Access Cafe

Just had another amazing YAM session with Heidi's graduating Yoga Teacher Training class! What a great group, and they made some beautiful felt ornaments!

Beautiful artwork from the March YAM yesterday! Next date is April 19.

New Year, New You.

“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the capacity to be shaped, molded, or altered; neuroplasticity, then, is the ability for the brain to adapt or change over time, by creating new neurons and building new networks.”—Psychology Today

Hey Friends, I am excited to start 2025 with you. Thanks to neuroplasticity, we are always changing—we are never stuck! We can continue adapting and growing by raising our energy levels and magnifying our creativity and joy.
We’ve planned lots of activities for you to take part in. In the new year, I'll be conducting a sound bath on the third Friday of the month. Laura & I will be hosting Yoga, Art, & Meditation (YAM) workshops monthly. And Yoga for Grief will meet every 2 weeks beginning Thursday, January 16.

Sound Bath: The Sound Bath is the ultimate in relaxation after a long week. Set on the third Friday of the month, this experience is designed to raise your vibe and relax you into a state where your body can reset and heal itself. In our practice you will get comfortable—sitting or lying, propped with pillows or cushions on the floor—while I play my crystal singing bowls. While you relax, I will guide you through meditation, say affirmations, and/or lead you through breathwork. Some folks tune into my words while others focus on the music of my powerful singing crystal bowls. No prior experience necessary. Cost: $20.
Dates--These are the third Fridays of the month at 6:30-7:30pm
January 17
February 21
March 21
April 18
May 16

Yoga, Art, & Meditation (YAM): The YAM Workshops with Laura Layva & Mary Angel are designed for you to raise your vibe and get into your creative zone. We’ll start with yoga & breathwork to get loosened up and prepared for meditation. Even if you SWEAR you cannot meditate, these meditations are extremely accessible. Some sample meditations include: Trataka, or candle gazing, which strengthens your Third Eye and thus your visual imagination; Walking Meditation, and Sound Bath. Get into your flow state and let loose! No art, yoga or meditation experience required. All materials provided. Cost: $45
Dates--These are on Saturdays 2:00-4:00pm
January 18
February 15
March 15
April 19
May 17

Yoga for Grief
All throughout our lives, people and things appear and disappear. Sometimes these losses are overwhelming and traumatic. How do we handle the changes and carry on? We may not consciously realize all the losses we’ve suffered, but, as Bessel van der Kolk famously wrote, the body keeps the score. Memory is stored all over the body, so in order to process our grief fully, we must work with the body. These Yoga for Grief workshops use gentle movements to help students process and release grief in a safe and trauma-sensitive environment. The yoga is extra gentle and can be performed from a chair. Mary Angel Blount, MFA, RYT, is a certified Grief Movement Guide by Paul Denniston’s Grief Yoga practice. This class will be composed of a small group of caring individuals who are seeking relief from their losses. Together we can serve as a witness and help one another heal. Cost: $25
Dates--These are biweekly on Thursday evenings 6:00-7:15pm
January 16 & 18
February 13 & 27
March 13 & 27
April 10 & 24
May 8 & 22

Come start anew!

Hey, thank you to my dear friends who have reached out to ask me about my family in NC. My mom, aunt, and sister & brother-in-law all live in eastern NC--the usual target of hurricanes. They're all ok, but Helene went west in the state and has destroyed dozens (hundreds?) of absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful places in western NC--whole villages like Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Hot Springs, Marshall, Mars Hill, Burnsville, Weaverville and of course the storied Asheville which might actually recover one day. But some of these places will never recover. They will become ghost towns, memories, like Runion, a tiny lumber town where the Laurel meets the French Broad. In the early 1900s, Runion built a dam across the French Broad which gave it hydroelectric power. So tiny Runion had electricity before the town of Asheville. The dam was washed out in the 1916 flood, and the town disappeared. There are still shells of some buildings almost covered with kudzu and other vegetation. The dam is now a rapid on the French Broad called "Rebar."
Do what you can--pray, donate, volunteer. Because over 400 roads are out in WNC--Weaverville is getting deliveries by mule--they are telling us NOT to come to Western NC. Mennonite Disaster Service is a reliable organization with folks on the ground already. A WNC friend recommends “BeLoved-Asheville” as a direct deliver charity with no overhead or fees.
Thank you. Thank you so much.