Michelle Roy Yoga, Nashville, TN (2026)

08/28/2026

Hello Sweet Friends ~

Going on three months since Dad's passing, I am slowly settling into the new normal. It was strange at first, having all my time be my own, but I am gradually returning to myself, reigniting long-held passions and diving deeper into the practice that sustained me through one of the most profound experiences of my life.

I'm writing this the day of the lunar eclipse, hoping to witness it later. Given that it is such an important astrological event, this morning I drew oracle cards, meditated on what I am manifesting, and spent some time connecting with my "something bigger."

The energy in my studio was lovely and as I passed by Dad's small altar, I felt an urge to put on his hat. This is a signature hat of his, one he wore and was photographed in often, and absolutely one of my most treasured souvenirs. I sat down at my desk to write and I felt him all around me. I decided I'm going to use it as a writing prop. A new ritual to honor the sweet dad I love so much.

It's nice to feel him close to me. To feel like I'm sharing a bit of my day with him. A little bit of, "See, Dad? This is what I do when I'm not with clients." I believe he enjoys visiting me in my sacred space. I talk to him often, still sharing a story or asking for advice. He guided me so well throughout my life, I hear his words answer me when I ask. Whether or not it is actually his voice or my imagination matters not.

It's a beautiful reminder that divine wisdom lives within us; the inner guru, the higher Self that guides and teaches us. Everything we ever need to know is already within us and we are reminded of this when we encounter something or someone that reflects that wisdom back to us. I will be reminded of these guru moments each time I receive Inspiration from wearing Dad's hat, and remembering all the wonderful memories that go along with it.

What sparks inspiration and deep knowing for you? Is it a daily ritual? An object? A particular place? Go inside as you meditate and see what this sacred object or observance creates within you. Trust the information that comes to you through an intuitive knowing - it just might be a teacher or loved one whispering in your ear.

May we remain vigilant to our practice. 🙏🏼

Namaste ~
Michelle

08/07/2026

✨ Thank you to everyone who joined me for 5 Days of Presence. I hope these morning reflections offered a few quiet moments to pause, breathe, and reconnect with what matters most.

If you missed a day - or all five - the videos are available on my YouTube channel. The invitation to presence is always open.

May we continue to harvest awareness, one mindful moment at a time. 🌾

Thank you for being here. I'll be back with another series soon!

Namaste 🙏🏼

07/23/2026

✨ In August, I'll be sharing a new offering that's been quietly taking shape.

5 Days of Presence is a free mindfulness video series inspired by the gentle transition into late summer, the approaching harvest season of Lammas, and the simple practice of returning to ourselves.

Beginning August 3, I will post a brief reflection and mindfulness practice each morning - just a few minutes for us to pause, breathe, and center before the day carries us away.

No experience needed.
No pressure to sign up or keep up.
Simply engage whenever you can.

I hope you'll join me for five mornings of presence and see what grows. 🌾

07/12/2026

Coming up Saturday, July 18, at 1pm in Old Hickory ~

This 90-minute yin yoga practice will explore the summer energies of the heart and small intestine meridians through long-held postures, mindful breathwork, and reflective stillness. In Five Element Theory, summer is associated with the fire element — supporting joy, connection, vitality, passion, and emotional expression.

Together, we will explore practices designed to balance excess heat, calm emotional overwhelm, and cultivate a steady inner radiance. Students will be encouraged to soften into presence while reconnecting with the wisdom of the heart.

Mindful modifications will be offered throughout, making the practice accessible to students of all levels of experience and ability. The session will conclude with meditation and deep relaxation.

Investment: $30
Please register here: https://www.heartandlightyoga.com/workshops/summersoulfireyin

06/21/2026

Hello Sweet Friends ~

This Father's Day, I find myself reflecting on unconditional love - something pure and vast, safe and enveloping, it's difficult to adequately describe. I've had the privilege of witnessing it, receiving it, and giving it, and it's only through having it modeled for me that I am able to pass it on. And for this I thank my sweet dad.

My dad's love for me is one of the few things in my life that has been ongoing and consistent. Something I never doubted. His love was the ultimate form of safety. Even when we disagreed, I knew he loved me. Dad taught me how to hold space for another's suffering, how to convey empathy without words, to literally wrap another human in love with a meaningful embrace. French Canadians are not shy about expressing love physically - kissing (always on both cheeks) and hugging are a natural part of our family's culture, and indeed I credit their longevity to this deep love for one another.

Humans are quite imperfect. We make mistakes. We humble ourselves. We lack grace. We have bad habits.

Humans are also remarkable and creative. Endlessly inspiring, we support one another and show up for each other. We guide and teach.

Love is the one thread that is present in all of that. Don't we all deserve some love when we are in error? When we are hurting, what makes it better? Love. Big, deep, unconditional love. And when we have something to celebrate? We come together with those we love and our hearts swell with joy. When we are so joyful and full of love, it can bring tears to our eyes. Those tears carry away all the excess joy and love, lest we be overwhelmed by the vastness of it all.

