Live Well With Michelle

LET’S TALK ABOUT HOT YOGA! 🥵🔥🧘🏻‍♀️ Hot yoga has never been my go-to, but there is definitely a time and a place for it, and the time is apparently after a c-section. By nature, hot yoga warms up the muscles quicker, increases flexibility and allows your body to move deeper into the poses. It can reduce pain and inflammation, tone and detoxify your body, and eliminate stress. It’s not for everybody, but if overall tightness is your problem, hot yoga *might* be the answer.

I was recently in Florida and my bff took me to . It was one of those things where you say, “I had no idea that this was what I needed.” My body is still recovering almost 5 months after the (complicated) birth of my daughter which followed a complicated pregnancy where I was basically on couch rest. I was not even allowed to do yoga for most of it (the yogi’s nightmare! 😩😩), and not moving my body for a year has really taken its toll. My back has completely locked up, my flexibility is reduced, and every muscle is weak. But hot yoga might be the answer for me. Who knew?! I opened my body wider, stretched it further and held it longer. My back pain was muted, and I remembered what it’s like to feel flexible again. It showed me a light at the end of this tunnel. I guess the main lesson here is that 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 🪷

Complete side note: is pretty cool! If there is one in your area and you think heated yoga or exercise could help you, check them out! The studios are set up with multiple sauna pods and some are set up for yoga, some for Pilates, some for rowing or spinning, strength and even barre. We have one in Greenwich Village.🗽 (Just make sure you stay properly hydrated and nourished.)

Can’t wait to start Baby and Me Yoga with my little yoga partner! I’ve already started some baby breath work with her and I can’t tell you *how* it works, but I *can* tell you that it works. 😌🧘🏻‍♀️🎀👶🏻 “Inhale, exhale.” It’s never too early to start!

I spent the weekend at for a yoga retreat and it was glorious. 🧘🏻‍♀️

I had a really difficult pregnancy, during which I was basically on glorified couch rest. I am now 3 months post (a very complicated) c-section, and I have been terrified to move my body. This weekend was filled with pranayama, gentle yoga, sound baths, meditation, yummy meals and everything in between. It reminded my body that it’s not all or nothing. I can start moving slowly again, and meditation is ALWAYS there for us. Even when we can’t move our bodies, we can move our energy, and that’s what really matters. ✨

I am filled with gratitude for everyone in my yoga circle, including all of you, who have been here since the beginning, through my silence, through the breaks. Yoga is a lifelong journey, and 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓼𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰. I can’t wait to share more with you all. 🖤

Wow, life comes at you fast and it just flies right by. I have been so quiet on this particular platform and here is why! 🤰🏻My daughter Arielle is 5 weeks old now. Swipe to see her on the day she was born. Again, my how the time flies. 🥲
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I wish I could have kept you updated during my pregnancy with all things prenatal yoga, but sometimes you just have to focus on what’s happening and not worry about the rest of the world. That, in a way, ironically, is yoga. 🧘🏻‍♀️
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I would love to know what you’ve all been up to lately, yoga-related or not. I’ll start. My pregnancy was filled with singing, gentle prenatal yoga, meditation, traveling, sound baths, a move back into Manhattan and a WHOOOOOLE lot of couch time. 😌 What about you??

My fiancé snagged this pic of me yesterday (👏🏻) and I thought I’d share exactly what was going through my mind at that moment: I had just turned to Greg and said, “Man, spraining my ankle really ruined my life.”

Oof. 😳

I severely sprained my ankle over 2 years ago, RIGHT before we moved to New York. The timing couldn’t have possibly been worse for so many reasons, but the saddest part is that ever since then, every time I exercise I can’t help but think about all the time I’ve lost, all the muscle mass I’ve lost, all the weight I’ve gained, not knowing if or when I’ll ever get back to my active lifestyle. I’m eager to get back to it, scared to make things worse and lacking motivation, somehow all at once.

In those moments, it’s so hard not to compare myself to everyone around me, including my pre-sprained-ankle self.
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✨ That’s when I remember to focus on what I DO have and not what I don’t. ✨
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This is so important because I believe everything is always in a cycle, and it’s either going up, or it’s going down. Sometimes all it takes is a simple shift in your mindset to reverse the cycle.

Just know that if you’re feeling this way, I see you, and you’re not alone.

