Find Your Lady Tribe

From Yoga Mat to Mentor: Breyanna's Nurturing Yoga at the Whole YOU Retreat

• Brenda Billings Ridgley • Season 3 • Episode 13

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We sit down with the remarkable Breyanna, who shares her heartwarming evolution within the cocoon of our retreats and out in the world. From embracing the role of an instructor amidst the challenges of the pandemic to fostering deep connections with participants, Breyanna's narrative is a testament to the transformative power of yoga and community. Our discussion navigates the emotional and personal growth that accompanies the physical practice, and how our retreats, set within the nurturing walls of the mansion, prioritize emotional support and inclusivity over the pursuit of perfect poses.

Embark on an exploration of self-discovery and courage as Breyanna imparts her wisdom on the importance of stepping beyond the familiar. She not only guides us through the art of surrendering to new experiences but also balances her profound role as a super mom with her dedication to the retreat community. Our conversation highlights the mansion's unique ability to serve as a sanctuary for both spirited group activities and contemplative solitude, crafting an environment where transformative experiences flourish. Join us as we anticipate the joy of reuniting at the next retreat, ready to witness the continued evolution of our yoga family and the life-altering journeys that begin within its embrace.

Learn more about our retreats at www.wholeYOUretreat.org/retreat

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Speaker 1:

hello friends. Oh my gosh, we're back again today to talk a little bit more about the whole you retreat and I am really happy to have, uh kind of one of my newer friends, brianna. But she has become close and near and dear to my heart and part of my tribe and I just love her. She facilitates and loves on people at our retreat, in our yoga room and throughout the house. You've taken our class throughout the mansion and I just love that.

Speaker 2:

So I want to just everybody say hey to Brianna, and Brianna tell us a little bit about you and what, why you do what you do, why you were drawn to yoga in the first place, and I actually work for an aerospace company and I've been a yoga student for years and years and one day our studio owner of the studio that I go to here had to cancel a class and I just jokingly, you know, responded with I can teach it. And then he said, you know, get certified and I'll hire you. And so I thought, oh, yeah, right, whatever. Well, then the pandemic happened and it started to become more of an idea of what I want to do this and, anyway, jumping forward, obviously, I I did my training and he did hire me and it I love working for him is a great, great person.

Speaker 2:

But but also I got the opportunity to come teach at the retreat and and it was, it was interesting because it's something that I knew that I wanted to do and the opportunity presented itself before I even tried to look for it. So that was really cool. And I feel the same way about you, brenda and Stacey. You know, and trust in who I knew a little bit before, but, um, you know, the women that are, uh, facilitating this are just incredible women and I feel really lucky to be a part of that. Um, but yeah, that's a little bit about my journey to teaching yoga.

Speaker 1:

Um, nothing, like you know, spiritual and any kind of a little bit of a boring story, but also it's not boring and your story is just being created as we speak and, just like you said, you attracted um our invitation to lead yoga at our retreats, you know, a couple years ago now, and you've been a staple since and everybody just really, really, uh, just, your classes are highly attended and people don't want to miss a thing. So tell everybody now, kind of um, what your like first retreat this will be your third one, I think coming up, or is it the fourth? It's something like that. Like that, yeah, um, and tell like the first time you were a part of it, what, what was you know, what was like, what was it? Aha, for moments for you um.

Speaker 2:

So the first time I don't know if you remember um, and I didn't really know what to expect. It it helped that there. You know that I had met you and Stacey and Tressen, but on the first day we do like a tour, and I remember you asking me do you want to do some tours? And I was like, yeah, please, because I really like to be, I like talking to people. These are all women too, which I was excited about that aspect because I really I adore working with the women and so yeah, so I kind of my first experience, my experience, was to try to get to know the women a little bit before we have them in class, little bit before we have them in class.

Speaker 2:

And I was a newer teacher then, so I don't know if my confidence was there, but I remember having people really enjoy class and that really helped me day to day and getting so when you're in a yoga class, sometimes you don't know the teacher, you don't really know everybody else, um, and so the first class that we do, everybody's been acquainted.