The hardest part of unconditional love is giving it. It's hard not to have expectations of those around us, but the practice of unconditional love requires that we love all of the person - their unflattering traits, too - and we allow them to become who they are and want to be - not who we want them to be. I'm sure Dad worried about me from time to time, but he always allowed me my mistakes, and never once said I told you so or offered me unsolicited advice. He let me figure things out for myself unless I asked for help, and when I did, he never made me feel shameful in asking for assistance. That's some of the hardest, and best, parenting a person can give, and I am ever so grateful he picked me to be his daughter.

This Father's Day, in honor of Rolland, let's spread some extra love around. Plant it in seeds of extra patience, a longer hug, and holding comfortable silence with a beloved. Let's see how much love we can express without words - through a smile, a wink, or a gentle touch that says, "I'm here, and I love you."

May we remain vigilant to our practice. 🙏🏼

06/08/2026

Hello Sweet Friends ~

My dear sweet dad passed Friday morning, June 5. It was swift and intentional, a powerful thing to witness. His passing was the most extraordinary event of my life. I am so grateful for my practice; I was able to be there fully, all of me, there with him as the last bits of yang slipped out of his body.

His passing has me contemplating many things, and one is Thich Nhat Hanh's teaching about how we continue in the world. The example Thay often uses is a cloud. As the cloud becomes rain, snow, or hail, the form we recognize as a cloud may cease to exist, but it is not "gone," it just continues as a form of precipitation. Thay says we are all clouds.

There is an obvious continuation from parent to child. We can literally see the parent in the child and grandchildren. Parents also exist inside of us in ways that are not obvious - in the lessons they have taught us, the actions they have modeled for us, and in the speech we have used to communicate over the years. Our loved ones continue in friends and family, and everyone they have taught or inspired over the years. They also continue in the elements around us - the energy that animated them returns to wholeness, like a drop rejoining the ocean.

Everything that is good in me came from my dad. He was my first and greatest teacher, my beacon, my nurturer, my safe harbor, and one of life's greatest joys. All of his best qualities exist in me and come out in my parenting, my teaching, my friendships, and in my partnership with my beloved. The ever-present sparkle in his eye continues in the world as shimmering sunshine, golden reflections on the Gulf waters at sunset, and the jeweled gleam of the early morning dew. I have chosen this picture of him as it really captures his Spirit. That bright soul shine coming thru his eyes never left until he closed them one last time. I will forever see him in the sparkling beauty around me.

Thank you for letting me share what turned out to be a relatively short and gentle journey with my dad. It suits his character. When he is determined to do something, he just does it. A no-time-like-the-present-kinda-guy, he went out like he lived - with humor, courage, and a whole lotta love. 🩵🩵

06/03/2026

Hello Sweet Friends ~

In Taoist philosophy, Yang is the active, animating force of life - the spark that moves us and fills the body with life. Yin is the earthly body, the form that receives and contains that spark of life.

At death, these forces separate. Yin returns to the earth. Yang returns to the heavens.

Often, in the days or weeks before death, there is a surprising resurgence of Yang. A person who has been sleeping begins to talk. Someone who has been confused becomes lucid. They eat. They laugh. They interact. They seem more like themselves, as if our person has come back. We almost believe they are getting better. In the hospice world, this is known as "terminal lucidity."

Taoist theory teaches us that this is Yang gathering itself for its final ascent. One teacher described it to me this way: at the end of life, as metabolism changes and the body prepares itself for its final rest, our loved one is sleeping more, their organs are beginning to slow down, etc., so less Yang is needed in the body. This "excess Yang" then is released in an upward burst, thus resulting in the phenomenon known as Yang rising. Afterward, we commonly see a sharp decline, as most of the Yang has been exhausted.

I've been watching this unfold with Dad. Last week, he rallied. His French Canadian family drove all the way from Quebec to visit him. In the days before they arrived, Dad was up, clean shaven and dressed - not just in sweats and a T-shirt - he was in a collared shirt and belted pants. He was remarkably present and remained this way throughout most of their time here.

On the last day of their visit, he rallied one more time. We all gathered at our home for a BBQ lunch and we told stories, shared laughter, and sang songs, and all the while Dad stayed engaged far longer than I thought possible. It was a miraculous experience.

Beneath my gratitude was the quiet understanding that this was likely Dad's last outing. I had borne witness to the Yang rising, and recognized it for what it was. The beauty of it was how it unfolded in the most natural and organic way. We didn't try too hard or overthink details, we just gathered together and poured our love into this wonderful man. And he rose to the occasion valiantly.

I am so grateful for the wisdom of this practice. It keeps me in tune with the natural rhythms of the world and the cycles of life. Recognizing what was happening allowed me to be even more present on that resplendent afternoon. The picture I have shared reflects our love and joy perfectly. As my precious aunt said of our day, "Ce sera gravé dans nos cœurs pour toujours." It will be engraved in our hearts forever.

Let's not wait for the Yang to rise in order to be present with our loved ones. We can call them, write them, and let them know how important they are. Let's give ourselves the gift of being present with them with all of our being. Then when it's time to let them go, we'll have no regrets.

