Ashley Manley, yoga + movement

I spent all today today telling myself to write something checking in on everyone in the December movement challenge, but I just didn’t want to.

Sometimes I get like that with social media- more tired of it than enthusiastic.

And at the end of the day, while it’s exciting to see a community of people commiting to move and make a small change for themselves, I know that 10-minutes really means nothing if YOU don’t feel like it’s a piece of a bigger part of your own journey. It really has nothing to do with me, it’s all about you. About what it leads to. And where it leads you from.

So, even if I’m not posting every story you tag me in or showing you every practice I do, know I’m over here carving out those 10-minutes because they matter to me. They are also allowed to just be quiet and mine.

I hope your 10-minutes matter to you, too….even if you don’t share them. I hope it’s more than “I said I’d do this, so I will.” I hope it’s for the love of it. And yourself.

There’s inspiration in those that share their journey, but there’s just as much inspiration in those that don’t. ❤️

And this is why I’ll never be good at social media 😂😂

Picture taken in Moab, UT sometime over the summer…because no pictures were taken today.

Happy Friday, y’all!

Weekends can be tricky because we get out of routine (in the best kind of ways!) and sometimes what works on a Tuesday doesn’t work on a Saturday.

Here are some ideas to help you move in ways that don’t require a gym or fitness clothes and the whole family can join:

Take a walk or hike
Have a dance party
Go for a bike ride
Play a game of HORSE
Play on a playground
Play Simon Says (with active prompts!), red rover, or tag
Have a nerf battle
Throw a ball or frisbee
Climb a tree 🌳

Please know, if you want to keep your movement time sacred and quiet, know it’s OK to tell the people you love you need some time to take care of you. Ask a spouse to take care of the kids for a few minutes or ask the kids to watch Elf for a few minutes alone and then fill you in when you get back.

You are important and loved- don’t be scared to remember that this weekend and take care of you ❤️

The last 2 months I’ve taken most of the last week of the month off of Instagram. A monthly reset of sorts.

Because habits happen and mindsets shift and likes become a thing that matter or don’t matter.

Last month I decided to set a reminder and turns out I set it for PM instead of AM and the whole day went by without me ever thinking of it.

This alert dinged as I was making dinner and I was honestly excited to see it.

Not because social media feels toxic or overwhelming right now, but because it feels nice to have one thing taken off my plate.

Hitting pause can look like a lot of things.

Like not filling up the calendar.
Like not watching the news.
Like reading a book.
Like a chat with a friend.
Like taking a walk.
Like 5-minutes of legs up the wall.
And like taking a few days off scrolling or posting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my US friends. Don’t forget to come up for air this week ❤️🦃

Fave pose forever and ever- Wild thing, I could write a sonnet about you 😍

Nothing makes me feel more wide open and alive than this backbend. It feels like an old friend and a new friend.

What shape brings you back to earth every single time?

This week’s yoga practice is 20-minutes and gets all the things moving. Join me ❤️

All Kinds of Flow (20-minute yoga class for a little bit of everything) In today’s class we do a little bit of everything- rolling on the ground, lighting up the core, a gentle twisty flow, active mobility and passive stretching-...

Anyone else feel a shift in what kinds of movement they want to do when it gets cold?

This week we’ve been in the mountains of East Tennessee and almost every day it’s been rainy and cold- my skin and soul were absolutely not made for this.

Either way, I’m channeling all the Hygge vibes with my sweaters and socks and hot tea and essential oils and slow yoga. My favorite pose is currently 25-minute savasana 😍

I also haven’t lifted my kettlebell once since we got here 😱.

I know we are going to warmer pastures soon where I’ll be back to my usual routine so I’m going to ride this wave and not worry about missing a week. I’m going to enjoy blankets on blankets in the name of relaxation because I see it as more of a gift over “getting out of routine”- I’m not making up for it next week or skipping meals in the name of punishment. Not how I roll, y’all.

But this has me curious- for those of you getting tucked into a long winter with the onset of November, how do you stay motivated to move when it’s so easy to stay under blankets?

Comment below to help me if I’m ever cold again and maybe to help our friends that know the winter movement motivation struggle all too well 🥶

Thank you, thank you, thank you 🍂

Yesterday was such an exciting day for me getting to hit publish on a short YouTube video that felt like the next chapter of my yoga teaching.

To everyone that commented, shared, and/or did the class, I have so much gratitude for you creating space and time for me to be part of your day. As per usual, I was overwhelmed with emotion everytime I saw a post, share, or comment.

I’ve said it about so many things in life and it rings true with this piece of mine: it takes a village.

A village to support each other.
A village to guide each other.
A village to to inspire each other.

Thank you doesn’t do how full I am justice, but today it’s all I have.

Some people get a post-yoga glow but here in the Everglades you get a post-yoga glisten!

This is the best “home” practice I’ve had in months and it was only 20-minutes.

There were holds. There were reps. There were long pauses in child’s pose. It👏felt👏like👏gold.

I repeated a variation of Sun Salutation A over and over and in ever felt bored and I moved all the joints from head to toe.

Showing up is hard, showing up is worth it.