January’s Newsletter – Fear is the Cheapest Room in the house & you deserve better than that

NEW YEAR BLESSINGS TO ALL OF YE 

Hoping that you all had a creative & light festive season. Many I know had to celebrate this year alone due to the pandemic issues – I hope you found solace & love in your own company and used it as the gift of the day that it is to connect within.

Also THANK YOU to all the lovely souls out there who responded to my last email!!
I got the most responses I’ve ever had by sharing something so personal. That’s why we share, to connect and let others know they are not in this alone. THANK you to those who shared their personal journeys with me – keep em coming to stay OPEN.

The practice this month is working with fear. With all the news related to this pandemic, the US elections and all the upheaval happening in our lives many are becoming consumed with the emotion of fear.
Fear is the opposite of love so my new practice is to send LOVE to any of my FEARS when they arise.
When we change the energy of  fear it no longer closes us up, makes us rigid, controlling, sick & generally not fun to be around. You deserve better conditions than that.

The practice is to visit each fear you have. FEEL it in your body. Then teach it courage by guiding the way & FEEL that in your body. You just became stronger than your fear from that simple practice.

We will always have fears. They come and go. They become dangerous when we allow them to be stronger than we are. By guiding our fear we are showing it LOVE, just as you would a small child who is scared. Transform that emotion into LOVE to keep you open, healthy & free.

Here is the latest recording of our Soundbath & Meditation.
Fire, Earth & Ether will be recording a session for your free relaxing pleasure once/month. Initially it was meant to be every 2 weeks but we couldn’t keep up with that.  The theme is Releasing Fears and we hope you find some comfort through it. Feel free to let us know how it worked for you

Make friends with your fears and offer them love. Offer love to each person you encounter who is feeling fearful. Let us transform and open together.

MBY 2021 Offerings:

Private Online Sessions
Suited to your Individual needs
Zoom or Skype

One to One Online Yoga

Kundalini Workshop in Gozo
Saturday Feb 5th
11 – 3pm

Kundalini Workshop – Saturday February 5th | GOZO

MBY KriyaAsana 200hr Yoga Teacher Training
Spring
April 28th – June 12th
Fall
October 20th – December 4th
GOZO

200hr YTT Spring & Fall 2021 – GOZO

MBY Inside/Out Retreat
October 9 – 16th
GOZO
(more details soon!)

Wishing you all a great inner start to the new year – be kind to yourselves
SatNamNamaste
Michelle xx

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Kundalini Workshop – Saturday February 5th | GOZO

MBY Kundalini Kriya Workshop
For those who are seasoned to the practice and equally for those who are not & would like a taster of what this practice is all about.
We will be working with a few specific sequences to help transcend our weaknesses and find more vitality and stamina in our everyday lives.
The morning will consist of meditation & movement practices. We will then break for a healthy vegetarian lunch before we reconvene for the afternoon session which will include chanting, intention practices & meditation.
When:
Saturday Feb 6th
(when this day fills I will add on Sunday as well)
Where:
Gharb, Gozo (will send address once booking is made)
Investment:
60 euros (limited to 8 participants)
Full payment secures space
Payments can be made via Revolut and/or Paypal
Contact me to book your spot.
Details re payment will be forwarded once you book via private message or email: info@michellebartoloyoga.com
Looking forward to spreading the gems of this practice.
Feel free to reach out with any questions and/or concerns
‘Today is the tomorrow you were worried about Yesterday’ – Anthony Hopkins
SatNamNamaste ?
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Fire, Earth & Ether | Meditation & Soundbath | Releasing Fears

Light a candle. Have a blanket close by and get cosy

Perfect for a Sunday eve in winter

FREE for you recorded live from our home studio

 

Meditation by: Michelle Bartolo

Sounds by: Mawk Phoenix

 

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PRAGYA Custom Blend Organic Aromatherapy Perfume by MBY

This unique blend has been a favourite of mine for the past 5 years now.

