds and countries. One came from Canada and the other from Germany.

They quickly became travel buddies on our week together always choosing a different excursion to explore.

Over the course of 3 years these ladies kept in touch and through some turbulent times in their lives planned to meet once again on an MBY Retreat in Gozo just this month.

Witnessing the bond they’ve formed and how familiar they seem to one another is special.

One of them shared that she’s not listened to much in her everyday life and really appreciated the fact that she could speak and be listened to. It’s how our relationships grow closer as it’s the highest act of LOVE. So many people have mentioned how they are not listened to, we must all listen MORE.

On the last day of our retreat with one another they both committed to meeting one another once / year on retreat as they both adore Gozo.

I admire their courage, their openness and the sense of adventure they share and I’m looking forward to sharing all I’ve got to give with them on future retreats as these are the stories I live for.

LISTEN cause life moves in magical ways

SatNamNamasteShantiShanti

MBY is happy to announce her workshop happening at Yoga Intentions in Boulder, Colorado on March 29th from 6-7pm.

This class is a gift to the director of Yoga Intentions, Elizabeth Penziner and in return Elizabeth is offering this workshop as a gift to all that attend. Giving is Receiving.

Hope you can join us!

MichelleBartoloYoga
KriyaAsanaYoga Classes
MBY will be back in Malta to share the practise in her usual creative ground, Lily Agius Gallery

These classes will consist of pranayama, kriyas & asanas with a deeper focus on strengthening mental stamina & the heart.
This way we strike the mind & body chords simultaneously 😉


  • Wednesday September 6th:  
  • Time: 9.30-11am
  • Cost: 15 euros/class
  • Location: 54 Cathedral Street / Lily Agius Gallery / Sliema

  • Wednesday September 6th 
  • Reunited Full Moon Yoga Tune with Anchelique Yoga PT
  • Time: 19.00-20.15
  • Cost: Donation based (please bring your own mat or book one with us)
  • Location: Chalet Pier/Sliema

  • Wednesday September 20th (morning & evening)
  • Times: 9.30-11am & 18.30-20.00
  • Cost: 15 euros
  • Location: 54 Cathedral Street / Lily Agius Gallery / Sliema

I’m so excited to get back into our shared space of love. One lovely student gave me a charm with the co-ordinates of the gallery engraved on the back and a card that said:

‘If you forget where love was shared, come back here” – Angela Zarcaris

I haven’t forgotten but I want MORE

Looking forward to sharing those connections

*No booking necessary

SatNamNamasteShantiShanti

The changing of the seasons – time to plant new seeds in fertile soil 😉 So here we have 108 Sun Salutations to open us up for new growth. Divine Sound will be filling the air with some bhakti beats.

The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north and vice versa in September

The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” All over the world, days and nights are approximately equal. Today, the Sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west.

At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (However, the tilt of Earth relative to its plane of orbit, called the ecliptic plane, is always about 23.5 degrees.)

Enjoy the increasing daylight! See how your day “grows”

Why 108 Sun Salutations?

* To find FLUIDITY in repetitive movement without having to pay too much attention to instruction which allows us to draw inwards more
*MENTALLY you will feel more focused, disciplined, resilient, and committed to your yoga practice & self development
*PHYSICALLY you will feel stronger, more capable, more fluid and the connection to your body & mind will be much stronger
*ANAHATA (HEART) CHAKRA: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.
*DANCE: There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.

( for more information read this article: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/02/why-108-sun-salutations/ )

I will be guiding the sun salutes and keeping count as we all tune into the same rhythm. We will begin with a warmup and then dive into the salutes. The ‘class’ will end with a bit of a cool down and a restorative meditation session.

SUGGESTED TRAINING PRIOR TO EVENT:

********DAY 1*****2 **** 3 **** 4 *** 5******6

WK 1: *4sets*****8 *****12****16 ***20****24

WK 2: *24 ******24 ****24 ***24****24 ***24

WK 3: *36 ******36 ****36 ***36 ***36 ***36

WK 4: *48******48 **REST **4 ****54 ***54

***DAY 7 : REST WEEK 1, 2 & 3. WEEK 4 do *54 Salutes.
( I can’t seem to get the chart straight so hope you can make it out ok!)

Cost: 15 euros payable in advance to secure space and numbers.

Location:
*Buskett Forest
-park in the main parking area and walk straight through, past the orange trees and you will see a big open space with grass on the left. We will be there. I will post some signs to lead the way.

Date:
*Sunday March 20th/ 2016

Time:
*13.00 – 15.00

*THIS EVENT IS WEATHER PERMITTING SO PLEASE CHECK HERE IF UNSURE. WILL POST CONFIRMATION BY 11AM ON SUNDAY MORNING.

*Please bring your own mat. If you don’t have one please let us know and we will bring one for you.
*This event is best suitable for those with an intermediate level of practice, not suitable for beginners.

Be sure to bring some cosy clothes to relax and feel warm in. Once we start moving the heat will build up. We’ll be surrounded by GREEN once again, hitting the heart chakra.

1 = Higher Truth
0 = emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice,
8 = infinity or eternity