Michele Bickley has practicing and teaching yoga and dance for over 20 years. She is an entrepreneur who continues to hold a kind and loving space for her students, in person, on zoom, on retreats, and in the public school classroom. She is a teacher with her own inspiring story of recovery, healing and growth through meditation, yoga and 12 step work. We dive into all these topics together. Join us as Michele holds an authentic and kind space with Tekla as they discuss:

• Michele's journey of first teaching dance in classrooms in LA to learning yoga from some of the top teachers on the planet, how she fully immersed herself into learning and practicing yoga, and how she honors her teachers and the roots and traditions of yoga.
• Teaching yoga and dance to children in the classroom setting- why it is Michele's favorite thing to work with younger people and the profound shifts she notices in kids.
• Why her work is never "work" from teaching outdoor yoga summer camps to kids, to yoga classes in person and on zoom, to retreats- what keeps her motivated.
• The community and classes that Michele has built over the years is authentic and "real life"- how she creates this community that is welcoming and gives the space to connect. (Michele is one of Tekla's favorite teachers and was her daughter's first yoga teacher when she was 2.5 years old).
• We dive into 12-step work for healing and recovery- the connection Tekla and Michele have with the healing they have both found through 12-step work, and how it integrates into their yoga practices. Michele shares her journey of recovery with an eating disorder, and how she found recovery in her 20s.
• Through the recovery conversation, they discuss denial and how it serves as great protection until one is ready to recover and heal (and why it is SOOOO worth it once the choice is made to drop the denial and heal!)
• Retreats! Michele hosts retreats throughout the year and we discuss our love of retreats, and the benefits of them (and acknowledge the privilege to be able to go on retreats... and why we wish we could get funded to offer them to all!)

More about Michele and how to connect with her:

Michele is in love with yoga and the art of sharing it creatively, in all areas of life…on and off the mat.

She grew up dancing and teaching in Baltimore (studied at Baltimore School for the Arts), then moved to L.A. in 1998 after receiving a degree in Fine Arts and Dance from SMU in Dallas, TX. While living in Los Angeles, Michele had the privilege of studying with some of the finest teachers on the planet.

In 2002, Michele co-founded Muv Dance and Yoga, an innovative arts organization that brought Yoga and Dance to hundreds of LA public schools, creating spaces for children to shine. She created the Yoga for the Classroom DVD that was used in schools all over the world.

Over the last decade, Michele has developed “Shake Your Shakti,” a Dance / Hip Hop Yoga Method that offers a style and space for people to experience high levels of joy, freedom, connectedness, and health.

Michele currently lives in Maryland where she is a proud mama of two lil’ yogis, teaches classes and workshops, leads retreats locally and internationally, and adores creating events to bring communities together to help promote peace on the planet.

Her passion for creating a safe space, nurturing the spirit, moving creatively, uncovering freedom in our body, and exploring the depths of this ancient yoga practice in an accessible way, are the foundations for her teaching.

Anyone can practice with Michele via her zoom classes :-)

LoveLifeYoga.org

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Instagram: @YogaForRealLife

Twitter: @YogaForRealLife