In this video, the Pilates Collective hosts a public beading brunch to create beautiful, hand-made, one of a kind prayer malas to raise funds for women with breast cancer. The malas made at all of our Beading Brunches are completed and then presented at fundraising events with 100% of the profits going to our current recipient to afford holistic care during breast cancer treatment and recovery. You will get a glimpse of what Malas for Tatas is all about, volunteering, creation, community, and support. Included is an introduction to the mala creating process as well as a moment of intention setting for the project. It's all wrapped up in a great day of fun and friends. Volunteers from all over the Denver Metro area gathered at this event to create something meaningful together and build a community of wellness and support. Tyler Halkett of SoundBenders Studios came to capture the moment and created this video for our cause. You can find him at: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97i... Ig: https://www.instagram.com/soundbender... Music credit goes to: Hunter Reece Ig: https://instagram.com/iamhunterreece?... Music: https://song.link/sooodamnlong YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq4M... We are so grateful to you all.
What an honor! Malas for Tatas was featured today on The Warrior Way on 9News.
Thank you Natasha Verma and 9News.
Happy New Year, Friend.
It's that time of year, the time you're supposed to step up, lean up, build up, make new goals, and work tirelessly to obtain them. The problem is that all or nothing approach is an excellent way to feel over it all and burned out by February 1st.
I invite you to forget all that January jargon and instead gracefully and gently make your way into 2020.
Aww. Now, doesn't that feel good?
The breath you took and the tension that just dropped out of your shoulders looks good on you! Now smile and repeat after me -- I am enough.
That's right; you are enough, just exactly as you are today at this very moment. Feeling behind from all the holidays and time lost at work? Still enough. Did you add a few extra pounds because of holiday goodies? Yep, still exactly enough as you are, tight pants and all. Feeling guilty for not spending enough time with family or drained from too much time with them? Let it go -- the guilt, the pain, the need to be more than you are at this very moment, and start by simply remembering you are enough. Give yourself permission to love yourself exactly how you are at this moment. Then and only then can you work towards having the mental space, energy, and confidence to reach your next goal. There is nothing wrong with setting goals or working towards manifesting a beautiful new year ahead, but pace yourself and appreciate this moment.
Let it go -- the guilt, the pain, the need to be more than you are at this very moment, and start by simply remembering you are enough. Give yourself permission to love yourself exactly how you are at this moment. Then and only then can you work towards having the mental space, energy, and confidence to reach your next goal.
For 2020 I'd like to suggest to you a fresh way to approach the New Year. I propose a two-month bridge built to soften the blow and gently guide us into our best selves for the coming year. I'm not sure why any of us thought it would be a good idea to go from vacation and celebration mode with friends and family to strict diets, unrealistic resolutions, and significant changes to our routine. After all, the start of the new year does not take away the cold weather, lack of light, or need to feel comforted and cozy. Unless, of course, you live somewhere warm and sunny.
So for this January and February, enjoy your "Uary" Bridge. Think of yourself as a seed still nice and snuggly under the soil. You're doing the work -- taking in nutrients, getting watered, and even feeling the richness of the sun, but you have until March before you have to rise out of the soil and share yourself with the world. You still have some time to nurture yourself and others and take it one gentle step at a time. I promise that if you remember that you are enough, and set tangible and straightforward steps to reach your goals, you will have your best year yet. Real change comes from being consistent with small actionable steps.
Much love,
Denise
3 Gentle Ways to Enjoy your Uary Bridge:
1. Instead of jumping into a significant new workout routine that can feel jolting, try some at-home yoga videos on for size. I'm a huge fan of Yoga with Adriene. She just released a new 30-day yoga challenge, and you can jump on board today. If you prefer running or going to the gym, start by adding one extra day a week from what you're already doing.
2. Introduce one new healthy habit or business goal a week instead of implementing a major overhaul.
3. Nurture yourself -- give yourself lots of water, sunshine, and time to grow.
Chances are good you're probably already taking plenty of positive and beneficial steps to keep balance and joy in your life, so keep up what you're doing and slowly add next steps that eventually become second nature.
Bonus: Have some fun! January doesn't have to be the month of resolve and willpower. Watch a funny movie with a loved one, take a long winter walk, go sledding, dance in your living room, and enjoy the last few months of winter before a busy spring..