Recovery is no joke and it takes as much of a toll on us emotionally as it does physically. But be kind to yourself. Allow yourself time to heal. Give yourself grace and forgiveness, but most importantly, 𝙁𝙊𝘾𝙐𝙎 𝙊𝙉 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘿𝙊 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘿𝙊𝙉’𝙏. 🖤

Oh hey everyone! I know it’s been a while, but I’m still here! Still practicing and sharing my yoga whenever and wherever I can.
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As most of you know, I made a big move to New York City to focus on my acting/singing career, and because of that I’ve been quiet on this account but I miss you all so much that I had to come back.
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I’m going to start teaching again because I miss it so much. I’m not quite sure what that will look like yet, but it’s coming. To keep my schedule flexible for shows/films/etc., I’ll hopefully be subbing at some studios around NYC soon, and I’m planning to do another 6-week course, maybe over the winter. As always, private lessons/group classes are my favorite (I love that personalized energy✨) so let me know if you or anyone you know would benefit from that.
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In the meantime, leave a comment or DM me with anything you’d want me to include in a 6-week course and I’ll start to put it together! If you were part of my last one, you know what to expect. If not, let me know and I’ll tell you more!
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In any case, it’s absolutely wonderful to be back here and I am so looking forward to what’s to come.
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Shana Tova to those who celebrate ✡️🍎🍯and Happy Fall to everyone else! 🍂🎃
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We have a great season together coming up. I can feel it. 🥰




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I just wanted to take a moment to stop and ✨𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙆 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙇𝙇 ✨ for everything you’ve done to help me in this competition so far! The cutoff into the final round is tonight. I have had some fierce warriors behind me, voting once, every day, through the $Warrior votes, and everything in between. Every vote counted and every vote means something. I’m still in 4th place, so, in case this is where my Warrior journey ends, I just wanted my words about yoga (pictured above) to be out there for you, just in case they can help you the same way yoga has helped me. Because at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about. I believe I am on this earth to spread sunshine and joy to the world through whatever means I can. In his case, yoga.

Yoga is not the same for everyone. It isn’t just about breathing or flexibility or how long you can hold your handstand. Those things serve their own purposes, of course, but at the root of it all, it’s about finding what YOUR yoga is. Whatever clears YOUR head and makes YOU feel like YOUR MOST AUTHENTIC, TRUE SELF. Follow it. Embrace it. That’s 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙜𝙖. 💜

The link to vote is still up and running (https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/michelle-oppedisano) until 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT, but at the end of the day, I hope you read the words above and take what you need from them. After all, that’s why they’re there, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖.

The divine light in me sees and is honored by the divine light in each of you. ✨ Namaste 🙏🏻

Still just 3 spots away from the final cut for 2022 Yoga Warrior! Two more days to bump myself up to first so if you’re inclined to vote and share, please do. 🙂 I appreciate all the support and voting from ✨ALL OF YOU✨ that’s gotten me this far, through two whole rounds of cuts. That’s huge and makes me so grateful 💓The link to vote is in my bio and also right here: https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/michelle-oppedisano. The next cutoff is this Thursday, 4/21, at 10 p.m. EDT/ 7 p.m. PDT.

My yoga journey has been wonderful, and even though I’ve had to take a long break since my sprained ankle last year (still recovering btw 🙄 - word of advice: get the X-ray AND the MRI even if your primary care doctor says not to) and my move to the big apple, I’m so happy to still be plugged into the yoga world in any way. This is a huge honor to be considered for.

No matter what happens, I’m grateful for all of you - my friends, family and followers. I will continue to spread the powers of yoga in whatever way I can, whether it’s through this contest or not.

Keep breathing, and keep finding whatever Yogs means for YOU 💜

Namaste 🙏🏻

Alright everyone! Thanks to all of you and your support, I’ve advanced to the Top 5 in the 2022 Yoga Warrior Competition! 🙌🏻🥳

I’m currently in 4th place, and I have a week to make it to number one in my group so I become a quarter finalist (then semi finalist, then hopefully winner!)🤞🏻

Remember that you can vote for free once every 24 hours using the link in my bio or copying and pasting this link 👉 https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/michelle-oppedisano and EVERY SINGLE VOTE HELPS!

Vote and share if you’re inclined, but in any case, keep breathing doing your yoga 🧘🏻‍♀️🥰

As always, thank you so much for being here and coming with my on my yoga journey. It wouldn’t be the same without all of you 🙏🏻🖤 Namaste




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W O W 😍 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙆 𝙔𝙊𝙐 so much to everyone who has voted so far. It’s working! I’m in 5th place right now to be the 2022 Yoga Warrior! I would be featured in Yoga Journal and win $10k to help share my yoga with the world. 8 days until the first cut, so please keep voting and sharing! The link to my personal profile is below and also in my bio, and remember you can vote once every 24 hours 😁
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https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/michelle-oppedisano
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As always, thank you so much for being here. I couldn’t do it without you all. 🖤
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P L E A S E 🙏🏻V O T E 🙏🏻 F O R 🙏🏻 M E

Hey everyone!

I’m in the running to be the 2022 Yoga Warrior!!! I would have a 2-page feature/shoot in Yoga Journal and take home $10,000 to help share yoga magic with the world.

https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/michelle-oppedisano

You can vote ONCE A DAY from today until March 31st, so please vote (daily if you’re feeling inclined 😀)and share share SHARE!

As always, thank you all for coming with me on my yoga journey. It wouldn’t be the same without you 🙏🏻🥰




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Vote for Michelle Oppedisano Who will be featured inside Yoga Journal magazine and take home $10,000?