Access Cafe

10/22/2025

Just had another amazing YAM session with Heidi's graduating Yoga Teacher Training class! What a great group, and they made some beautiful felt ornaments!

03/17/2025

Beautiful artwork from the March YAM yesterday! Next date is April 19.

02/13/2025

Found a beautiful poem to share by Jan Richardson today. Just had to share:

Blessing for the Brokenhearted

There is no remedy for love but to love more.
—Henry David Thoreau

Let us agree
for now
that we will not say
the breaking
makes us stronger
or that it is better
to have this pain
than to have done
without this love.

Let us promise
we will not
tell ourselves
time will heal
the wound,
when every day
our waking
opens it anew.

Perhaps for now
it can be enough
to simply marvel
at the mystery
of how a heart
so broken
can go on beating,
as if it were made
for precisely this—

as if it knows
the only cure for love
is more of it,

as if it sees
the heart’s sole remedy
for breaking
is to love still,

as if it trusts
that its own
persistent pulse
is the rhythm
of a blessing
we cannot
begin to fathom
but will save us
nonetheless.

—Jan Richardson

Send a message to learn more

01/12/2025

New Year, New You.

“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the capacity to be shaped, molded, or altered; neuroplasticity, then, is the ability for the brain to adapt or change over time, by creating new neurons and building new networks.”—Psychology Today

Hey Friends, I am excited to start 2025 with you. Thanks to neuroplasticity, we are always changing—we are never stuck! We can continue adapting and growing by raising our energy levels and magnifying our creativity and joy.
We’ve planned lots of activities for you to take part in. In the new year, I'll be conducting a sound bath on the third Friday of the month. Laura & I will be hosting Yoga, Art, & Meditation (YAM) workshops monthly. And Yoga for Grief will meet every 2 weeks beginning Thursday, January 16.

Sound Bath: The Sound Bath is the ultimate in relaxation after a long week. Set on the third Friday of the month, this experience is designed to raise your vibe and relax you into a state where your body can reset and heal itself. In our practice you will get comfortable—sitting or lying, propped with pillows or cushions on the floor—while I play my crystal singing bowls. While you relax, I will guide you through meditation, say affirmations, and/or lead you through breathwork. Some folks tune into my words while others focus on the music of my powerful singing crystal bowls. No prior experience necessary. Cost: $20.
Dates--These are the third Fridays of the month at 6:30-7:30pm
January 17
February 21
March 21
April 18
May 16

Yoga, Art, & Meditation (YAM): The YAM Workshops with Laura Layva & Mary Angel are designed for you to raise your vibe and get into your creative zone. We’ll start with yoga & breathwork to get loosened up and prepared for meditation. Even if you SWEAR you cannot meditate, these meditations are extremely accessible. Some sample meditations include: Trataka, or candle gazing, which strengthens your Third Eye and thus your visual imagination; Walking Meditation, and Sound Bath. Get into your flow state and let loose! No art, yoga or meditation experience required. All materials provided. Cost: $45
Dates--These are on Saturdays 2:00-4:00pm
January 18
February 15
March 15
April 19
May 17

Yoga for Grief
All throughout our lives, people and things appear and disappear. Sometimes these losses are overwhelming and traumatic. How do we handle the changes and carry on? We may not consciously realize all the losses we’ve suffered, but, as Bessel van der Kolk famously wrote, the body keeps the score. Memory is stored all over the body, so in order to process our grief fully, we must work with the body. These Yoga for Grief workshops use gentle movements to help students process and release grief in a safe and trauma-sensitive environment. The yoga is extra gentle and can be performed from a chair. Mary Angel Blount, MFA, RYT, is a certified Grief Movement Guide by Paul Denniston’s Grief Yoga practice. This class will be composed of a small group of caring individuals who are seeking relief from their losses. Together we can serve as a witness and help one another heal. Cost: $25
Dates--These are biweekly on Thursday evenings 6:00-7:15pm
January 16 & 18
February 13 & 27
March 13 & 27
April 10 & 24
May 8 & 22

Come start anew!