May we remain ever vigilant to our practice. 🙏🏼

06/01/2026

Hello Sweet Friends ~

Last month, my dad started home hospice. Always wanting to share with you how the practice manifests for us off the mat, I thought I'd start a series of reflections called Dad's Diary. Following is an excerpt from my writings this morning, followed by deeper insights as they relate to the Six Bardos of Tibetan Buddhism.

*The house is quiet.
Dad is asleep, and for the first time in several hours, no one needs anything from me.
Hospice has turned our days into something that feels strangely familiar - sort of like having a newborn. The needs come around the clock. Every few hours there is medication to give, a blanket to adjust, a question to answer, a concern to soothe.
I am tired in a way that lives beneath sleep.
This morning, coffee in hand, I found myself thinking about the Buddhist teachings on the Bardos—the transitional states between what was and what will be.
The Bardo of Dying is obviously about the person who is leaving, and it also about the people who remain...*

In his book, In Love with the World, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche describes the Six Bardos (bardo literally means "in-between") not simply as states we encounter after death, but as transitional spaces we move through constantly. Every ending, every uncertainty, every moment when the familiar dissolves and something new has not yet arrived is a kind of bardo.

I'm not just witnessing my father's Bardo of Dying.
I'm living through one myself.
The daughter I have been for decades is changing.
The father I've known for decades is changing.
The relationship itself is changing.
We are both standing at a threshold.

Some themes from the Bardo of Dying that are resonating for me right now:

*Impermanence
It's easy to discuss impermanence in a yoga class within ideal conditions. It's something else entirely to witness it directly in my father's living room. The teachings don't change, but the intimacy does. I always tell my students I'm not just up here (at the front of the yoga room) offering nice sentiments - I actually expect us to put these teachings to use in the Life Practice. What do we do when the rubber hits the road? When these teachings are no longer abstractions and instead become hard reality staring us in the face at 2am?

*The Dissolving of Identity
In traditional descriptions of the dying process, there is a gradual dissolution—not only of the body, but of the identities we cling to. I am witnessing my father release pieces of who he once was. He, quite graciously, is letting go of his independence, physical strength, and mental clarity. At the same time, I am letting go of my own identities, no longer a daughter who seeks guidance, and instead the one providing it.

*Presence Is the Practice
One of the most moving themes in Mingyur Rinpoche's writing is that we don't need to control these transitions. We need to meet them. The invitation becomes: Can I be here for this moment? Not anticipating any outcome or the grief that hasn't fully arrived yet. Just this breath. This cup of coffee. Stolen moments in a quiet house.

*Love Without Clinging
Maybe the most difficult lesson of all. Much of caregiving is doing: medications, appointments, equipment, logistics. Yet underneath all of that is a deeper practice: loving my dad while simultaneously learning to let him go. Tending to his every need, seeing every moment as a seva (an act of selfless service) knowing that someday this privilege of accompanying him on his death journey will be past.

I have full acceptance around my dad's transition - however long it takes, and whatever may come up along the way. I'm not saying the process is without challenge. But it is manageable, absolutely a part of the cycle of life. I see my role, and I am doing my best to rise to the occasion. All along the way, I will share my journey with you, and most of all, share how this ancient, wise practice always rises to meet us when we need it the most.

May we remain ever vigilant to our practice. 🙏🏼

05/07/2026

I’ll be traveling over the next couple of weeks, stepping away from our regular class rhythm for a bit. [Note: I will be teaching my regular classes at Heart and Light Yoga on Wed. May 13.]

Spring carries a natural energy of movement and growth, and also invites us to stay connected to ourselves in simple, steady ways.

While we’re apart, you might explore:

• Gentle twists or side stretches to keep the gallbladder channels moving
• Time outdoors; letting your gaze soften on something green
• A few moments of stillness at the end of your day
• Noticing where the breath moves easily and where it might be more restricted

Your practice doesn’t have to be long or elaborate to be meaningful. Sometimes the smallest moments of awareness are the ones that impact us the most.

I’ll be looking forward to practicing together again soon. 💛

05/05/2026

Our Golden Hour Reads book club just completed Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Her beautiful writing inspired wonderful discussion in our group. We all shared favorite passages and many of us described a pining to know a culture in which living in symbiotic harmony with the Earth and her seasons was the way of life. I am sharing one of my favorite quotes below:

"The moral covenant of reciprocity calls us to honor our responsibilities for all we have been given, for all that we have taken. It's our turn now, long overdue. Let us hold a giveaway for Mother Earth, spread our blankets out for her and pile them high with gifts of our own making. Imagine the books, the paintings, the poems, the clever machines, the compassionate acts, the transcendent ideas, the perfect tools. The fierce defense of all that has been given. Gifts of mind, hands, heart, voice and vision all offered up on behalf of the earth. Whatever our gift, we are called to give it and to dance for the renewal of the world.

In return for the privilege of breath."

So powerful.

Our next read is The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay. If you'd like to join our book club, DM me for details.

Stay inspired!! ✨✨✨

Michelle Roy Yoga

08/28/2026

08/07/2026

07/23/2026

07/12/2026

06/21/2026

06/08/2026

06/03/2026

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