Meet Stacey Graham!
Stacey teaches KULA all levels and Yin & Yang and Restorative for RedBloom Classes.
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Hi. My name is Stacey Graham and I am excited to be sharing my enthusiasm for the practice of yoga with you at RedBloom Yoga and Kula Yoga Outreach in Alma.

I was first exposed to an asana practice in bush Alaska in 2004.  I felt a difference in my overall wellbeing from the first time that I practiced asana.  In 2011,  I practiced in my first public class here in Alma.  After I started to practice in a public class, I began to understand that Yoga is more than just movement and postures.  In class one day we were moving in a sun salutation and I noticed a thought that influenced my decision to take a teacher training course in Mt. Pleasant.  In the spring of 2013 I completed my teacher training and obtained my 200 hour certification and registered with Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher.  

​Yoga has helped me to find peace in the moment and joy in my life.  It has allowed me to notice my thoughts, feelings and sensations in my body without the judgment that I once felt.   I am excited to join Kula in bringing additional opportunities for people to experience this full and rich practice of yoga.  I look forward to practicing with you soon!

Three Questions for Stacey:
1.What is your favorite yoga pose? My favorite pose...depends on where where I am! When I'm on a dock- simple seated pose, on my snowshoes- yogic squat, in the middle of a race- standing forward fold, on my paddle board- savasana, on my mat I love the transition between plank and down dog.

2. What is the most surprising thing you have learned from your yoga practice? I remember when I first started group yoga practice, my teacher cued childs pose “hips towards heels”. I didn’t think much about it after that until one day, months later it occurred to me, “My hips are touching my heels!” It continued to surprise me the way my awareness to my body, mind, and breath brings about subtle changes to my practice on and off the mat.

3. What advice do you have for new yogis? Make it your intention to pay attention to your breath and watch what happens! :)

We are celebrating Yoga Month at RedBloom! We would like to introduce you to our teachers. We will share a little bit about them here throughout the month of September. (You can also read about them on our wall at RedBloom the next time you are in for a class or event).

Let's get started!

Meet Lauren Wemyss!

Lauren teaches classes for Kula in Alma (Wednesday 6:15pm) as well as Mt. Pleasant (Tuesday 7:15 pm) and subs classes at RedBloom. She has had a regular yoga practice for over 5 years.  During graduate school, with a nagging back issue, Lauren stumbled upon power vinyasa yoga. With an urge to deepen her own practice, Lauren decided to pursue teacher training in September of 2016.  

What once started as a love for the physical engagement in asanas, slowly grew into a deeper appreciation for the holistic view of a person.  Lauren ‘s goal is to develop as a teacher promoting health and wellness, helping people to live life more fully and peacefully.

Three Questions for Lauren:
1.What is your favorite yoga pose? Half moon is my favorite pose. It makes me feel strong, but is also humbling because my ability to hold the pose varies day by day. 
2. What is the most surprising thing you have learned from your yoga practice? I think the most surprising thing is when I moved past my focus on the asanas and began to use yoga as intended--deepening my self awareness and mindfulness. With practice I've been able to translate this into my daily life, helping me handle difficult situations more in a more heathy way. 
3. What advice do you have for new yogis? Allow yourself to just be-- not focusing on what you can and can't do, but rather the process and growth you make each time you come to your mat. The point of yoga isn't to be the most flexible or best at challenging poses- that is an added physical benefit. The goal is to be good to yourself and learn how to take care of yourself.

Stop in to one of Lauren's classes and get to know her as you practice together!

It's spring break for a lot of mini yogis this week- hopefully many of you are able to enjoy some down time or travels as well as get in some yoga! April is such a busy month for us at RedBloom. I was sitting down to write out our list of events this month and it is almost an entire page long! The best part is that we have a ton of FREE or donation based events that range from yoga classes- FREE YOGA ALL DAY APRIL 18TH!!!, to donation groups/classes with Michelle of Astro Dharma Den, and donation based Nia- every Thursday! We also have Reiki Circles, Empath workshops, new moon yoga, and we finish up the month with a special RedBloom Anniversary practice and potluck. Whew!

I am on vacation this week to see my family. It is wonderful. What joy I receive in watching my daughters enjoy time with their cousins, seeing my daughter snuggle into my father's lap and listen to him read stories, to hug my parents, to be with my family. And then I think about my Michigan family. My biological family lives a day's drive away so we don't get to see them on weekends or spur of the moment trips. We create family where we are. And how lucky are we that we have the most wonderful people that are our "family" in Michigan. I have Michigan family that have been there since the beginning (since we moved here) and Michigan family that I have grown more connected with through my experiences. And then I have my RedBloom family. Who knew how big my family could become!

I could go on and on, but I will just close with this. You are my family. I love you. Thank you. You fill my heart and bring me joy. You make me want to work harder and be better. You each mean the world to me. 

Peace and love.