I’m sitting in a small cabin near Mt. Shasta, California, looking out at the beautiful Lake Siskiyou—a place I never knew existed until someone told me it was where I needed to be.
From the cabin, with a view of the crystal-clear lake, I deeply inhale the beauty and the clean, crisp air. Breathing slowly in and out, I feel immense gratitude for the opportunity to visit this special place where I will teach future yoga instructors. Although it was a long and costly drive that required significant planning to leave my work back home, I’m so thankful for the invitation from a fellow teacher and my willingness to accept it.
As I take a moment to sip my warm tea, I notice that the tag on the tea bag has a message for me. It reads:
Peace of mind comes piece by piece.
And there it is, attached to my tea bag—a truth that is both simple and so true.
I was not searching for the secret of life, as I was when I was younger. Instead, I was invited to experience something new: a new location and a new type of tea. I accepted the invitation and was given a cozy cabin and a simple bag of soothing herbal tea. The message found me.
Reflecting on two decades of teaching yoga, primarily to newcomers who are either anxious or have sustained injuries in yoga classes or other physical activities, I find that these students are often brought into my classes by a family member or friend who encourages them, saying,
“This is where you need to be. This style of yoga is different.”
As a result, they confront their anxiety or fear of trying something new, of being injured or embarrassed, and they show up, usually just to appease a friend or relative.
Piece #1 – Accept the invitation and just show up—for yourself and others.
Upon arriving at any of my classes, students are told that all they are asked to do is lie down, get comfortable, and focus on their breathing. Most feel puzzled and confused, expecting exercise, but as they surrender to listening to my guiding words, they begin to experience a “shifting down,” a dropping into a state of present moment, of relaxation—a state they may have never felt before.
Piece #2 – Lie down and let go of the need to ‘do.’
The more they stay with their breath and trust the process, the safer they start to feel, and the more tightness or pain begins to move out of their body and melt into the floor. They begin to trust the truth behind my words:
It is more important to focus on the breath than on the asana.
They start to believe that the breath will lead them into poses when and if they are ready and that if the body is not ready to move into asana, that is ok.
Piece #3 – Focus on the breath; let the breath lead the way.
By being willing to attend a class, lie down, and breathe their stresses, pains, or emotional strains into our yoga room floors (whether it be a physical room or a virtual room), we all create a beautiful healing energy. This is a gift to themselves, which they then pass to others in return.
Piece #4 – Surrender into healing energy.
From this deeply relaxed state, these students begin to unravel their worries and fears as they practice conscious surrender. The mind starts to unite with the body and breath, calming both the body and emotions. Physical disturbances and old painful memories may begin to release.
Piece #5 – Where can you let go?
They begin to experience that the simplest poses are often the most effective. Although it may seem as though nothing is happening at any given moment, the longer one stays in a pose and focuses on connecting with specific body parts, the more space opens up for healing and renewal.
Piece #6 – Simple poses and longer holding creates a deep experience.
Peace of mind comes piece by piece. I’ve seen firsthand, with myself and with my students, that the many puzzle pieces of life start to come together when we begin to practice this method of letting go.
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Lanita Varshell and Diane Ambrosini of Gentle Way Yoga invite everyone—regardless of age, size, physical ability, ethnicity, or gender, to join them on this mystical land for a life-changing week. This week is a sweet invitation to slow down and become intimately present with what is: without judgement or distraction, June 14 – 21, 2025, “Pause, Reflect, Let Go, Repeat: A Gentle Way Yoga Retreat.”
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ABOUT LANITA VARSHELL:
Lanita Varshell is a soft, kind, mystic earth mother. She emanates love and compassion. Lanita is one of the oldest and most and respected plus-size, gentle and therapeutic yoga teachers in the United States. She has been a pioneer in the world of body positive, accessible and adaptive yoga.
Owner of A Gentle Way Yoga and Joyful Movement, she has taught yoga and trained teachers full time since 1996, and owned a busy yoga studio for over 20 years, all while living with chronic health, weight, and life challenges. She has inspired thousands of students and teachers to look at themselves and others through the eyes of kindness and love. In addition, she is an inspiring writer, public speaker, and yoga life coach.
Learn more about Lanita: agentleway.com