I often got stopped and asked what the scent was I was wearing so decided to share my custom blend for others to enjoy.

PRAGYA is a sanskrit word meaning WISDOM – may we use what we can to help us grow on 😉

I created this blend when I packed my life up to travel the open road with few plans and no place to call home.

I chose VETIVER for it’s grounding qualities, ROSE for keeping me centred in my heart & BERGAMOT to ease anxiety, create calmness and creativity.

All oils used are sourced from a special apothecary in Boulder, Colorado called Rebecca’s Apothecary.

They grow all their own wild & organic plants and extract their own oils from them.

10ml perfume = 15 euros + shipping costs if applicable.

A great gift idea for the holiday season

SatNamNamaste

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2020 VISION – Decembers Newsletter

2 0 2 0  VISION

Greetings earthlings!
Here it is, the last newsletter of 2020 with gifts for mind & body in hope that all is well and healthy in your worlds.

I’d like to share a personal journey I went through a couple months ago.
A cyst was found in my left ovary that was pretty large (5cm x 4cm) & it had to be removed – it even had hair bones & teeth (embryonic matter) – freaky!

It was a surreal experience initially – 3 gyne’s here in Gozo recommended a TOTAL hysterectomy which I thought was nuts for the issue was only inside one ovary. Luckily my chinese doctor recommended another gyne here who is not for just pulling everything out – whew – she helped ease my worries very much so and left me feeling hopeful – always follow your gut!

For the next 3 months I was on a strict diet prescribed by my Chinese doctor to remove dampness which contributes to cyst growth and repeated daily affirmations AND I managed to shrink this ‘dermoid’ cyst 2cm!! YET it was still recommended to remove my ovary for it could keep shrinking and growing & maybe even burst and create ovarian cancer. Physically the diet suited me greatly as it kept me feeling light & energetic so that’s been a keeper.

Mentally, I began researching what ‘energetic’s’ may have helped create this cyst to grow inside of me. In my studies much of what we suffer from is claimed to be psychosomatic. My partner recommended a great book he grew up with titled ‘The Power of Illness’ by Thorwald Dethlefsen.

I opened to the chapter on ovaries. Read a bit and had to close the book a moment as it was a hard truth to face. Yet it was spot on – my mind had been running a programme I was not aware of. I spent three months doing affirmations to change that programming and can now proudly say that ‘new’ programme is naturally running…

That’s my 2020 vision for this year. A real eye opener.
I feel 2020 is showing us where we need to clear up our vision.
It’s like we have been forced to see what we were not willing to look at all of these years – in ourselves, others & in the world. On both an individual & global scale.

What has 2020 forced you to ‘see’?
What did this year teach you about yourself and/or others?
In what area of your life do you feel you’ve grown through this past year?

In hope that you will share & if not at least reflect…

Some tips on how to LEVEL UP your energy
1. Get Honest – we can’t change what we continue to deny. Be brave, be honest.
2. Get to know Yourself – how do you react? do you shut down/shut off & go into       coping & distraction? Engage in ego battles? Guilt/blame the other?
3. Do what you’re Avoiding – it may seem simple but this is ultimately something outside of our comfort zone which is why we’re avoiding it.
4. Baby steps – no matter how small a step committing to facing instead of avoiding is still a HUGE step forward.
5. Honour the Process – there is one way to do this. You will succeed, avoid and go back and forth through this. It is normal. You do not ‘fail’ just because of a ‘misstep’
6. HYPE YOURSELF UP – no one but you sees your progress, encourage & be proud of yourself through it all 

– by the Ace of Moon

 

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I wish you & your loved ones all a merry season
Let’s remember to be grateful for all we have
In mind, body & spirit
Blessings, Peace & Strength
xxx

 
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FIRE EARTH & ETHER’s FREE SOUNDBATH & MEDITATION SESSIONS

FIRE EARTH & ETHER is our Soundbath & Meditation group made up of me, Michelle Bartolo and my musically very talented partner Mawk Phoenix (more of him on youtube)

 

We decided to record live sessions from our home studio in Gozo every two weeks to help ease your tension and wash away your worries. We do hope you enjoy them

 

 

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Novembers Newsletter – Negative Emotions can lead us to Expansiveness

Negative Emotions can lead us to Expansiveness

Welcome to the Dark Side of the Buddha 🙂

The place where our inner light has grown dim, destructive, rigid & resistant.
We all experience these phases in our life.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of as it’s part of our human experience.
Yet when our inner critic becomes loud on the inside, we become harsh on others.; have you experienced that? What a lesson to learn!

