Optimal Wellness Yoga

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Optimal Wellness Yoga Kristi Schwickerath guides a safe exploration of holistic wellness practices to find more comfort in your discomfort, whether physical or emotional.

Enjoy yoga, crystal reiki, and more. My path to yoga was a bit unusual. I had been living with chronic pain, the result of a car accident, for over a decade when I took a two-week trip to my parents’ farm in rural Minnesota for some rest and rejuvenation. On my first evening, we went out to a local pizza place in the nearest town, not something out of the norm. However, my usually very quiet father who is not into self-care or health care began to proselytize to another farmer about how wonderful this Yin yoga class was that he had been taking with my mother. After witnessing that I figured there must be something to this Yin yoga “thing.” I noticed enough of a shift in my relationship with the pain from just those four classes I took with my parents over those two weeks that I have never looked back since and it inspired me to become a Yoga teacher and therapist. Daily I incorporate the practices and principals of yoga to my life on and off the mat. I feel honored to be able to share my insights, experiences, and gifts with others to help them also find a little more comfort in their discomfort whether it is in the physical body, the mind, or the spirit.

I am excited to present at the 2026 Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR), taking place June 11-13 in Costa Mes...
05/03/2026

I am excited to present at the 2026 Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR), taking place June 11-13 in Costa Mesa, California!

This year’s conference features an expanded format that includes a full research track, creating a wonderful opportunity to explore both the practice and science of yoga therapy in one shared space. I will be presenting "Inclusive, Multi-sensory Yoga Nidra for Neurodivergence in Yoga Therapy" and am looking forward to cultivating connection with all of the amazing attendees and presenters, including Marsha Banks-Harold and Angela Williams-Jones ! Join me and register by May 11 to save $100: sytar.org

There are moments in the cycle when it becomes clear you are no longer who you were… but you are not fully who you are b...
17/02/2026

There are moments in the cycle when it becomes clear you are no longer who you were… but you are not fully who you are becoming either.

This is threshold space.

The Aquarius New Moon opens one of these doorways. Eclipse season amplifies it.

Aquarius asks us to release identities that were built for survival and step toward the ones rooted in authenticity, sovereignty, and collective belonging.

This spread uses the architecture of a doorway — two pillars and a lintel — to help you see clearly:

• what is completing
• what is emerging
• and what walks beside you as you cross

The liminal space between the pillars remains intentionally open.
Because the crossing itself cannot be rushed, forced, or fully understood from the mind alone.

It must be lived.

Save this spread to return to throughout the lunation.
You may find its meaning deepens as you do.





Yesterday’s Full Moon stirred a lot—not just emotionally, but somatically.I wrote about what it’s been like to hold all ...
02/02/2026

Yesterday’s Full Moon stirred a lot—
not just emotionally, but somatically.

I wrote about what it’s been like to hold all of that in a body that’s already navigating pain, vigilance, and very real world conditions.

This isn’t about “rising above” or finding a silver lining.
It’s about listening to what’s being asked of us when things feel heavy, sharp, or tender.

If yesterday lingered with you, the reflection is up on Substack.
Link in bio.





🌕 Leo Full Moon Reflection ♌Releasing what blocks heart-led authorityFull Moons offer illumination — not as judgment, bu...
02/02/2026

🌕 Leo Full Moon Reflection ♌
Releasing what blocks heart-led authority

Full Moons offer illumination — not as judgment, but as clarity.

This Leo Full Moon shines a light on how we lead, express ourselves, and take up space. It asks us to look honestly at where we may be over-performing, people-pleasing, or carrying responsibilities that were never meant to be ours.

Release, in this lunation, isn’t about “doing better.”
It’s about letting go of distortions that keep us disconnected from our own heart.

This tarot spread is an invitation to:
✨ reconnect with what truly matters to you
✨ offer yourself compassion rather than criticism
✨ loosen roles, beliefs, or patterns that no longer fit
✨ move forward with courage and integrity — not obligation

You don’t need to have done the New Moon spread to work with this one.
Let the cards meet you where you are now.

Take your time.
Listen deeply.
Release gently.





Happy New Moon in Capricorn and Sun in Aquarius. A threshold of earth and air.
20/01/2026

Happy New Moon in Capricorn and Sun in Aquarius. A threshold of earth and air.

20/01/2026

Find the tarot spread in my IG feed!