October is upon us and with it brings cooler weather, nature in its purest form, pumpkin flavored everything, Halloween and preparation for the holiday season. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and is dedicated to increase global awareness of breast cancer.
As you know, Malas for Tatas has been personally affected by this disease and is how “two sisters making their way through one of the most difficult challenges they had ever faced together, grew into an unbelievable community of support.”
Back on September 14th Dry Dock Brewing Co. hosted Malas for Tatas for our first Beads and Brews volunteer event. It was AMAZING! We saw some familiar faces and many new ones. We just want to thank everyone that helped us get prepared for our next few months of creating our beautiful mediation tools for future fundraisers. We couldn’t do it without you.
We would also like to give a SPECIAL THANKS to @drydockbrewing for sharing their space with us. The wonderful folks at Dry Dock Brewing Co. wanted to team up again for another opportunity to support Malas for Tatas and of course we said YES!!!
On Tuesday October 8th in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Malas for Tatas, Dry Dock offered to donate all proceeds from the evening of their Snickers Porter to Malas for Tatas! We are so GRATEFUL!
We would also like to give some additional shout outs from our Beads and Brew event…
To the friends we’ve made along the way, the new friends to us that day and a couple of our beautiful recipients Erin LeBel and Anne Conaway that offered their guidance to our volunteers – THANK YOU. Thank you Kristen for creating us our beautiful Malas for Tatas sign, we will display it proudly. We would also like to thank Tyler H with @soundbenders_studio for the support and creativity that he was able to capture around the event. Tyler generously donated his time and creativity to film and edit the video below featuring footage from the Beads and Brews event.
We are so grateful for everyone, thank you for the love, support and continuing to grow our community.
Update:
Thank you to all who made it out on October 8th for Kegs for a Cause at Dry Dock Brewing. Erin and I held down a booth with malas and bracelets for fundraising that evening that turned out wonderfully. We made a lot of new friends, all who were very excited to support our cause. A highlight of the night was a special Snickers Bar Porter that Dry Dock released that evening to raise funds for MFT, with each pint sold being donated to the cause. The live music from their open mic night was a lot of fun. It brought local talent to the stage and opened our eyes to the thriving music scene in Aurora, Co. They really livened up the night and during a break, offered Erin a moment to tell everyone about our cause. Overall it was a great night full of fun, friends, great music and exceptional craft brews. If you weren't able to make it out, no worries. You can still be a supporter through the end of the month by dropping a donation in the donation box at the brewery.
Here is a link to a nice image they posted that evening
Stacy Nelson
Get a glimpse of a fun volunteer event that we had this year at Dry Dock Brewing Co. and learn a bit more about the story of Malas for Tatas. A huge thank you goes out to Tyler Halkett of SoundBenders Studio for capturing our story and event with this great video. They're supporting the dreams and visions of many start ups, like ours and more. Be sure to give him a follow on social media. You can find Tyler Halkett at: You tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97i... Instagram: https://instagram.com/soundbenders_st... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoundBender/
Song/music shout outs going to: Roy Catlin https://roycatlinmusic.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5w1jw... Tour: https://www.bandsintown.com/en/a/1149...
Tiffany Kassab and I met at a wellness retreat in Taos, NM in 2018. She was a presenter there, offering short, daily workshops focused on connecting the group. It was during these workshops that I witnessed Tiffany holding the kind of space for us that allowed for vulnerability and also a lot of fun. I appreciated that she was able to provide that in a group setting and became convinced that her one on one sessions must be awesome too.
Some of her exercises were creative based, clipping away at magazines, creating the vision of our future best life. Others were more intellectual and emotional as we questioned what excuses were blocking us from reaching our most authentic self. She offered us each a journal to document our experiences during the retreat and encouraged us to write everyday.
As the week progressed we got to know Tiffany even more. She was brave and shared with us about her childhood battle with leukemia. She was stronger than i could have imagined, enduring two and a half years of chemotherapy. She is a warrior, who through it all, came out thriving on the other side. She still faces challenges like the rest of us and utilizes the tools she has learned to apply them to her own life and I think that is powerful and authentic.
I believe that with her experience, she will have the ability to truly understand where our recipients are coming from. I am confident that with her guidance you will be able to lead with your heart and bravely live your most authentic life. I am honored that she has offered to be one of our preferred providers.
