In a society where external validation reigns supreme, we at The House like to look towards the champions of a different approach—the journey inward. Acknowledging the widespread sense of depletion and disconnection from our genuine selves, we sat down with renowned yoga and meditation teacher Marissa Rose Nash to discover the transformative potential of self-reflection and improved wellness through yoga, meditation, coaching, and holistic living. 

Tell us about yourself. In a world where women are the ultimate multi-hyphenates, how would you describe yourself?

I’ve always been a curious, open-hearted, spiritual seeker. Movement as a healing art is the foundation of who I believe I came into this world to be and what I believe I’m here to offer. I find myself as more of an introvert these days with the ability to turn on my extroverted nature for the sake of my work in this world. I’m a non-traditional artist, always open-minded, and willing to get my hands dirty for the sake of creating. I’m entirely grateful that the path of yoga found me over a decade ago and believe my soul’s mission to share the healing art of yoga was unleashed from my very first class. The nature of my work will always evolve, as its has before, and will in the future – but the heart of it all always comes back to the true intention of what yoga has to offer us all; personal liberation in this lifetime.

When did you first discover yoga – and what made you go head first into yoga as a career? 

Yoga found me after a winter break during my junior year of college.  I saw my friend Becca on campus  after our break and noticed that she looked and felt different. It was palpable, she was glowing –  so I asked her what shifted. 

She grabbed me by the shoulders and said “it’s yoga.” She then proceeded to tell me about a teacher off-campus who led heated yoga classes. I went to a class with her that week and after one class knew that I wanted to be on that yoga studio floor as much as I possibly could be. I asked my dad to borrow $2,500 to sign up for the yoga teacher training that same week and dove head first into yoga. 

After my yoga teacher training, I started teaching immediately and a few years later moved to Southern California to teach stand up paddleboard yoga on the ocean in Laguna Beach. My career began to thrive in Southern California with the support of a mentor and now dear friend, Anthony Chavez and the support of CorePower Yoga who quickly had me leading yoga teacher trainings, managing a studio, and teaching their top classes.

How did your journey evolve from a beginner student, to teaching, owning a studio, and also weaving in aspects like holistic life coaching? What were some of the challenges you experienced?

Yoga always came very naturally to me; to my body and my ability to teach. I was a ballerina as a child and it felt like my body knew exactly what to do and how to do it even in the early phases of learning the techniques and postures of yoga. After teaching for several years in California, I noticed that many of my students were coming up to me after class asking for life advice beyond their yoga practice. The questions evolved from “can you teach me how to do a headstand” to “can you guide me in finding a fulfilling relationship?” or “what do you think I should do about my life-sucking job?” 

I wanted to support my students in their entire wellbeing; on and off of the mat. I only knew two life coaches at that time, and I was only 24 years old, but I felt the call and I signed up for my first life coaching certification in Costa Mesa, California. 

I learned a lot in my training and immediately after graduating had several life coaching clients. I became a full-time holistic life coach weaving yoga, meditation, breathwork, and holistic lifestyle practices into my coaching with my private clients. Just before the pandemic, I was given the vision of The Well Studio in a meditation. 

“Elizabeth Gilbert talks about ideas having a life of their own, and when an idea lands in your mind and heart, if you decide not to catch it, someone else will. I decided to catch this one, to keep it close to my heart, and I knew it was given to me because it was something I was made to do.” 

I started The Well Studio digitally as an offering for my private coaching clients and eventually opened the yoga and meditation classes to others across the country to join. Still, in the middle of the pandemic I knew it was time to open the brick-and-mortar space despite social distancing and many studios closing. I felt Philadelphia needed community, and I wanted to create a space for us to still gather together. Yoga is a healing practice; and people needed healing at this time. I found our studio space on the first try. It was the very first and only building that I looked at and I signed the lease to open 3 months later. Owning The Well Studio has been my greatest challenge in my career but also my greatest work. I wanted to create a city-retreat space where people could rest their souls on their mats, be held by our teachers, be guided in creative movement in their bodies, and ultimately step off of their mats from practice different than when they walked in. I’ve learned through this journey that my work is in teaching and it’s been essential for me to have a Studio Manager lead The Well Studio so I can stay in my genius of teaching yoga.

With such extensive training and mentorship under various renowned teachers, how have these experiences shaped your teaching style and approach to guiding others through yoga and self-discovery practices?

After over a decade of teaching yoga and being mentored and guided by so many teachers I’ve been inspired by, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without their dedication to their own art and my dedication to learning and growing in the path of yoga. 