Speaker 2:

But then it's really beautiful because as the days go, you start to get to know people, you start to get to know a little bit deeper, like sometimes a lot deeper, which is is beautiful. And so as I'm teaching, I can really feel. I can really feel like I know these people and I can teach. I can teach to them just a little bit more custom personal, you know, in a custom personal way. You know, and I call them out my, my classes go anywhere from, you know very, you know, quiet and calm and serious, I guess, to like laughing hysterically, as you know we're doing things and and so, yeah, so that was my experience with that first and I was just kind of like figuring it out as I went, not figuring out the classes but figuring out like how to integrate the whole experience with the yoga classes. Yeah, awesome. Well, with that in that way, yeah, awesome.

Speaker 1:

Well, with that, tell us what your experience, because our um leaders that come, like you. Actually, what's really cool about it is we all attend everything. We all are part of each other's stuff, workshops and stuff so what was that like for you attending these workshops?

Speaker 2:

So interesting.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I know that, um, you know I had never participated in anything like that, but I think I told you this is something I have always thought of, not just a retreat for yoga, not just a retreat for, you know, um, wellness, but the two of them together and I tell people about how we have these workshops that you will you learn from.

Speaker 2:

It's not just you know this, these lectures there's, it's deep learning about yourself. And so that first, that first retreat that I was a part of I did the workshops, which were super, just, intense, emotional, beautiful, and I had the great. You know, one of my best friends attended as a, as a retreater, and so I got to kind of experience that with her, and part of what I'm doing today specifically really comes from that first, very first retreat in which I talked about just you know what I want out of my life, out of you know what I want out of my life, out of you know what I'm doing, creating all the different parts of my life and so and so, and then my friend Suzanne, she's also created a bunch from that very first, that very first retreat. So my experience has been just, yeah, really like a trend. It was a transition point for me, you know.

Speaker 1:

I love hearing that and I and I know that a lot of women come to our retreat at this place where they're kind of like not sure what's next for them, not particularly excited about their life right now and really want to change that, want to live again, want to start something fresh, and I just love you know, want to start something fresh, and I just love you know you and Suzanne's story and what Suzanne had created from the workshops that she's actually taken a year and a half a year later and she's doing it.

Speaker 2:

It's just so exciting, yeah yeah, and it was interesting because we both wanted to. It was in your workshop. We both wanted to create something that would support people in a way, not just women for me, I think it was more just women, for her maybe not, but you know she went on to start the curious card company, which is amazing, and we have a workshop put together um that we'll be doing at full circle and hopefully maybe at the retreat. But that's all stemmed from what she learned or what she put together. From that and then me, I was um kind of, you know, looking for more meaningful um connection in my life, because you know, I work for a corporate company which I, I love the company, I love the people.

Speaker 2:

I work with, but it doesn't give me the, the satisfaction out of my life and what I'm putting out into the world, and so it has enabled that that specific workshop has inspired not enabled inspired a whole bunch of things that I'm doing, and right in this moment I'm working, as you know, I'm working on with the yoga prison project to go uh, to go, uh, teach yoga to women who are incarcerated, which not something on my radar. That first, uh, that first retreat, but now has just become like a oh my God, that is exactly kind of what I wanted to do, you know, and it's, it's the, the training helps me so much, um, and then so, giving that, being able to give that, but I don't know that I would have gotten there if I hadn't been a part of the retreat.

Speaker 1:

It's amazing when you go a little bit out of your comfort zone, you stretch yourself, invest in yourself in a different way that maybe you don't feel like, oh my gosh, I can't spend family money or whatever on this kind of thing or whatever. But it's really not spending, it's an investment. And when you do that, the universe unfolds a path. That is incredible. And you just where did this come from? But it would never have happened had you not gotten out of your comfort zone, just a little, taken that step, tried something new. So it's just beautiful.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I feel like it's a trapeze kind, of right you swing. You have to trust that if you let go, that all of your strength, all of your learning, you'll find your way to the next you know bar. Yes, that's how I think about it, right, and so I keep keep landing on the bar that I'm supposed to be on.