11/13/2024

Hey Friends,
Bliss Fest is this weekend! Come and join us in a variety of delightful events over the weekend. There's art, meditation, a sound bath, yoga, a breathwork circle, and a wire-wrapping class! All are designed to get you in touch with your creative self and to heal your weary body. We start out with a Sound Bath on Friday night and end with Candle Light Yin Yoga with Melita on Sunday evening. Check out the schedule:

Friday night, November 15
6:30-7:30pm Sound Bath with Mary Angel 🎶🔔🥣
The Sound Bath with Mary Angel is the ultimate in relaxation after a long week. Set on the third Friday of the month, this experience is designed to raise your vibe and relax you into a state where your body can reset and heal itself. In our practice you will get as comfortable as you can—sitting or lying, propped with pillows or cushions on the floor—while I play my crystal singing bowls. While you relax, I will guide you through meditation, say affirmations, and/or lead you through breathwork. Some folks tune into my words while others focus on the music of my powerful singing crystal bowls.No prior experience necessary. **This is a $20 Workshop. Not a yoga pass. Registration is required. Call if you need help registering. Cost $20.

Saturday, November 16
9:15-10:15am: Create to Meditate with Heidi
Create to Meditate with Heidi Sherwin is a fun and relaxed class to help kindle self-expression and enhance the meditative experience. Integrating the practices of mindful journaling, collage art, and Trataka (focusing) Meditation, you will be invited to awaken a Sankalpa (heart-felt intention) for the remaining months of 2024. No artistic experience needed! Heidi looks forward to sharing easy-going ways to alleviate stress and cultivate joy through art and meditation. This workshop includes art supplies. Cost $20

12:30-2:30pm Three in One: Wire Wrapping with Maya
You will make 3 treasures! Wire Wrap a pendant, make a bracelet and learn gemstone energy while making a Pendulum. All are welcome to join in this fun and informative 2 hour workshop!No previous experience is necessary.All materials, crystals, beads, findings, and wire are included.Tools will also be provided for your use.You are welcome to bring your own crystals, beads, and tools to use, if you would like. First, we'll begin with creating a pendant.You'll learn how to wrap crystals using a technique called cage wrapping.We'll be using silver colored copper wire and a genuine Brazilian Quartz Crystal point. Next, you will learn how to make a gemstone bracelet and to finish it off with clasps and crimp beads. Then connect the crystal quartz point pendant and gemstone bracelet together and they form a pendulum! We'll discuss the energies of crystals and how they can help us in our lives.We will also talk about how you can use your pendulum for guidance and to connect with your inner self. Whether you are new to crystal wrapping, jewelry making, and the world of gemstone energy, and pendulums, or if you are experienced in any or all of the above... join us for what's sure to be a Lovely, fun, and informative afternoon of learning and sharing! Cost: $60

2:00-4:00 pm YAM: Yoga, Art, & Meditation with Laura & Mary Angel
The YAM Workshops with Laura & Mary Angel are designed for you to access your creative zone. We’ll start with yoga & breathwork to get loosened up and prepared for meditation. Even if you SWEAR you cannot meditate, these meditations are extremely accessible. In this workshop we will do yoga for the Third Eye Chakra, a Trateka, or candle gazing, Meditation, and, lastly, painting with colored sand. Get into your flow state and let loose! No art, yoga or meditation experience required. All art materials provided. Cost $45.