I’ve learned about the impact and intersection of yoga and psychology from Ashley Turner, I’ve learned the art of vinyasa krama and yoga nidra from Rod Stryker, the healing work of yogic meditation from Kia Miller, and the depths that mindfulness meditation can offer through Jon Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction meditation course. My decade of teaching and growing in this field of work has led me to the teacher and leader that I am today. My classes are an intermixing of the practices I love and admire most – kundalini, tantra, vinyasa, hatha, pranayama, and meditation. The elements of all that I’ve picked up on through teachers across the globe can be felt and seen in my classes, my trainings, and my retreats. 

What do you hope your students get out of your classes, free resources, coaching programs, etc?

Yoga is a path to liberation and my intention is always for my students and clients to tap into their own personal liberation, to drop the self-perceived limitations, and to uncover their highest potential. 

Yoga has taught me that the answers lie within me, not outside of me – and those answers can be accessed through breath, through yogic movement, and through meditation. In my classes, students often share revelations, breakthroughs, heart-openings, somatic release, and tears that are shed through the process of change and self-knowing that the yoga practice offers us. I see myself as a conduit offering what the practice of yoga is willing and able to offer anyone. I am just the guide; the student is the real shapeshifter.

How do you ensure a balance between your personal growth, friends / family, and the demands of teaching and mentoring others?

Truthfully, if I could add 7 more hours to every single day I would. I remember meeting with a Vedic astrologer in Tulum, Mexico and her reading my birth chart and telling me that time management would be my greatest task in this lifetime. I’d agree with her. I have big visions, deep relationships, many many friendships, an ever growing community, a loving family, and many passions outside of work that I’m continually trying to balance. 

My current mentor, Elena Brower, has given me essential pieces of advice over the last several months in regard to balancing my priorities and managing my time. Currently, this looks like prioritizing mornings as sacred for myself, starting work at 9am and not before, being intentional with every meeting and client session, ensuring that my travel schedule works for myself, my partner, and my community, and journaling and meditating before bed almost every single night. I’ve found that keeping my mornings, evenings, and weekends as personal time only truly allows me to work hard and intentionally during the week. Boundaries are everything and it’s taken me years to find a rhythm that works for me.

Your philosophy is big on self-discovery. What are some things you’ve discovered about yourself – either since starting, or in the last year?

I’ve learned to slow down in many ways over the last few years and I’ve learned that I have plenty of time in this lifetime for my dreams to come to fruition. The other day on my Instagram stories, I posted these words that I feel are more true for me than ever before, “There will be a time, a season, and a place for all of your dreams to come to life.” 

Learning to trust life and its ebbs and flows has been the ultimate pathway to freedom for me.

 I’ve learned to allow myself to dream big, to trust the timing of the unfolding, to revel in the process, and to hold hope for what still hasn’t found its way yet.

How do you see these disciplines (yoga, meditation, coaching, organizational leadership, etc) intersecting, especially in today’s fast-paced world? What does the world need more of?

I believe we’ve all been seeking answers outside of ourselves. We’ve been taught to look to society, social media, cultural norms, and the behaviors of our parents for the “best results.” However, so many of us also feel depleted, disconnected from our true nature, and frustrated with the lives that we’re living. 

We forget that we each carry the same potential to be co-creators of our lives. We can shift our mindset, we can design a new path for ourselves; it just takes presence, awareness, and willingness. 

The practice of meditation brings you into presence with yourself and only through presence and awareness first can we make change. The practice of yoga takes us right to the heart of our spirit; the real you that’s been there all along. Lastly, the practice of coaching challenges us to rise above our current situation, to tap into the potential of what could be, and to design a new pathway forward to what will feel more aligned and authentic for our lives. All of these practices teach us how to turn inward for the deepest answers to the questions we’ve been searching for. They don’t live outside of you, remember that.

If someone wants to dive into a more holistic lifestyle, where should they start so it’s not so overwhelming?

Turning to the dimensions of wellbeing as a first holistic lifestyle tool can be immensely powerful when you’re just getting started. The dimensions of wellbeing are the specific areas of your life that are impacted by the human experience – they include your environment, community, physical health, emotional health, career, finances, and spirituality. 

The first question to ask yourself is: Which area do you feel a lack of alignment? Follow that question with jotting down three things that are lacking in this area for you. Lastly, choose one positive action to take to get you closer to where you want to be in this area and then take that action within one week. 

We have the capacity as human beings to shift quickly, but so often we don’t know what to shift or where we actually want to land when we make the change. 

This practice will help you to identify what actually matters to you in each dimension of wellbeing and to make meaningful change getting you closer to where you truly want to be in your life. 

To keep up with Marissa, follow her on Instagram at @marissarosenash or visit her website at www.thewellstudio.org.

Credits:

Interview by: Carly Long | @bycarlylong

Photography: Courtesy of Marissa Rose Nash