MIMSY = Meditation in Movement Soft Yoga

There is a softer side of yoga that is just as important as an active practice.

We come to yoga to balance the body's masculine and feminine energies, yet many styles and classes devote most of their time to active yang (male) asanas.

Learning to “shift down” into yoga's yin-feminine energies is an important tool for finding the inner peace, health, and joy already within you. Embracing the idea that not everyone has to have a “hard body” or do a Sun Salutation or Headstand to be happy, healthy, and beautiful is a key to learning to love yourself intimately, from the inside out.

Somewhere between classical Hatha Yoga (headstands, shoulder-stands, triangles, warrior poses, and sun salutations), restorative yoga (prop-supported, long-held poses that require plenty of blankets and complex setups), and yin yoga (holding a classic pose, like pigeon, for five full minutes) lies MIMSY-Meditation in Movement. This style of yoga is accessible, enjoyable, and transformative for both beginners and those who struggle to keep up with other styles.

MIMSY is a profoundly healing practice for individuals dealing with chronic pain or illness. 

It is an advanced practice for those who are fit yet struggle to remain still. This practice naturally leads to a deep meditative experience. It offers gentle, surprisingly profound yoga benefits for your back, spine, central nervous system, and mind. This unique style of yoga is ideal for helping us slow down our hectic lives and restore balance.

Lanita Varshell, creator of MIMSY, has taught this method successfully to thousands of San Diego students since 1996 and has owned and managed a Yoga Center for over twenty years. Lanita has a unique way of bringing together students of all ages, sizes, and abilities, and she makes both slow and active yoga doable, safe, and fun for everyone.  She was one of the very first plus-size teachers in the United States.  Riddled with weight, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and serious back issues, she is living proof that anyone can successfully practice and teach yoga.  She has taught more than 18,000 group yoga classes and private sessions. 

 Lanita is an inspiring motivational speaker, yoga therapist, and writer.  She teaches live on Zoom, at San Diego Workshops, and at the Feathered Pipe Retreat Center in Montana. She is available for in-person private sessions in San Diego County or via Zoom.

Here are just a few comments from students about her classes and teaching style:

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Thank you again for the Sunday therapeutic and supportive class yesterday morning.
There was something for everyone!
~ Rose

Lanita Varshell shines as an example of a large body Yoga Goddess! Try her classes and trainings! A gifted teacher with incredible knowledge to share. ~Jean Di Carlo Wagner

 I wanted to share with you that class tonight was the best yoga class I have ever attended!! It was amazing! I had so many spiritual connections through it. I really relaxed into it in a way I have never been able to. There was so much peace, and my body feels amazing! It was a true gift to be there tonight. I cannot thank you enough. Your classes are always so good, the best I have ever attended. I am so grateful to have found you.
~ Kris L.