where yoga, mindfulness and creativity meet
Our true wealth is our HEALTH - the saying goes. And isn't it true that when we struggle with health problems our quality of life suffers. The best investment one can make is investing in one's health, making SELF CARE a DAILY PRACTICE. Good health and vitality should not be a luxury. There is a lot we can do in every single moment of our life to support our amazing body/mind in its functioning so we live a happier, healthier and more peaceful life. Something magical happens when we begin to pay attention to our experience in a kind, non-judgmental and curious manner. There is nowhere to get to in our yoga practice; the invitation is to stay fully present with each breath and movement and to experience the natural quieting of the mind as it unfolds spontaneously. Join a group of women who practice for the same reason: loving self care and reap the many benefits of a committed practice. Let your yoga mat be your sanctuary as you ease and release pain, stiffness and fatigue from your body/mind and nourish your inherent ground of wellbeing. Classes are held on Zoom on Monday and Wednesday evenings @ 6:45 - 7:45 pm EST and on alternating Friday afternoons @ 4:30-5:30 pm EST and Sunday mornings @ 9:30-10:30 am EST. Each class is recorded and the recording link is sent out to members for later practice. Investment: $32.00 / month or $10.00 drop-in fee. A monthly iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation is also included in the monthly fee. Contact me through my website for further information. Upcoming workshops : Our Healing Breath: Breathing to Balance, Breathing to Calm, Breathing to Uplift and Energize.
Join me in person or on Zoom from the comfort of your home to rest deeply and to restore with this ancient healing practice. In the safe container of the practice, you are provided with tools to help you relax deeply, to release stress and to increase resiliency. Anyone can benefit from the practice of iRest - whether you are a seasoned practitioner or new to meditation. Integrative Restoration, or iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation is a modern-day secular adaptation of the ancient healing practice of Yoga Nidra. iRest is a form of meditative self-inquiry that research shows effectively REDUCES PTSD, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, INSOMNIA, CHRONIC PAIN AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY while INCREASING HEALTH, RESILIENCY and WELL-BEING and providing one with a GREATER SENSE OF CONTROL and SKILLFULNESS in Life. It is a body centered, guided meditation practice for SELF-REGULATION and SELF-CARE that nourishes qualities such as JOY, PEACEFULNESS and LOVING-KINDNESS toward yourself and others. iRest meditation can be practiced in a group or individual setting and is most often practiced lying down, however, one is always invited to find the most supportive position for the meditation. You can practice iRest with me from the comfort of your own home by joining our monthly iRest meditation on Zoom. Drop-in fee: $15.00, To book a private or semi-private session, please reach out to me.
Did you know that our hands and fingers are full of meaning and potent healing energy waiting to be tapped into? Mudras are ancient healing hand gestures that work on our energy body. An inner energy powers our body and mind, flowing through passageways that branch and intersect. This field of energy underlies our physical body and ensures its health and vitality. When the flow of energy through these channels gets blocked dis-ease happens. As you place your hands and fingers into specific positions you activate circuits of energy that have a corresponding felt sense in your body/mind since all areas of the body can be mapped onto areas of the hands. Mudras help release blocked negative energy that causes imbalance and disease and activate a vibrant, healthy energy flow. They strengthen the immune system, balance emotions and aid in mental focus and clarity. They are simple to do, promote self-empowerment and are always at your fingertips. They can be effortlessly incorporated into your moment to moment day-to-day life and are a beautiful testimony to our inherent wholeness. Contact me about private, semi-private or upcoming group sessions. Some of my Mudra sessions: Mudras to support the Breath, Mudras for the Heart, Mudras for the Emotional Body, Mudras to support the Mind, Mudras to open to Wisdom and deeper Insight.
The felting process is the entanglement of wool fibers with the help of warm water, soap and agitation. It is a slow and meditative process at the beginning, then comes the fun of massaging the fibers together, rolling, fulling, shrinking your work until you end up with proper wool fabric in your own unique design. It is MAGIC! Please find below some of my current workshop offerings for wet- felting to CREATE ‘one-of-a-kind forever’ pieces. You can visit/ like/ follow my Facebook page @ Designs by Marika to see more of my work, to place a custom order, and to find out about dates for upcoming events. I am also happy to offer one-on-one or semi-private sessions. Although a hat-making workshop is not listed here, I am happy to offer one should there be interest. Do you have an idea for a unique design to express yourself? Let me help you create it. With the holiday season approaching, consider gifting handcrafted gifts this year, such as a pair of earrings, a brooch, or a scarf. How about gifting a loved one with a felting experience? Gift certificates are available. I am fascinated by the creative potential of our hands. We do not need studies to prove that engaging our hands in a creative activity is deeply healing. Our hands are indeed the extension of our brain. Be it preparing delicious meals, digging in the soil in the garden, sewing, knitting or some other creative process - we come away feeling calmer and more grounded. Looking back on my life, I see how I always turned to a hands-on activity whenever there was a transition, a big change in my life. Hand-stitching, embroidering, painting , drawing and now felting have helped me navigate challenging times. To see the result of our work blossom from our hands is beautiful, grounding, balancing and deeply healing. Also, the observation that I felt intuitively drawn to self-expression through a creative process is proof again that something deep down inside of us is whole, complete and perfectly fine. It is our inherent wisdom, the aspect of ourselves that knows the right response to every situation in life and quietly guides us towards it. So I embroider, felt and draw and all the while stay amazed at the source of it all. Please check out, even Like or Follow, my Facebook Page: Designs by Marika. Why Marika? That is what I am called in my native language of Hungarian, That is what my Mom and friends in Hungary call me. It has all the warmth, familiarity and comfort one's native language naturally offers.
Learn to wet-felt a rose brooch with leaves and basic embroidery stitches. In this two-hour workshop, you will learn basic wet-felting skills while creating a lovely rose brooch with leaves. You will also learn embroidery stitches to adorn the leaves with veins and to stitch the flower onto a brooch pin. Length of workshop: 2 hours Investment: $55.00 (All supplies and material -pure Merino wool and pearl cotton embroidery thread- instruction and inspiration are included in the workshop fee.
In this workshop, you will create two pairs of earrings using both felting and embroidery techniques. The embroidery thread will be hiding between the layers of wool thus leaving the back of the earrings untouched. Length of workshop: 3 hours Investment: $65.00 (All supplies and material -pure Merino wool and pearl cotton embroidery thread- instruction and inspiration are included in the workshop fee.)
In this workshop, you will create an embroidered heart decoration using both felting and embroidery techniques. The embroidery thread will be hiding between the layers of wool thus leaving the back of the earrings untouched. After felting the heart, you will have a chance to practice/learn four basic embroidery stitches: running stitch, back stitch, French knot, and ‘lazy daisy’ stitch before embellishing your heart with an enchanted garden. Length of workshop: 3 hours Investment: $65.00 (All supplies and material -pure Merino wool and pearl cotton embroidery thread- instruction and inspiration are included in the workshop fee.)
Though this workshop takes you a step beyond the basic skills of wet-felting by introducing you to the use of a resist to create a hollow form such as a hat or a bag, it is completely appropriate for beginners. You will dive deeper into growing your felting skills by learning how to create a pattern for your project, the purpose of a resist, the even laying out of the fibers, and the felting process itself. Design the beret that says who you are and I will help you bring it to life. Length of workshop: 4 hours Investment: $99.00 (All supplies and material - pure Merino wool and pearl cotton embroidery thread- instruction and inspiration are included in the workshop fee.)