Brianna Welke Yoga

Ojai Retreat ☀️ March 30th-April 2nd

The retreat is all about relaxing into your body, expanding your heart, and clearing your mind. Expect deep breaths, the feel of a light spirit, and to be beautifully nourished.

Spots are already filling up, I can’t wait to see you during springtime in magical Ojai ✨

There is a heaviness in my heart and in the pit of my stomach this week. What I had secretly hoped for our country’s quarantine time was reflection and peace. But instead we continue to see people of color killed unjustly. The meditative practice of yoga has always been to lift the veil from our eyes so that we can see more clearly and tell the difference between what is real and what is not. And the long tradition of putting these realizations into action is kriya and karma yoga. It’s time to do just that. I’ve been reflecting on ways in which I unconsciously perpetuate systems of oppressions and I encourage you to do the same. I’ve been guided by work and .cargle in this work. In addition, I plan continue to donate a percentage of my class fees, but now more directly to organizations that support black lives and people of color.

In contrast to the heaviness, my child turned 2 yesterday and we celebrated with excitement and joy! Dancing, playing, and greeting another phase of growth and development. I am deeply appreciating my yoga practice as one that is able to help me integrate all of the joy and all of the pain.

All online classes resume this week:
Sunday 9am Slow Flow
Tuesday 8:15am Flow
Thursday 12pm Flow

To join class: DM your email address to me. and tell me which classes you'd like to sign up for and you'll receive a confirmation. On the day of class you’ll receive a link to Zoom meeting and Spotify Playlist one hour before class begins. All classes are donation-based via Venmo -welke no one is turned away, which means if you are unable to pay- you are still invited and no questions will be asked.

ONLINE SCHEDULE
Sunday 9:30am Slow Flow
Tuesday 9am Flow
Thursday 12pm Flow

There will be breathing, mudras, moving our bodies together and more.
How to join: send me an email at [email protected] and you’ll receive a link to Zoom and Spotify Playlist. All classes are donation based via Venmo -welke and no one is turned away.
I am so pleasantly surprised and LOVING online classes with you all. It’s wrapped me in a sense of comfort, normalcy and positivity. I can’t wait to share this space with you this week!

First full moon with Indy here (1 month old!)
🌕🌖🌓🌒🌑🌘🌗🌔🌕
Best part? All of it. Baby snuggles, being loved and cared for together, showing him all sorts of firsts, waking up in the middle of the night and realizing how much I missed him. And introducing him to his friends and family.
Hardest part? The struggle to boost milk supply, finding our own boundaries and limitations in this tender time, and these newfound witching hours 😳

We are overjoyed to announce the birth of Indy Matilija Turpin, born Tuesday, May 29th at 12:54pm weighing 7 pounds and 13 ounces at 21 inches long. He came out via c-section screaming to announce his arrival by the same doctor and nurse that delivers Jai and both Ryan and Olivia were present in the OR at his birth. We all cried tears of joy as the doctor described his nearly perfect Apgar score and his full head of hair. They placed Indy on my chest within a minute or so and we stared lovingly and somewhat stunned at his perfection.
We spent 4 days in the hospital (routine for c sections) and were cared for by wonderful nurses, visited by friends and family. We are trying to listen to the sage advise of others to sleep when the baby sleeps and to keep him skin to skin. So far Indy is a very chill baby who loves being held. Every day he is awake wide-eyed more and you can see him learning and taking the world in moment by moment.
Brining Indy home has been such an amazing experience for us, we are so happy!!

Sit in stillness🧘🏽‍♀️Take a deep breath
I have a busy day but not too busy to forget those essentials
I am teaching tonight 5:30-6:45 Yoga 1-2 with therapy balls, you’re going to feel so good after. Think self massage, gentle stretch, and good music.

Chances for us to practice together at some of my favorite places...
Sunday (tomorrow!) 10-11am SB for a heart-flow class
Thursday 5:30-6:45pm Yoga roll out

I maintain a full teaching schedule but very few classes are public offerings, I’m so happy to share these with you when I can 💗

Come join me for a Grounding Flow this Sunday from 10-11am at the lululemon store in Santa Barbara.
Yoga is an amazing practice of moving our bodies and moving energy. Maybe you’ve noticed you leave yoga class and feel balanced and refreshed. In this class will focus on grounding our energy, that is establishing a firm foundation in our values and sense of self. Grounding can be simply standing on the ground barefoot connecting to the stability of the earth beneath you, in our practice we will explore this and so much more through a yoga, mantra, and meditation practice that will leave you firmly rooted in your self. This class has no charge.