🌑 New Moon Capricorn-Aquarius Threshold Council 🌑This New Moon in Capricorn invites us into something deeper than just a...
19/01/2026

🌑 New Moon Capricorn-Aquarius Threshold Council 🌑

This New Moon in Capricorn invites us into something deeper than just a “new beginning.” It’s a threshold—a sacred pause between what has been and what is emerging.

While the Moon plants seeds in Capricorn’s steady earth, the Sun prepares to cross into Aquarius tomorrow, bringing a breath of fresh vision into the space we’re creating. This liminal overlap—Capricorn’s structure + Aquarius’ innovation—defines not just this lunation, but much of the year ahead.

We’re living in a time when many New Moons will be followed almost immediately by a solar shift. That means 2026 is full of these in-between spaces—transitions where the wisdom of one sign meets the invitation of the next. This correlates with 2026 being a 10/1 year as well. Keep looking for the thresholds this year!

And this particular New Moon is blessed with rare and generous cosmic support:

- Saturn sextile Neptune – You can dream, and you can build.
- Trine to Uranus – Change doesn’t have to mean chaos. It can be clarifying.
- Mercury conjunct Mars – Your voice has power. Speak your truth.
- Capricorn stellium – Commitment is sacred.
- Sun & Moon sextile Saturn-Neptune – Spirit and structure are working together.

To honor this powerful moment, I created the Capricorn-Aquarius Threshold Council tarot spread as a way to connect with the grounded wisdom of Capricorn, the future-focused clarity of Aquarius, and the planetary allies who are showing up to walk beside you.

This is a time to listen in, recommit, and take one soul-rooted step forward.

You don’t have to know the whole plan. Just start where you are.

As we cross into a new calendar year, I want to offer a gentle reframe.Not every transition is a clean break.Not every b...
01/01/2026

As we cross into a new calendar year, I want to offer a gentle reframe.

Not every transition is a clean break.
Not every beginning arrives with clarity.

In numerology, 10 marks a threshold.
Something has completed.
Something new is beginning.

The Wheel turns.
The Magician reminds us that we are not unprepared.

If you feel like you’re standing in fog right now, only able to see the next few steps, you’re not behind. That’s often how thresholds work.

May you move into the coming year with self-compassion, discernment, and trust in the skills you already carry.

✨ Save this if you want a reminder that clarity doesn’t have to rush.





As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on how much pressure we place on ourselves to feel “done,” “clear,” or re...
31/12/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on how much pressure we place on ourselves to feel “done,” “clear,” or ready for what’s next the moment the calendar turns.

But cycles don’t end cleanly.
They soften. They overlap. They ask for integration.

If this year felt heavy, disorienting, or exhausting, you’re not imagining it.
And if you’re not rushing into clarity, resolutions, or big declarations right now — that makes sense.

This was a year of endings, reckoning, and deep listening inward.
Integration is still work.
It just doesn’t look productive.

May you move into the next threshold with self-compassion.
And may you trust that rest is not avoidance — it’s wisdom.

If this feels like something you might need to return to, you’re welcome to save it for the days ahead.





Something new is blossoming at PIES.Rooted Resonance is our newest collaboration, weaving Marsha’s intuitive sound heali...
21/11/2025

Something new is blossoming at PIES.

Rooted Resonance is our newest collaboration, weaving Marsha’s intuitive sound healing with Kristi’s Rooted Rest Yoga Nidra to support your physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Join us this Saturday at 10:30 am ET, in person or online, for an immersive experience of sound, rest, and reconnection.

Then continue your journey with Rooted Rest Yoga Nidra on Tuesdays at 6 pm ET online through PIES.

Come exactly as you are. We’ll meet you there.

https://bit.ly/43B7yQC

I wrote something long and rooted.About remembering what we care for.About belonging to one another.About the quiet shif...
06/11/2025

I wrote something long and rooted.
About remembering what we care for.
About belonging to one another.
About the quiet shift many of us have been feeling.

If you’ve been sensing it too, I’d love to know how it’s moving in you. Drop your thoughts in the comments here or in Substack!

24/10/2025

The world isn’t slowing down — but you can learn to move through it with steadiness, clarity, and grace.

Calm in the Chaos is a 4-week online journey designed to help you understand how your body and mind respond to stress and what they need to return to balance.

Each week, we’ll explore simple, evidence-informed tools for nervous-system regulation through breath, gentle movement, and guided rest.

Early-bird pricing is available through October 27 (use code EARLY25), and we begin November 4.

If you’ve been craving a calmer way to meet the world, this is your invitation.

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Tuesday 07:00 - 09:00
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Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:15
Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday 09:00 - 17:00

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