Shannon
I met Megan when she arrived at a Malas for Tata's Beading Brunch, ready to volunteer. As a yoga instructor and Reiki therapist, Megan has several years of experience making malas, and she was prepared to put her skills to use. We were very appreciative of her beautiful creations.
In getting to know her, I felt that she would be an excellent fit for Malas for Tata's recipients. Her energy is warm and inviting, and she's very knowledgeable. She is a Reiki Master with seven years of experience and now certifies future Reiki practitioners through her business, Happy Healing, in Denver.
We talked over coffee one day about the benefits of Reiki therapy and how this gentle, energy work is perfect for patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She explained to me that our bodies are made up of energy. In fact, each emotion thought, and perception of experience carries an energetic charge, that without being dispelled can somehow "get stuck" and stored in our body. This energy, if perceived as negative or traumatic and left undealt with, can manifest into illness or possibly disease. It is energy practices such as Reiki therapy that can "unstick" these blockages and lead you back to health.
I have experienced Reiki therapy first hand and can only explain it as gently transformative. During a session, you would lay on a comfortable table in a quiet room with calming music or ambient sounds in the background. You remain clothed, the practitioner may or may not place their hands on you through the entire session. They're working with your energy field, opening up places that are stagnant and though they aren't touching you, you cannot help but feel a shift happen, possibly a old feeling or memory being processed in a new way. The result is incredible, you feel lighter, maybe energized but at peace. I always look forward to coming back for more.
Erin, my sister, and MFT co-founder, used Reiki therapy throughout her cancer treatment process and had an experience that she would explain as pivotal. It was during a session with her Reiki therapist that she felt an energy blockage in her chest that she could only describe as the inability to accept love. This was the first time that she realized that this was a pattern in her life and that it potentially contributed to her disease. It was at that moment, during that shift of energy, that she made the conscious decision to soften her heart and accept more love into her life. That is healing, friends.
So it is with my honor that we welcome Megan on to our team of preferred providers. If you have never tried Reiki therapy or are looking for a Reiki therapist, she comes highly recommended. I look forward to seeing her light facilitate healing our community. Thank you, Megan.
Shannon
Ashley and I met after being introduced by our mutual friend, Vanessa. Vanessa, who is a dear friend and plays a big role in Malas for Tatas, raved about Ashley's physical therapy skills after seeing her for an injury. My ears immediately perked up.
Ashley and I had the opportunity to get to know each other recently and wow, what a find. She is incredibly knowledgeable in the field of physical therapy and specializes in treating the pelvic floor. But that's not all, her approach is well thought through, taking into consideration all aspects of the soft tissue and its possible changes from either injury or related procedures. Another reason she stood out to me is because she is also a Pilates instructor. With her and I share that in common, I knew her understanding of movement gave her a well-rounded approach when treating clients.
As we spoke about her background, including years of study and experience, a very personal story emerged. She told me about a woman named Barbara, who was like a second mother to her. Barbara too was a physical therapist and took Ashley under her wing when she was in college. She spoke of the closeness of their relationship, how much she learned from her, and the great times they had together tailgating.
Ashley with her inspiration Barbara
She also shared with me that Barbara, her dear friend, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, after some time, Barbara lost the fight, and Ashley was forever changed. She knew then that someday, she would give back in some way, in honor of Barbara. So here she is, my friends, part of a group of excellent preferred providers, ready to give back to our community. What an honor it is.
Ashley is excited to help and thinks that her area of expertise can really benefit our community. The procedures related to breast cancer; lumpectomy, lymphectomy, mastectomy, hysterectomies, have lasting effects that if left untreated, can lead to chronic pain and possibly immobility. Physical therapy is often left out of the rehabilitation process by the medical community, leaving it up to the patient to take it into their own hands. Ashley is a wonderful resource, practicing in both Denver and Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
We are honored to have Ashley’s support as one of our Preferred Providers for Malas for Tatas. Please enjoy the video below featuring Shannon and Ashley.
Learn more about Ashley at https://yourstrengthwithin.com/
Tammy P. and I met in the massage therapy world practicing at Total Body Wellness. She immediately made a positive impact on our community. Not only was her bodywork remarkable, but she offered another layer of self-care for our clientele that I admired very much wellness coaching.