This is a really beautiful photo my husband took of me less than 2 years ago. I didn’t post it because I thought my butt looked weird in it. Since then I have gained and lost 45 pounds, been cut wide open in all ways including actually being cut open surgically, then emotionally, then finally spiritually. Here I am, growing a second human, and looking at this photo thinking it’s actually pretty perfect. Sometimes you just need some perspective. My optimistic wish is that we all find a short cut there, but often we’ve got to take the long way around. And that’s ok too. 📷

Thank you to so many people who have texted, called, sent gifts, sent love our way as we approach Baby Jai’s birthday, February 24th. It marks so much in our life. The longest, hardest, most treacherous and unforgiving year I’ve ever known. And the most beautiful, miraculous, year full of blessings and love. The love we felt with Jai blew our hearts open. And for this whole year our friends and family kept opening and filling our hearts. I feel mostly celebratory for Jai’s birthday, with grief you never ever know how feelings will sneak up on you though. I am open to it all. When you live with the love and pain every moment of every day it’s hard to know what to expect on an anniversary like this. I feel warm hearted to know we brought him into this world to do what he needed to do and amazed that a full year has passed. In the beginning time moved unbelievably slowly, a minute would feel like an hour, an hour would feel like a whole day. That is how pain and grief manipulate time. I don’t know why that is but it felt like it would last forever. Making it through a year feels selfishly like a momentous celebration. I made it through a year of unbelievable pain! I can do anything!
But I still keep coming back to the fact that it is his birthday, that it will always be his special day, and that we’ll celebrate it for the rest of our lives.

❤️ I love this love day ❤️
❣️We celebrate our cohabitants day today, Ryan left LA for Seattle to live with me 8 years ago because I told him being in a long distance relationship prevented me from being present. He put his stuff in storage, got in his car and came to Seattle. We’ve been cohabitating with each other ever since❣️
❣️We celebrate baby Jai’s due date 1 year anniversary today. Although he was cozy so he stayed in for another 10 days❣️

May you be held in compassion.
May your pain and sorrow be eased.
May your heart be at peace.

Our meditation & practice this morning dedicated to our friends and community effected by the mudslide, flood and fire.

Inspired by
Fundraiser by @ Santa Barbara, California

It’s been a while since I’ve had a public offering, for a long time I just wasn’t ready. I knew someday the energy would shift and here I am, so ready to share 🌟 here come 2 opportunities for us to be together this week:

Sunday 2/11 9-10am at the Rose Garden in Santa Barbara, Thomas Fire & Flood Fundraiser with & . A donation based yoga class taught by Gabby, followed by a meditation by me, then snacks by

Tuesday 2/13 5:30-6:45 I’ll be subbing yoga 1/2 therapy balls for

How will my next offerings manifest? I am currently searching for the answer to that, just know they are on their way!

We’re having another baby!!Pregnancy after loss comes with a lot of feelings but I’m so pleasantly surprised that most of those feelings are positive and happy ones. I’m feeling that I’m pretty good at being pregnant at this point, so things are a little bit easier this time, and that we already know how amazing it is to be parents and we can’t wait to do it again.

Resilience was the theme of my 2 hour class yesterday. How do we prepare for the unknown? My experience of loss and grief has shown me that in addition to the many reasons that we choose to practice yoga, one of them is one we don’t often think or talk about, which is to fortify ourselves for the future. We trust deeply as we walk blindly into the unknown.
I️ am deeply grateful for my friends and students. Thanks to the 48 or so friends for welcoming me back and shared space with me 💗
@ ONE DOWN DOG

I’m super excited to bring you my first public offering in a long, long time. I’m teaching 11/18 at a nice long yoga class from 2-4 part of a series called the whole enchilada, it’s just that- everything! I’m told the class has almost sold out so grab your spot on their website ASAP! It’s going to be good 😊

