Welcome Marissa, our Front Desk Manager!
Everyone always told me to love myself. My family, my friends, my therapist…
For some reason–and maybe you can relate–I always had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of self-love. “But how…?” I would ask my mother, my sister, my best friend. “How can I love myself?”
Maybe the problem was that I was hung up on the idea of self-love as an abstract concept, rather than a practice I could incorporate gently–and gradually–into my daily routine. Over the years, “self-love” has come to mean many different things to me. On quieter days, it might mean setting down whatever weight I’m carrying to play with my cat or watch her sleep. (Okay, to be fair–this is something I do every day.) It might mean re-watching my favorite movie for the hundredth time in a month and refusing to feel guilty about it. When I’m not feeling well–either physically or emotionally–I hug myself and tend to my inner child. Self-love is opening the window in the morning, regardless of the temperature outside. It’s spending several hours in the kitchen, baking a cake that I will offer portions of to others but will most definitely end up eating myself.
Self-love is all the little things we do every day to tell our hearts and our bodies, “I am going to take care of you.” In my eyes, the most important act of self-love–one that I try to implement every single day, no matter how I feel–is movement. That’s where yoga comes in. Every time I take to the mat–no matter how sad or tired or simply unwell I feel–I walk away feeling strong and comfortable in this body of mine. My limbs have been stretched, my balance has been restored, and I can hold my head a little higher as I step out into whatever the world has in store for me.
I’m not saying it’s easy. It takes practice. Self-love and yoga are–for me–intrinsically intertwined. Sometimes I have to push myself to get up and move, reminding myself how much better I will feel when I am done. It’s hard work, but it is so, so worth it.
I am overjoyed to join the Yoga Sanctuary team as the Front Desk Manager. I am so grateful to land on my feet in a place so filled with warm light and love. I’ve had a crazy few years–as I think we all have–and I’m excited to continue my yoga practice as a part of this supportive community. I’m also excited to support you in your own practice, however I can!
I graduated from Smith with a degree in Victorian Literature months before the pandemic changed the world forever. That’s when the panic set in and the identity crisis began. Self-love–and yoga–have pulled me through the chaos of figuring out who I am and what I am doing with my precious time on this planet. I am grateful that I have been able to find moments of quiet and clarity amidst this chaos. I am a writer and an artist, and the 2020 lockdown afforded me a chance to follow my artistic passion and open an Etsy shop. I endeavor to create something meaningful whenever I can–whether that means writing a few pages of one of the novels I’ve been working on for forever, or drawing a forest animal decked out in Edwardian garb. I am mother to one very special, very spunky cat and so many houseplants that I’ve lost count. I take great joy in simple things. I dream of one day living in a tiny cottage in the middle of the forest. Until then, you can find me on the top floor of Thornes, waiting to greet you at the front desk. I can’t wait to meet you.
- Marissa
