The word 'Yoga' comes from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj', meaning 'to join' or 'to yoke' or 'to unite'. Energetically, nothing is actually separate - meaning humans and divinity, humans and humans, humans and sport, humans and work, and so on, are all interconnected.

When we practice with a goal or intention, the mind, body, and spirit come together to focus on that specific thing, ensuring each decision we make and behavior we take is in aligned action for that which we want to achieve.

Yoga is physically and mentally demanding, requiring all parts of us. The physical of yoga, the asanas - is just one pillar of this traditional practice of discipline and compassion. Life is similar. A regular yoga practice, or even a heavily intent yoga practice not only ensures physical longevity and powerful bodies, but mental longevity and flexible minds as well.

The practice of yoga invites in the opportunity for unity, in more ways than one. Whether you are practicing in a group setting, unifying your energy with others; or you are practicing alone, unifying all parts of yourself - the act of yoga is unity in itself. There is no right or wrong way to practice - there is just practice.

Meditation is not a practice of silencing thoughts - it’s a practice of mastering your attention while you let thoughts live alongside it. Thoughts naturally exist in our brains because they are our survivor voice. Our consciousness is separate - it is the thing that is observing the survivor voice. Our survivor voice often talks us out of things and accesses past memories or mistakes to tell us why we cannot accomplish something, to put us in a funk, and ultimately hold us back from what we wish to achieve. When we take the time to create spaces between our survivor brain and our consciousness, we take back the power of silence and attention to quiet any doubt and move through life with more clarity and open-mindedness.

A regular meditation practice ensures we recognize the difference between the survivor and the consciousness, and ensures we stay mentally aligned on our path of success and abundance.

There are multiple types of meditation, but a handful of more specific types that Mari regularly utilizes are mindfulness, visualization, manifestation, and concentrative and loving kindness. These types bring the individual back to the present and help them establish a reality they wish to accomplish.

The word Reiki is a Japanese word (pronounced “Ray Key”). It can be translated into Universal Life Force Energy - or whatever name of source energy you subscribe to: God, Universe, etc.

Reiki is a powerful energy medicine that allows energy to flow freely and ascend within the individual to ensure alignment for harmony, fluid movement and focus. It does not require touch, pressure or massage. It simply uses the energy that inherently exists all around us to enact healing benefits directly into the individual receiving the medicine. (There are no pills, not teas… just energy.)

On a simple level, Reiki is a stress-relieving tactic for the body - it can help clear away emotional and mental blocks that are held in the body. One way stress is held in the body is through fascia, or a thin casing of connective tissue that is around every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in the body. When mental, emotional or physical trauma is experienced, it stays in the fascia, and can lead to more injury, depleted mental health, and struggling productivity or performance. Other means of stuck energy can occur in Chakras, or energy centers; Meridians, or energetic rivers through the body; and Auras, the energetic field than encloses the physical body.

Reiki helps stuck energy to break free from its confines and begin to flow through the energetic system of the individual, and the actions the individual is partaking in (sport, professionalism, daily life). When energy is allowed to move freely, the individual housing it or experiencing it flows freely as well.