I am SO honored and grateful to once again share this space with one of my dearest friends and mentors, Tanya Rice!
Tanya first practiced yoga in 2010, became certified as an instructor in 2012, and almost immediately began teaching and sharing this transformative passion with family and friends. A few short years later Tanya’s dream of opening a yoga studio to the public was realized. Azitala is now something of a staple in the Elk River community and draws a wide range of bodies. People flock to Tanya’s classes and trainings to soak up that yummy energy! Her nurturing style inspires each practitioner to truly feel YOGA — that union between mind and body.
{Tanya is E-RYT 200, E-RYT 500, Module in Kundalini, Module in Yin/Restorative, Module in Yoga Alchemy, Module in Bhakti/Sound Healing, Pranayama, Grief and Trauma yoga, and Certified Reiki Master.}
{David M. Motzenbecker, PLA, ANFT; Founder, Motz Studios Forest Bathing Experiences}
I am delighted to welcome David Motzenbecker to a Sweet Spirit retreat space for the first time! I met David at a yoga festival and was able to experience firsthand the restorative power of connecting to nature through his guided forest bathing experience.
Motz Studios is a Minneapolis-based guide practice of therapeutic forest bathing walks based on the Japanese tradition of Shinrin Yoku. The firm is also a forest bathing trail design and landscape architecture consultancy with a focus on biophilic and salutogenic design, emphasizing the healing power of nature.
David Motzenbecker, Founder, is one of the global “Top Five Walk Leaders” of ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guides, a Forest Therapy Trail Design & Certification Consultant, and an award-winning Landscape Architect practicing since 2001. David has given over 190 walks to over 1,100 participants since 2018.
Motz Studios draws on David’s inherent curiosity about the world and his international expertise in Japan and the U.K. Fellowships in both cultures deepened his study of design, arts, history, mysticism, and spirituality – and their connection to nature. David brings his design expertise in landscape architecture to his guide practice, demonstrating how nature has been a place of respite throughout history, and how we might use the lessons we glean from the forest in shaping our everyday lives and places.
Motzenbecker is a visionary thinker, inspirational speaker, and expert at public engagement and facilitation. His awards include the H.W.S. Cleveland Award for Leadership Potential, and the Lob Pine Award (the highest award given in the MN Landscape Architecture community) for exemplary leadership and mentorship for the landscape architecture community over an extended period. All these elements have coalesced over the course of David’s practice shaping him as a designer, and now influencing the ethos of Motz Studios.
I (Amber) began my history with yoga over 15 years ago. I loved that post-yoga high and was inspired to become a teacher once I experienced the connection between mind/body/higher power. Teaching yoga feels like both a service to others and a fulfillment of passion and joy for myself. I teach a wide variety of classes and bodies but find that people connect most with my style if they are open to spiritual development and growth. I am first, foremost, and forever a student.
I was inspired to create retreats where folks could experience an immersion of sorts; an all-inclusive experience that could refresh the spirits of caregivers in our community.
In the words of Patanjali, “…with a peaceful mind you can go out into the world and serve well.” Join me as your retreat host and yoga teacher for a weekend of cultivating authentic connection in your life so you may continue to serve those around you.
{Amber is RYT 500; Reiki I & II certified; has Level I, II, III, & V Certificates in Thai Yoga Bodywork, and is currently training in Energy Medicine Yoga.}
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