Speaker 1:

Because you have faith in the process, awesome. So let's talk yoga a little bit more again. And what kind of yoga do you teach? And let's talk about, maybe, someone who has always wanted to but hasn't, you know, either done it yet at all, or they want to get into a habit but they haven't been able to get a practice started, and you know, what do they need to know?

Speaker 2:

Well, I think, first, if you've never done yoga before, I know it can be intimidating, and so first erase that out of your mind, because nobody is judging you because you're not as flexible as someone else. You know it is is I teach. I teach vinyasa and I also am trained in yin, and then I'm working on being trauma informed, trauma informed training for my next goal. But you know I'm very hands on, hands-on. I really love when I'm teaching, to start out, you know, with kind of paying attention to each part of your body. I like to do some visualization where you know we are kind of going into our body, bringing awareness to different parts of your body, being in to you know, grounded into where you are right now, and especially at the retreat right, because there's a lot happening for these women. There's a lot of emotion coming out, there's a lot of, you know, self-realizations, there's things happening there in transition too at that point, and so I like to, like I said before, kind of integrate those ideas you know into them to the person, help them, facilitate them to start to integrate it. I'm hands-on, I really love touch, and so there's always in my class there's always a decision whether you want me to, you know, do some hands-on assist or not, and it's, you know, doesn't hurt my feelings if you don't, if you need your space, but I think that's mostly probably what I'm known for in class, um is the way that I, uh, you know, bring that into the practice, because I also think that people are not touched enough in a loving way and people, um, you know, at the studio and at the retreat some of them have, you know, come had been in tears after I've done, you know, some touch, I don't know what you would call it Yoga, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

Adjustments or massages and I try to not to sound too woo woo, but I really do try to exchange energy and bring positive, loving energy into my touch. You know, and so you know, I know that because there's so much emotion going on that that triggers, and so I find I've never found anybody who's been, you know, not, uh, I've never known anybody who has been like please, I don't like this, this is not for me, right? Um, but it could, I mean anybody could say that. But uh, yeah, so my style is very me, genuine me, right, so I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna own, cause I, that's not genuine, you know, I'm not going to, I'm not going to own because that's not genuine, you know, I don't. The spiritual side is more of my genuine spiritual side, but I make room for everyone and for whoever there's space in my class for anyone.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, I really that's kind of my, um, my style, I guess yeah, and I've been to your classes and they're lovely and I and and it's cool because women who've never done it before, you know, are able to do it and not feel weird or that- like they're not doing something right, and and it's just you. Just, you have a very welcoming, welcoming class about you, and and so you know I'm there to support.

Speaker 2:

You know the person, one of my yoga teachers from training. She says I, I teach bodies, not poses, right? So that's kind of my philosophy too. It's not like doing a downward dog or doing a warrior, too, right? It's not about how you look, not about. It's about knowing, having, um, uh, awareness of your body. It's about, um, no, understanding that you are strong. But it is not about perfect pose. It is. This is not what I. I'm not teaching anyone, um, that that really is into that, and if that's what you're into, you should go to a different yoga class.

Speaker 1:

It's a breath of fresh air, though Even the hardcore yogis out there would enjoy the just to take it. Take it a notch of just being, you know, present, truly present, and and enjoying the movement with other women.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, exactly not that we don't get a workout. I don't want that to get twisted.

Speaker 1:

We sweat yeah, we work out yeah love it, so I know you love our mansion mm-hmm who doesn't, you who doesn't. But, and you have taken your class into like every nook and cranny in that mansion. So talk about the mansion a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so the mansion is what is it? 18,000 square feet or something, yeah, and depending on what time of year we've done, we've tried to do yoga outside, which can get a little bit cold, but last May we did some yoga in where did we go? We went up in one of the, on one of the balconies. A couple of us went up there just, and I'm available. So if we are having free time, I usually don't leave the mansion. I'm usually just there and on my off time I'm reading or visiting or whatever. But, um, so we I love to teach in the living room, because all those windows and all the nature, just right all the nature light, yeah, all the nature, all the light, yeah, exactly, the living room's beautiful.

