In-MOTION with Michelle

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INTEGRATIVE MOVEMENT PRACTITIONER
•Movement•Breath•Adult Ballet•Nervous System Well-being•Workshops
Creating nurturing, welcoming spaces where movement, breath, dance & embodied awareness expand your capacity to meet your life with presence & connection. Whether through classical ballet or somatic movement, my intention is the same: to explore all the ways movement brings joy, connection, restoration, and nourishment to our whole being—body, mind, heart, and soul.

01/10/2026

Maybe mental health isn’t always about asking:

“What’s wrong with me?”

Maybe sometimes it’s worth asking:

“What else is there?”

Because when we’re struggling, it’s very easy for the struggle to become the loudest part of the story.

I’m anxious.
I’m exhausted.
I’m not coping.
I’m too stressed.
I’m not myself.

And before long, the problem can start sounding like the whole story.

But it isn’t.

There is usually more to us than the difficult thing we’re experiencing.

There are the things that bring us joy.
The people we love.
The music that moves us.
The things our bodies can do.
The moments we feel capable, curious, playful or completely ourselves.
The parts of us that keep showing up, even when things are hard.

Sometimes looking after our mental health can be about making a little more room for those parts of our story.

Moving to music.
Learning something new.
Laughing at ourselves.
Taking a breath.
Feeling our feet on the floor.
Resting without having to earn it.
Spending time with people who remind us who we are.

Not because these things magically make the difficult stuff disappear.

But because the difficult stuff doesn’t get to be the only story.

That’s something I love about both adult ballet and Restorative Motion.

In ballet, you get to be a beginner, a dancer, someone who remembers, someone who forgets, someone who gets it right, someone who absolutely does not. 😄 You get to concentrate, move, listen to music, connect with others and experience yourself doing something.

In Restorative Motion, there is space to slow down, breathe, notice and reconnect with your body.

Neither is therapy.

But both give us opportunities to experience ourselves in ways that have nothing to do with fixing what is wrong.

Because you are always more than the problem you happen to be carrying.

So this October, alongside asking “How am I doing?”, perhaps we can also ask:

"𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆?”

And then perhaps go one step further:

“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕?”

23/09/2026

Dance is more than just a workout for your body. Your brain is working out too. 🧠🩰

Every time you dance, your brain is busy.

Planning.
Remembering.
Anticipating.
Focusing.
Paying attention.
Adapting.

Your attention is constantly shifting between your body, your balance, your technique, the music, the rhythm, the timing, the space, and everything happening around you.

And somehow, it all has to come together at once, in a single moment.

Dance may look like movement from the outside, but beneath every step is a remarkable amount of mental activity.

With every new step, movement, exercise or choreography we learn, the brain is learning, adapting, and changing too. Over time, dance changes the way the brain works, with research showing differences in brain activity and connectivity among dancers, as well as changes in brain structure and function associated with dance training.

Perhaps that is one of the beautiful things about dancing: while we are busy learning combinations, finding our balance, listening to the music, and trying to remember what comes next, our brains are adapting and growing alongside us.

The body is moving.
The brain is working.
And somewhere in the middle, something new begins to unfold. 🧠🩰

09/09/2026

Many of us spend large portions of our days running on the proverbial hamster wheel of the mind.

(Over)thinking.
Planning.
Analysing.
Remembering.
Worrying about what has happened or anticipating what might come next.

And somewhere between the to-do lists, responsibilities and constant stream of thoughts, it is easy to lose touch with the body.
We can find ourselves moving through life on autopilot.

Movement can offer a refreshing interruption.

A sigh.
A stretch.
A yawn.
Rolling your shoulders.
Shaking out your hands.
Standing up after sitting too long.
Reaching overhead.
Swaying to a favourite song.
Taking a walk.
Dancing in the kitchen for no particular reason at all.

These small moments of movement can bring our attention back to the present. Back to the sensation of being in a body.

We notice our breath.
Our feet meeting the ground.
The movement of our spine...
And for a moment, the mind is invited to do something different.

It doesn't have to analyse.
It doesn't have to solve.
It doesn't have to search for the next answer.

Instead, it can listen.
It can pay attention.
It can participate in the experience.

Imagine giving yourself an entire hour of that!

An hour of music, movement, dance, concentration, learning, expression, play, laughter and connection.

That brighter, lighter feeling after a dance class?
You're not imagining it.

Movement, rhythm, music, breathing, coordination and connection can all influence the way we feel and help shift the state of our nervous system.

Perhaps that is one of the gifts of movement, of dance.
It takes us out of autopilot and into awareness.
Out of overthinking and into experience.
Out of our heads and back into our bodies, and into experience.

We don't always have to think our way through life.
Sometimes we can move.
And let the experience itself become the answer.

☘️ ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ ☘️
Looking for a way to spend a little more time in your body?

My Restorative Movement classes and Adult Ballet offer opportunities to move, explore, learn, connect and experience the simple joy of being in your body.

Come as you are. Move from where you are.

03/09/2026

Saturday morning can offer a welcome pause from the pace and demands of the week. Before errands, plans and responsibilities begin to fill the day, why not choose to start your Saturday with a little more intention - giving yourself an hour to move, breathe and arrive gently through 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 @ 𝟖𝐚𝐦?

