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Meet Michelle Voeller of Natural Harmony in Boulder

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Voeller.

Michelle, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my professional career as a high school English teacher in the Cherry Creek School District. I loved teaching and working with young adults, but after seven years, I knew I needed to follow my true passion, which is teaching yoga.

During this time, I completed the 200-hour Classical Hatha Yoga program through the Teacher Training Institute at the Community College of Aurora in 2004. I then began to lead yoga classes where I was teaching English classes at Cherry Creek High School as an after school club for students and teachers. I loved creating these weekly classes and felt connected with my soul’s purpose. I continued leading the Yoga Club while I worked there for two more years. Then, I couldn’t resist the pull of my heart leading me deeper into the Yogic path, and in 2006 I opened Harmony Yoga Studio in southeast Denver, just two blocks from my home.

Soon, a vibrant yoga community was alive and thriving. I continued my studies and completed a 300-hour Yoga Therapy & Ayurvedic Lifestyle Training in 2008 through the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga & Ayurveda in Boulder. This opened my life to the teachings of Baba Hari Dass, a silent monk & yoga master who taught the 8-Limbed Path of Patanjali. My world expanded more than I could imagine through Sanskrit mantra, breathwork, meditation, & yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda.

Three years later, I also expanded my physical space from the original single studio into space next door, which had room for two studios, a tea lounge, a spa treatment room, and my own office! I was living my dream, teaching yoga full time, managing an amazing teaching and front desk staff, booking wellness workshops and teacher training.

Harmony Yoga created and connected a community of awesome people who supported the space for personal, spiritual, and physical wellness for close to a decade before I once again felt the pull of my heart into my next step. I was itching for a change, and I had to let the studio go. With synchronicity, I found the perfect two women who were looking to grow their current yoga studio. It felt good to hand off my “baby” to its new owners, and at the end of the summer of 2015, Tracey & Heather, owners of Mudra Yoga, bought my business and merged it with theirs. It is still holding space for yogis after 13 years on South Pearl & South Holly Streets in Denver.

Once I let go of the studio, I entered a new phase of my career. I now had space to explore another pathway of healing arts, which led me to Reiki energy work. My good friends Susan & Jon Bernhardt offered Reiki Level One training at their home that fall, and I was hooked. Reiki was the next piece I was searching for after more than a decade of teaching yoga. It complemented the work I was already doing, and I could now help people on a whole new Ievel! I continued through Level Two and Reiki Master Teacher certifications with them over the next three years. I could feel this life force energy support me & everyone I worked with in profound ways.

After these life changes, I decided I needed to make a clean break from living in the same home for sixteen years, which I bought with my ex-husband. It was time for a fresh start. I had met a new partner in 2016, and together Joe & I moved to the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua with my dog, Daisy, for a new life on the beach. It was a huge step into yet another life phase. Even in Central America, I offered Reiki sessions and yoga classes in San Juan del Sur to travelers who passed through this coastal town that attracted surfers, backpackers and yogis from around the world. This time opened my eyes to how people from many other countries live.

Late April 2018, student-led, anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua, causing the tourist economy to collapse. Most of the yoga teaching and Reiki sessions I was leading ended within a few weeks as surf camps closed and Zen Yoga studio reduced its class schedule. Many of our friends were closing businesses and leaving Nicaragua as the protests became at times violent and unpredictable. It was time to come home to Colorado.

This leads us to Boulder, Colorado, where I have been living since the fall of 2018. I intentionally chose to move back to Colorado, close to my amazing network of friends and yogis, but to a new community that is a great fit for this 4th decade of my life. I’m now offering Reiki sessions and training at the Boulder Healing Hub, a co-working space for healers, bodyworkers, and therapists. I am also the Community Assistant there, which has been an excellent opportunity to network and collaborate with other like-minded people. I am teaching weekly yoga classes, special classes and will offer Reiki training beginning spring, 2020 at Soul Tree Yoga in Lafayette. I guide retreats and special events regionally and internationally, including Widespread Panic’s Panic en la Playa Nueve in Riviera Maya, Mexico in January 2020. I am spreading my wings in many new directions, and I am excited to see where this journey continues to take me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
What a journey it has been! Even working in the wellness world where things appear peaceful & zen, there have been many big challenges that tested my dedication to my path. Like many entrepreneurs, I have had moments of doubt along the way when things weren’t flowing well or when the stress of being a solo business owner just didn’t seem worth the rewards. Creating my path is not the easiest way to travel through life, but there are so many benefits of doing the work I love. The freedom to be creative and use my gifts in meaningful ways that help others continue to guide me through the challenges and fears.

Looking back on my journey so far, I’m amazed how my path keeps unfolding, but there have been large obstacles to overcome along the way. Owning the yoga studio was filled with stressful situations that come with having a physical space to maintain. After my beautiful, new construction builds out, the new studio floor had to be replaced after many stressful flooding events. The new floor had to be dug out TWICE to repair the sewer line below the foundation. Huge piles of dirt were INSIDE my new studio walls, warping the floors, closing the studio for weeks, but we survived!

Challenges still exist as I continue to expand and evolve how I use my teaching skills and passions in new ways. I am always in the process of self-examination and reflection. What fits my vision at this present time? What do I need to let go to focus on what I want to work on next? It keeps life dynamic.

Please tell us about your business.
I have been teaching yoga classes, workshops, training, & retreats since 2004. My teaching background is grounded in Classical Hatha Yoga with a focus on alignment and breath. My goal is that each class participant connects with his or her essence, purpose, and heart. I teach people how to let go of stress and tension in their minds and body. My decades of teaching experience create a compassionate, non-judgmental, fun environment. I can use my training in classical yoga to teach peace in any setting, anywhere, for anyone.

I bring this same sense of inclusiveness and peace to the individual Reiki energy healing sessions & training I offer. Energy healing is open to everyone. I empower my clients to work with their energy and set healthy boundaries as everyday tools to use outside of our sessions. The goal is peace.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am grateful for the following awesome people who have taught me so much in my journey: Sarasvati Buhrman, Ph.D., Ayurvedic Medicine & Classical Yoga Therapy, for opening my life to the whole, amazing picture of Yoga & Ayurveda & the teachings of Baba Hari Dass.

Susan & Jon Bernhardt, Essence Reiki, for giving me the gift of Reiki energy healing and yoga community. Their training and reiki gatherings have supported my journey into using this powerful healing modality.

Lauren Skye, Inner Connection Institute, for teaching me how to ground my energy & create my life with intention through her classes and spiritual community.

Joe Harris, my partner and my cheerleader during the hard times when I lose focus of the big picture. He encourages me to stay positive and follow my heart. To my tribe of family and dear friends who have supported and encouraged me on my journey. I am so grateful.

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Image Credit:
Jim Mimna Photography

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