Join us as we shine the spotlight on the business owners, craft artisans, and makers of Castro Valley!
Castro Valley native, mother, and small business owner, Michelle Grady-Bressler takes her role in supporting the health of the Castro Valley community by offering an opportunity to heal and find mindfulness through yoga.
Her expertise of human anatomy and desire to help treat physical ailments from 22 years as a nationally certified massage therapist, led her to yoga. Michelle began incorporating movement and yoga techniques into her massage practice and received glowing feedback from her clients.
She decided to create a space in her home to teach classes, and thus, hOMe Yoga was born.
Yoga provides a wide range of benefits and opportunities for folks to incorporate it into their daily lives, such as improving flexibility, toning muscles, relieving body aches, or previous injuries, or finding clarity through meditation.
Michelle’s passion for aiding her students in their wellness journey is evidenced by her breadth of knowledge of how specific yoga positions can affect different parts of the body:
“For example, standing poses can build strength and stamina. Forward folds can quiet the mind. Backbends open the chest during, and afterwards you will have a surge of energy. Twists lubricate the spine, ring out toxins, and breakdown calcification in the back that can be built up from hovering over a computer or just having general stiffness…”
hOMe Yoga’s fundamentals course introduces alignment-based yoga, and classes progressively build on the last to support the Iyengar method.
Iyengar Yoga involves precise posture and breathing through specific sequences of body movements and props, to achieve mental clarity and physical alignment. Most classes quietly begin with meditative breathing and end with a pose focused on recovery.
It’s one of her favorite styles to teach because it supports holistic harmony for the body and mind.
“Right after an Iyengar class, I would feel the benefits. My body felt light, and my mind was clear. I couldn't get enough. I wanted to give my students this type of experience.”
Michelle tells us with everything rapidly changing in the world around us, yoga can help provide that much needed support to stay healthy and mindful:
“I feel like this is the most crucial time to continue my practice. Yoga helps me find stability. The method of yoga helps one connect with that place inside that cannot be affected.”
hOMe Yoga is currently offering virtual classes over Zoom. Setting up a consultation with Michelle simply involves sending her an email to begin the discussion of what you are looking for in a yoga class, and how she can help foster a nurturing environment for you to achieve your wellness goals.
“My intention is to build a community where we can continue learning yoga together.”