We'll be here up in a castle for the next few days, eating pesto (it was invented here), drinking wine, swimming in the Mediterranean and exploring. It's truly breathtaking here!
@ Porto Venere 5 Terre

Roma, we love you!!! We're having the time of our lives eating rich, decadent pastas, walking the temples of the ancient past, strolling cobblestone streets, its fantastico!!! @ Roma

Freshly blended OM Oil packed and sent off to the 24 mamas at Landon's Legacy Retreat 💖 the retreat is for mother's who have experience the loss of a baby or child, as a group they get to share, understand, be heard, practice yoga together in a beautiful natural setting. I cannot be there with them this year so I'm sending my OM instead. Thank you for creating this space and opportunity to share.

@ Santa Barbara, California

Good morning meditation and shoulder opening assist 🐶
Days are better when we carve out this time first 💗

Pisces Full moon ceremony tonight 🐠 extra special full moon in baby Jai's sign to allow his spirit to continue on it's journey
Receiving
Releasing
Inhaling
Exhaling
It was the perfect night of pranayama, guided meditation, yoga, intention setting, card drawing, chanting gathering 🙏🏼 thank you

Friends!!!!! I've been so lucky in calling in and keeping some incredible people in my life. Yesterday we journeyed into Topanga canyon to celebrate the ! It was an incredible night ⭐️ I laughed, cried, ate, drank, and danced all night with some of my favorite yoginis
@ Inn of the Seventh Ray

Good morning friends, hello September. I'm starting to see the season shift, how about you? Over the last 6 months I've begged and prayed time would pass rapidly. When you're in pain or mourning time moves so slow, at times I felt I'd never stop crying and never stop feeling the heartache. There are still times like that (like yesterday for instance!) but those times are supplemented by times of peace, love, and fun. And bit by bit time is passing, hearts are healing, and I'm living a more integrated life. My heart feels bigger, it feels full. I'm grateful to walk beside you all in this life.

I LOVE teaching teachers 💗 it's so nice to be back and know that my brain works. For a while I thought such intense grief and baby brain may have changed my brain forever and I'd never be able to access knowledge and critical thought again. This is my experience teaching while fully embodying loss, it feels like healing, it feels like moving forward.

We discussed yoga defined, yoga sutras, sadhana, meditation, and self care. Things I am super duper passionate (obsessed?) with. you're an amazing group, I cannot wait to continue this journey with you! @ ONE DOWN DOG

Listening to & from the heart podcast on facing your worst fear and the power of a brief life 🙏🏼 while looking through pictures of Jai.
I'm resonating deeply with these two and not feeling alone 😊 (thanks everyone). The presence of loss and seeing what's bigger then us, it's all so hard but so necessary. These two speak beautifully on trusting, healing, and legacy.
I heard Krishna Das say this morning that when remembering those who have left their bodies we continue to feel them through "inner dwelling", we feel them in us and all around.

I'm preparing to move back out into the world as a yoga teacher. Everything about life unfolding right now is unknown (always has been, but I feel this truth more then ever). I wish I had someone or something to look to that would deliver me all the answers and guidance that I need but the truth is I'm walking this path alone and blazing my own trail. I don't have a mentor for successful yoga teacher who's experienced child loss, I don't know exactly how to move back out into the world as this new person. I'm lighting my own way and as lonely as it seems I know I have hoards of loving and supportive people at my back and by my sides. I feel it every day. 🔥
I draw this tarot card ALL the time. It's the card of courage and inner strength. "A single wand stands up tall, ablaze with light. The others fall away in shadow. Such is the story of the seven of wands. You'll not find any strength or support from others, only yourself. It's time to be truly courageous and stand up for your beliefs. You may feel overwhelmed with caution and fear, but your internal fire will guide the way."

It is the highlight of my entire life to see this man as the father of our baby. Some of the moments I wept the hardest was mourning over not being able to witness my husband raise our child. But truly he cared and loved Jai with so much strength, tenderness, and love. I'll continue to celebrate him as the love of my life and the eternal father of Jai.

Today I celebrate my own father and father in law as strong, loving guides for myself and Ryan and who loved they're grandson beyond words.