Tammy's journey to wellness was very personal. While in massage school, she experienced a car accident that not only lead her down the path of therapeutic massage but demanded that she make more significant changes in order to heal. She decided to explore nutrition and made great strides in healing her own body.
It was with that dedication to wellness that she became clear on how she could best serve her community. She underwent nutrition training and now offers wellness coaching to all for improved living. Wellness coaching with Tammy starts with an in-depth conversation, taking a look at your routines and choices, and offering alternatives that are practical and attainable. Then, once you become comfortable with the small changes, you can ramp it up. It's all up to you how much you want to change, and when you are ready for more.
One aspect of her coaching that I love is her food prep course. Tammy has some serious skills in the food prep department. She can teach you cool things like how to make tinctures at home to help you boost your immune system, or she can keep it straight forward and teach you how to meal prep to make cooking at home a cinch.
What I find really refreshing is her style of communication. Tammy is fun, she has great energy, while at the same time she will hold you accountable and be direct if you're you're getting off course from your goals. She is an excellent example in that she makes good choices for herself, most of the time. She isn't perfect, so she doesn't expect perfection from her clients. She is gentle and kind with herself when she goes astray and gives herself some leeway for fun in life. She does the same for her clients. To me, it shows that she is balanced and human, which is what I like in a coach. I think we could all use a little Tammy on our shoulder guiding us toward better choices and giving us a little nudge back on track when we've become a bit too friendly with the dessert menu
We are honored to have Tammy’s support as one of our Preferred Providers for Malas for Tatas. Please enjoy the video below featuring Shannon and Tammy.
Tammy Pietrasiewicz-Comprehensive Wellness Coach Denver, Co. www.tammyplmt.com
Last March my sister, Erin, received the news that her breast cancer was still present in a lymph node after undergoing over a years time of treatment. We were all floored, confused about why months of chemo and radiation hadn't eradicated the disease. Erin had to find the strength to rally and start her treatment over from the beginning. I knew that she was going to need more support than ever and the only way that I could show up for her in the way she needed me to, was to make sure I was handling my own reaction to this news in a healthy way.
Right around the same time, I was presenting a workshop when I overheard a friend mention her meditation coach. For years I had been trying to deepen my meditation practice. I felt like I was dedicated enough with my practice to see the benefits, but I wanted more, and I didn't quite know how to get there. I was intrigued at the thought of a meditation coach. This could be a really great way to stay clear-headed and calm during this next phase of Erin's treatment. I made an appointment immediately.
Carisa has a quiet space in a neurological remapping practice. I find this kind of work fascinating and I loved that meditation was a strong part of their program. On our first visit, she explained how meditation changes the brain. I had some understanding of how it worked but Carisa really knew how to break it down. She explained the different brain waves and showed me the images of a brain that was constantly in thought vs. a brain that was trained in slowing down and finding a resting state. The visuals were fun, helpful and affirming. We took some time to talk about breathwork and did a short meditation. This was just what I needed.
I decided to commit to her 16-week program. If I was going to get through this as solid support for my sister, I was going to need something to help me not lose my shit and be present with her. We met regularly, meditating for a short while, discussing my progress, and adding in new varieties of meditation I had yet to explore. I did my homework, a daily meditation practice with journaling, and immediately felt more able to manage my stress.
Carisa was a great guide through it all, not only explaining the process but allowing me to take ownership of what works best for me. She is generous in her knowledge, providing links to her guided meditations and offering reading material and a workbook to go along with each week. She put a lot of thought into her meditation program, and her passion for the work shines through.
I have recently completed her program, and though I know that meditation is a life long practice, I feel more equipped than before to handle my stress and anxiety. I can access the inner peace that I need in the midst of stress or fear of the unknown. I am more aware of useless mental chatter and ruminating thoughts and have the tools to slow down and come back to my breath. I also feel a lot more present with my family, friends, and clients. Whereas before, thoughts could really pull me away from fully experiencing a fleeting moment.
We are honored to have Carisa’s support as one of our Preferred Providers for Malas for Tatas. Please enjoy the video below featuring Shannon and Carisa.
Carisa Banuelos
Centennial, Co.
www.sacredandsimple.com