This ‘tool’ has helped me understand the harshness in others and that it’s about their pain and their triggers – I’ve learnt to not take it personally (sometimes).
It’s also taught me that when I fall into that critical headspace it’s time to sit & self reflect more inwards – as our critic sprouts from the inside/out.

What if your negative emotions were showing you what you need to learn about yourself?
What if you could be with those negative emotions instead of suffocating or burying it with a drink, food or some other distraction?
What if your negative emotions could actually lead you to expansion? 

As we work towards strengthening our digestion through this Fall season, we look at how we digest everything. When someone is unkind, when someone cuts you off, is rude etc.
How do you digest life?
Reflecting on how we  digest everything helps to keep the large intestine in good shape as we train it to LET GO of what we hold onto or what may be stagnant.

Anger can also lead us into deeper insights and expansion.
It’s a normal human emotion which can also be healthy or unhealthy.
Gabor Mate (another one of me favourites) speaks of how all these emotions can have a fatal effect on our health.

What’s the difference between healthy anger &  unhealthy anger?
Healthy anger is being angry in the moment, and then letting it go – unhealthy anger is carrying that anger around with you for years upon years only hurting yourself .
More hard truths….yet having this knowledge only places us more in power of our well being. We know our external environments are not in our control, yet our internal ones are.

The power of illness teaches us where we need to EXPAND.

Food for so much thought…

Here is a kriya to help you release what is stored in the large intestine – if your  knees are sensitive this is not for you. Ladies this is not recommended when you are on your cycle or pregnant.
https://youtu.be/JOgyQAUni-s

I’d LOVE to hear your answers to any of the above questions and/or any other shares to connect our human threads.
Hearing from readers lets me know more about you
It keeps the cycle alive 😉

“Negative emotion is always the red flag alerting you to the fact that there is something there to learn. It is alerting you that you have come to the crossroads of personal expansion. If you avoid the negative feeling you also avoid the lesson and the expansion” Teal Swan

MBY 2020/2021 Offerings

Online Private Yoga Sessions from my home to yours
Via Skype, Zoom or Whatsapp
60 euros / session
10 x sessions for 550 euros (no expiry)

MBY KriyaAsana LIVE classes | GOZO
Mondays & Wednesdays
18.30 – 20.00
Booking is necessary

MBY KriyaAsana 200 hr YTT in GOZO | 2021
Spring and Fall Equinox

200hr YTT Spring & Fall 2021 – GOZO

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If you missed this song last time around….
Produced by Mawk Phoenix / performed by Colleen McMahon
CHANGE 

Wishing you everything you wish for and don’t forget to PLAY  & FEEL JOY  :)))
This year is not about getting what we want, it’s about appreciating what we have.

SatNamNamasteShantiShanti
(truth is my identity/the divine in me honours the divine in you/ peace peace)
Michelle x

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Autumn Gathers Inwards – Lungs & Large Intestine Dominate for Immunity

Balancing our Yin & Yang Organs, the Lungs & Large Intestine

Autumn in the Seasonal Yoga calendar runs all the way until the December Equinox on the 21st. During this time of year, the Lung and Large Intestine are the dominant organs. There is a sense of gathering inwards and it is a perfect time to delve deep into our pranayama practice aka Yogic breath work.
A simple breath work practice which is a natural tranquiliser for the nervous system is :

Breathe In x 4 seconds
Hold in the breath x 7 seconds
Breath out x 8 seconds
Repeat 4 times

To be centred and comfortable during this time of transition, one must support both halves of the life balance. Here’s how.