Speaker 2:

Last time we did the candlelight yoga and we did it not only in the Gymnasium, the gymnasium or the racquetball court, but we also did it upstairs, which I really enjoyed. That dark, it's warm and you know know, it's cozy. Yeah, um, but yeah, there's. There's a lot of different. You and I were doing a little uh yoga in the snow that one time we did we that we were the one pose?

Speaker 1:

yes, yeah, it was just Brianna and I kind of later, maybe Saturday night, and we were in the in the Roman hot tub spa that holds 20 women but 20 people, but we were, it was just us and we're like look at that snow drift out there I. What did we do? Like we did plank or something like that in the snow.

Speaker 2:

I think we somebody dared us, you dared me, I dared you. Or your friend, your friend who was a retreater? Yes, I think she was like let's see what happens.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and we're not sharing the photos. We have a photo, but we're not sharing the photos.

Speaker 2:

No, no, no, but that's a good point. The Roman bath you know the Roman hot tub, which is just beautiful, and I posted a picture. I'm on Instagram you can look me up as Brianna DeMarco and my Instagram yoga page is Brianna Namastana, so if you're looking for that, you can find the picture of the Roman hot tub. You can find pictures of the mansion and you know some pictures of lunch and other things that I took when I was there, but we have a professional photographer, but these are my personal pictures that I took. Um, but, yeah, the mansion is beautiful and it's it's also one thing I really like about it. There's place for privacy, right, even if, yeah, and even if you are sharing a room, whatever you booked for your retreat, whether it's a single room or a double, double occupancy, it's really not, uh, it's not hard to find some space to be alone, um, with, like, there's um each the second floor. It has its own um, everything there library, library.

Speaker 2:

There's the whole, the living room or sitting room with that little kitchenette, and you know. So it's really. It's a great place for this kind of thing, for sure. Yeah, it's the best, and the retreat does. You know, there's a lot of emotion happening there. So being alone, needing time to be alone, might happen. Who have been, you know, emotional and have tears and releasing. You know something that happens in class a lot that release, um. So so, yeah, it's a beautiful place, beautiful place to do that, and it's got some good karma, got some good yeah, oh yes, yeah, bring it with us too.

Speaker 1:

So it is a very Zen space and we bring it as well, so I love that. So, just cut some final thoughts, Brianna, like give us a plug for the women who are on the fence or hadn't thought of it yet. Why should they come to the whole you retreat?

Speaker 2:

Well, I think you know, when you're you have the first, if you have the want to do something like this, if you're interested and you feel like your life is stagnant. Sometimes it seems unattainable Well, I can't take off work, or I can't. You know what about my children? Or you know, whatever the case, we can make a million excuses for ourselves, but, um, when, and nobody wants to be stagnant, but it can be hard to get out of that. So if that's where you are pulling the trigger, and just you know, coming to something like this will change your life. Coming to something like this will change your life, it'll change your life.

Speaker 2:

And so what I always say? I say this to my friends, actually, when they're like I want to do this, but I don't know, I say, you know, think about the end of your life. You know, are you going to be happy that you stayed home that weekend to do your laundry? And you know, just kind of another, you know, weekend of of the same old, I'm gonna do it and I'm gonna go out of my comfort zone and I'm gonna do what I'm scared of doing, and I think that that is where you'll be, because I think also this retreat is such a catalyst, so yeah, yeah, absolutely Well.

Speaker 1:

thank you, Brianna, for taking this time. I know you're super busy, you're like a super mom and you've got all kinds of things going on, but thanks for taking time to share with everyone today about.

Speaker 2:

you know your wonderful contributions to the whole year retreat oh, thanks, thanks, brenda, and I look forward to seeing you soon I can't wait. Okay, okay, bye everybody bye, thank you, thank you.

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Brenda Billings Ridgley

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