31/01/2025
After losing my mom in 2023, last year was a time of recovery, recharging, and slowly stepping back into the world—at least locally (lol). It was a year of reopening to social interactions, meeting new people and communities, and gradually reigniting a steady flow of energy, inspiration, and creativity.
My mom’s passing wasn’t the only loss I’ve experienced. Life has been shifting at an increasingly rapid pace over the past few years, bringing profound changes in many areas—including my professional path. One of the biggest shifts has been the evolution of Yana Shala and the ways I’ve been shifting teaching and sharing.
In 2015, Barb Totzke and I launched Manifest Your Inner Teacher (lovingly known as MYIT among our students) under Yana Shala—a vision that had been growing in me for years. Over the past decade, we co-directed (more like co-parented) seven incredible, life-changing rounds of this journey. But last year, for both personal and business reasons, we hit pause. We placed Yana Shala and MYIT on an indefinite sabbatical, giving ourselves the space and time to reflect on our path, reassess what still inspired us, and listen for what wanted to emerge next.
This wasn’t an easy process. Yana Shala has always felt more like a living, breathing entity than a business—growing from conception to young adulthood by the time of our 2022 MYIT program. And just as it evolved, so did we. This period of introspection is still unfolding in many ways, but something powerful was set in motion during an immersive weekend in Austin last August. What began as a spark has now crystallized into a beautiful new collaborative project.
Yesterday, under the auspicious energy of the New Moon in Aquarius and the start of the Lunar Year of the Snake, we officially launched The Alchemical Nest. ✨ I’m beyond grateful to be co-founding and co-creating this online collaborative wellness space with my fellow alchemists— Barb Totzke, Becky Brigman Loggins, Denise Bustillos, and Zed Zaremba.
Whether you’re an alchemist seeking a home to create, express, and share your gifts, or a seeker looking for a safe and inspiring space to explore transformation, we invite you to join us tomorrow, Friday, January 31, for our launch and blessing ceremony. Come experience a collaborative practice with our alchemists—breathwork, yoga, contemplative relaxation, and guided meditation—and learn more about our vision and mission.
https://bit.ly/Launch-Ceremony
We can’t wait to share this journey with you. 💫
Douchka