Sunday, Nov. 17
5:00-6:00pm Breathwork Circle with Melita
Our breath has the capacity to heal, bring us back to the present moment, and help stabilize us during periods of intensity and stress. The best part is that our breath is always at the ready... always willing to serve us to help us heal. During each Breathwork Circle we will set an intention and then use the breath to relax your mind and open your body to allow spirit and a much needed higher vibration to help heal your body, mind, & soul from the inside out. You will leave feeling lighter and brighter!! Join us for a small intimate group of like-minded community. You are not alone in this world or the issues you are currently going through. Come experience healing in a safe space where you can be your truest self. Breathwork is an active meditation technique that helps breakthrough any blocks you have around anything that stands in your way of healing. It is an ancient healing modality used to release stuck energy, pain, discomfort, and trauma stuck within the physical and emotional bodies. This two-part breath specifically works to take you out of your thinking brain and bring you into deeper awareness of your body. Breathwork is extremely effective at connecting us to our space of higher consciousness on our path of healing. Beginners are always welcome and encouraged to join the circle! Wear comfortable clothing and come as you are. If you would like to bring a comfy blanket please do, but everything you need is provided for you at the studio. There is no physical yoga practice. We will be seated and lying on the floor for the active Breathwork If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to Melita: melita@zenfromwithin.com Melita has been leading Breathwork Circles since 2015. Melita is stoked to add these healing Breathwork Circles back on the schedule. **Breathwork Circles tend to sell out quickly. Early registration is highly suggested. Payment is made when you register. Sorry, no refunds. If you can’t make it to the circle, please send a friend in your place.* Cost: $20

6:15-7:15pm Candle Light Yin
Take your yoga practice on an inward journey, quieting the body and mind to encourage expansion at every level of your being! Delve into this deeply healing practice that is Yin Yoga opening the physical body to foster fluidity of movement and ease. Yin yoga stretches and targets both the deep connective tissues between the muscles, and the fascia throughout the body. The aim is to increase circulation in the joints and improve flexibility as the poses stretch and exercise the bone and joint areas. It also helps us to regulate the body's flow of energy. Yin yoga is slow-paced, with postures that are held for longer periods of time using props.
Cost: $15

Partake! Enjoy!!
🙏🙏🕉️💐
Mary Angel

10/19/2024

Thanks to the overwhelming response of dear friends, I have received LOTS of art supplies for adults and children! Thank you so much! Now I need to find a driver to Hot Springs, NC or donations for the bulk mailing. Also, if you still have new/gently used art supplies that you'd like to donate for adults and/or children, you can mail them directly to:
Terry M Thirion
Gallery 339
339 NW US 25-70 Hwy
Hot Springs, NC 28743

Terry is working with the elementary school across from her gallery, and she says that they are underfunded and often pay for supplies from their own pockets.

Thanks for your huge generosity. I'm sure it will mean a lot to these artists in Western NC. ❤💐❤

10/14/2024

To my artist friends:
With the destruction of the absolutely unique River Arts District in Asheville, so many artists in Western NC have lost everything. If you would like to donate any art supplies you are not using, I have a friend in Hot Springs, artist and gallery owner Terry Thirion who is collecting supplies. Please DM me for details. Thank you.

10/01/2024

Hey, thank you to my dear friends who have reached out to ask me about my family in NC. My mom, aunt, and sister & brother-in-law all live in eastern NC--the usual target of hurricanes. They're all ok, but Helene went west in the state and has destroyed dozens (hundreds?) of absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful places in western NC--whole villages like Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Hot Springs, Marshall, Mars Hill, Burnsville, Weaverville and of course the storied Asheville which might actually recover one day. But some of these places will never recover. They will become ghost towns, memories, like Runion, a tiny lumber town where the Laurel meets the French Broad. In the early 1900s, Runion built a dam across the French Broad which gave it hydroelectric power. So tiny Runion had electricity before the town of Asheville. The dam was washed out in the 1916 flood, and the town disappeared. There are still shells of some buildings almost covered with kudzu and other vegetation. The dam is now a rapid on the French Broad called "Rebar."
Do what you can--pray, donate, volunteer. Because over 400 roads are out in WNC--Weaverville is getting deliveries by mule--they are telling us NOT to come to Western NC. Mennonite Disaster Service is a reliable organization with folks on the ground already. A WNC friend recommends “BeLoved-Asheville” as a direct deliver charity with no overhead or fees.
Thank you. Thank you so much.

04/24/2024