For Michelle Schultz, founder of Firefly Yoga Loft in Wauwatosa, yoga isn’t just an hour of poses on a mat – it’s a lifestyle. That versatility is a big part of why Schultz got into yoga in the first place: As a frazzled young mom, she slipped into a depression and felt disconnected from her body.
Practicing meditation, learning about the importance of breathing and regularly moving her body was a way to establish a self-care practice in her life. “I had stretched and done a yoga practice here and there, but not really seriously,” she says. “When I started to integrate it into my life, my mind became clearer and more focused, I gained strength, and my physicality was coming back.” After teaching for several years in the Milwaukee area, she launched Firefly with the goal to help others do the same.
“We’re not looking to make yoga superstars,” she adds. “We just want people to feel at home in their bodies.”
These days, Schultz says she teaches 10 classes a week and attends her teachers’ classes. But even when she’s too busy to make it to the studio, she uses yoga to stay balanced. “In our chaotic, busy world we tend to think of yoga as a physical practice, but it’s so much more,” she says. “Getting out in nature to ground myself, taking a few deep breaths when I’m frustrated, taking a break from the studio when I need one – I can find aspects of yoga in all of that.”
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A Day in the Life:
4:15 a.m. Wake up and head to the studio.
5:30 a.m. Teach a Strong and Hot yoga class.
7 a.m. Grab a latte before dropping the kids off at school.
8 a.m. Eat breakfast. “If I’m not at Outpost having a smoothie, I usually have gluten-free avocado toast or make yogurt with granola, berries and honey.”
9 a.m. Take Harvey, a black lab mix, for a long walk. “We try to get 10,000 steps together a day.”
11 a.m. Head back to the studio to work or clean for a few hours.
12 p.m. Take a quick breathing break with a meditation app or walk around the block for inspiration.
12:30 p.m. Eat a light lunch while listening to an audiobook.
3 p.m. Pick up the kids and run them around.
5 p.m. Eat dinner. “I found out I have Celiac a few years ago, so I usually make a light gluten-free pasta with veggies or head to Wauwatiki, since their whole menu is gluten free.”
7 p.m. Pour a glass of Chardonnay. “When I’m not taking my kids to activities, teaching or attending yoga classes, I’ll hunker down at home with an old episode of ‘Schitt’s Creek.’”
9:30 p.m. Wind down for bed. “I like to dab essential oil behind my ears and turn on a red mood light in my room to promote healthy sleep.”
11 p.m. Lights out. “I’m always crossing my fingers I wake up in time for my next class.”