Recognise the yin: Strengthen your Lung qi.

Chinese medicine teaches that Lung qi is closely associated with immunity. This time of year, it is wise to work with the Lung to reinforce your resistance to seasonal viruses and common dry-weather skin irritations.

Respect and support Lung qi through your diet. Warming, rich spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove are so much a part of fall cuisine. Surprise! These seasonal favourites are also harmonious with Lung qi. Many delicious, nutritious vegetables are part of a Lung-boosting plate as well: cabbage, onion, garlic, sweet potato, turnip, cauliflower, pumpkin…and those are just a few.

Support the yang: Acknowledge natural endings, nurture new beginnings

Releasing what we don’t need is, after all, the function of the Large Intestine, autumn’s other dominant organ.

Here are some October Journal Prompts:
What do I need to focus on?
I release and let go of….
It’s ok for me to change…
List 3 new things you want to learn

Revel in the shifting of the seasons—honour and embrace the storing, reorganising and releasing you sense going on inside yourself.

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MBY August Newsletter – Motivation & Drive

Motivation & Drive
Let Food be Thy Medicine

I hope this month finds you navigating a new way of fitting into this different kind of year, with new growth goals & insight. It’s been a year of getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

On a personal note August has us travelling through Switzerland, the land of deliciously fresh mountain cheese & creamy mouth watering chocolate – which I can’t have ANY of. Here’s my practice of discomfort – letting go of my comfort food choices. Challenging? Oh yes, I’m finding it WAY more challenging than the Covid situation in all honesty. Yet ADAPTABILITY is the only way. My motivation is HEALTH and my drive is ALIVE. When my thoughts have me believing I’m missing out I override them with ‘I reject that thought’ &  it’s working like a charm!

After a few trips to my Chinese Doctor for digestive issues I was put on a special diet which has been a BIG challenge while on the road. Yet it’s making my will stronger and my belly better in the long run (I hope!)
Although most of these things were never a huge part of my daily diet, I’ve been advised to completely avoid all dairy, spicy foods, gluten, sugar (even from fruits) alcohol & chocolate. I need to drink two glasses of ginger & lemon water each morning followed by two glasses of fresh pure celery juice, followed by a blend of Chinese Herbs & fasting 18 hours between dinner and the following days first meal. I’m also repeating affirmations 20 times/day and practicing yoga & meditation, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise as usual.

It’s been a mission while on the road but I have been beautifully supported by my partner, his familia & my chinese doc. I am SO grateful for the support they have shown in preparing us meals which are suitable, it really warms my heart & I hope that it will teach others to take care of themselves when times call for it, regardless of the pressure that may be thrown our way.

I believe we’ve turned into a society that would rather pop a pill than change our diet. That’s a pretty sad state of affairs and I get it – it’s hard. Yet it’s through that resistance that we get stronger. I’ve noticed my love affair for cheese runs long and deep, it’s the glue that I thought was holding my life together :)) .
Letting it go is my biggest struggle. I love cheese WAY more than it loves me. It’s like letting a destructive relationship go, it hurts in many ways yet we know the time has come to say goodbye….

Is there anything you feel it’s time to let go of? A habit that no longer serves your growth or an old way of being that holds you back? These are the practices that develop our strength, growth & attachment humanly habits.

I always love hearing back from my readers with any shares this may trigger

EVERY TIME YOU EAT OR DRINK
YOU ARE EITHER FEEDING A DISEASE OR
FIGHTING IT

MBY 2020 Offerings

Online Private Sessions |  75 mins = 60 euros
From your home to mine at your preferred 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/

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Inner power to all you peoples from zee Swiss mountains, green pastures and happy cows 🙂
SatNamNamasteShantiShanti
 
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Compassion Is What Is Needed To Be Seeded

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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
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