Through slow, mindful movement, breathing practices and moments of quiet rest, we gradually wake up the body and explore simple ways of supporting the nervous system.

The practice is unhurried, with nothing to achieve or perform. It is simply an opportunity to notice and reconnect with your body, and become a little more present to yourself.

The effects of these small practices can extend beyond the session - helping you recognise when you are rushing or pushing through, reminding you to pause, and offering a little more choice in how you respond.

A gentle hour to begin your Saturday feeling more grounded, refreshed and connected.

☘️ Saturday, 12 September
🕖 08:00–09:00
📍The Space | The Willows
https://www.facebook.com/share/1ENjVG3WFo/
Escape Yoga Studio

01/09/2026

Spring brings a quiet sense of possibility - an invitation to pause and check in with the body. To notice what it has been holding, what may be ready to soften or be released, and where a little more space might be made for gentle shifts - and perhaps even something new.

So today, let your exhale do a little spring-cleaning. Breathe out slowly, release a little of what you’ve been carrying, and make space for something new. 🌱

28/08/2026

“𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒔.”

What a beautiful way to think about dance.

Because dance doesn't always need words to say something.

A gesture can speak.
A pause can speak.
A breath can speak.
A body reaching, folding, turning, falling, rising - can tell a story all its own.

Technique gives us the vocabulary.
But expression gives the movement its meaning.

Perhaps that is why dance can feel so deeply human.

It allows us to say something without saying a word. 💛

Like poetry, dance doesn't always explain itself. It invites us to feel, to imagine, to interpret, and to experience something beyond words - through the embodied experience of being human.

25/08/2026

We often think of movement as something we have to do with our bodies.

We walk.
We stretch.
We dance.
We reach, bend, turn and shift.

But there is another kind of movement happening all the time - even when we are completely still.

Every breath is already movement happening inside us.

Take a slow breath in.

Notice your diaphragm gently descending. Your lower ribs expand. Your abdomen responds.

Pressure shifts through your torso, and the tissues and organs around it subtly move with you.

Then you breathe out - and everything moves again.

In and out...
Expansion and release...

Breath isn't only about the lungs and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
It creates a quiet, rhythmic movement throughout the body, influencing pressure, circulation and the movement of fluids, while the fascia and other tissues continually respond to these subtle shifts.

And all of this is happening while we are still.

We don't always have to move to experience movement.

Sometimes we only have to become still enough to notice and feel that there is already movement inside of us.

24/08/2026

What if the tension you are carrying does not need to be pushed through - but gently responded to?

Stress and overwhelm do not only live in our thoughts. It can show up in the breath, the muscles, the way we hold ourselves, the quality of our sleep and the feeling that we are never quite able to switch off.

Restorative Motion @ Dusk is a gentle, body-based practice created to support rest, regulation and reconnection.

Through slow, mindful movement, breathing practices, progressive relaxation, stillness and simple neuro-somatic techniques, we explore ways to:

☘️ Release some of the tension held in the body
☘️ Deepen awareness of the body’s signals and needs
☘️ Support the nervous system as it moves towards a calmer state
☘️ Create a little more space around stress, discomfort and mental overload
☘️ Reconnect with a sense of steadiness and ease

This is not a fitness class, and there is nothing to achieve or perform. It is also not therapy - but the experience of being given time, guidance and permission to slow down can feel deeply therapeutic.

You are welcome whether you are navigating ongoing stress, burnout, chronic pain or illness, difficulty settling towards sleep - or simply feeling the need for a quieter and more supportive kind of rest.

Come as you are. Move at your own pace. Leave feeling a little more connected to yourself.

19/08/2026

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝.

The value of an hour isn't only measured by what you accomplish in it.

Sometimes it is simply an hour spent doing something you love - listening to music, moving your body, learning something new, moving your body in a new way, maybe laughing with others, and giving your mind somewhere else to go.

An hour where the to-do list can wait...

Where your attention comes back to your breath, your body, and the moment you are in.

It may look like an hour of ballet; or it may look like an hour of gentle movement and breath.

But your nervous system knows the difference between another hour of rushing through life and an hour spent doing something that brings you joy.

14/08/2026

Restorative Motion @ Dusk is a gentle, unhurried hour of movement, breath, stillness and simple neuro-somatic practices - exploring ways to help the body soften, release some of the tension it has been carrying, and support the nervous system as it begins to settle.

During the session we may explore gentle floor-based movement, breathing practices, progressive relaxation, body awareness, grounding and moments of intentional stillness. Nothing to achieve. Nothing to perform. Just an opportunity to listen to your body and move at a pace that feels supportive.

This class may be especially lovely to explore if you:

* find it difficult to switch off or settle towards sleep

* live with ongoing stress, tension or burnout

* experience chronic pain, fibromyalgia or chronic illness

* have had a particularly full or demanding week

* or simply long for an hour of quieter, gentler space.

And you certainly don't need to be struggling with anything to come. Sometimes we simply need to intentionally make room for rest.

There is something particularly beautiful about doing this work at dusk - that natural threshold between the activity of the day and the quieter rhythm of evening.

Come on your own, or bring a friend, and give yourself a mid-weekend pause to move, breathe, soften and settle.

What if you gave yourself one hour to gently shift out of the week… and towards rest? 🌙

Address

Pretoria

Telephone

+27832619634

Website

http://www.inmotionwithmichelle.weebly.com/

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