A Return to Center with MARIE RUSSEL

Marie Russel
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Back in 2020 I started this Yoga off the Mat Podcast while I lived with my little family in Mexico...I was just starting to offer online trainings, do lives on social and overall put myself out there on the internet...I was healing from cancer, trying to keep my marriage strong and teaching a whole lot of Yoga trainings with people from all over the world, it was the best of times, and then it wasn't. After nearly 5 years I'm reposting these...for those of you who are new to me, welcome! I've changed a LOT but the the foundation of my beliefs are the same: ONLY LOVE IS REAL... So enjoy these past episodes and stay tuned for some new content on a Yoga, on & off the mat and how everything we are looking for, are hoping for, is available if we only just take, one, deep, breath. See you soon loves, Marie 

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  1. A Return to Center ~ Episode 1

    EPISODE 1

    A Return to Center ~ Episode 1

    What if the most radical move right now is not to power through, but to come home? In this episode, we (me + my inner teacher) return to the mic with a clear, tender, and unsparing look at spiritual bypass, the long shadow of 2020, and the courage it takes to rebuild from love instead of fear. After stepping back from teaching, trainings, and the public eye, I explore the terrain from free fall to a steadier ground and name the idea that changed everything: an aspect of us never left. That is the center we can trust. And this is A Return to Center. We walk through the difference between performance and practice, why “only love is real” isn’t a slogan but a daily discipline, and how thoughts become things when left unexamined. Drawing from Ashtanga Yoga and A Course in Miracles, we unpack core teachings—like “this is a required course” and “I don’t have anything that you don’t have; I just don’t have anything else”—to show how self-realization is less about adding and more about subtracting what blocks the signal. Along the way, we honor mentors who brought rigor to the work and share the messy truth of relationships, career shifts, and identity resets when forms change but essence remains. You’ll hear a practical framework for discerning love from fear, tools to slow down and choose again, and an invitation to train attention until clarity becomes default. Think of this as a compassionate reset: original intelligence over noise, presence over projection, integration over inspiration alone. If you’re craving grounded spirituality, daily practices, and a path that welcomes grief and grace with equal honesty, this conversation is a homecoming. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s ready for A Return to Center, and leave a review with one choice you’re making from love this week.

    21 min
  2. Happiness is not the goal

    EPISODE 3

    Happiness is not the goal

    What if happiness isn’t a goal but our natural baseline waiting beneath the noise? We open the door to that quieter center by looking at desire as a compass—what we truly want to feel—and then practicing small, practical shifts that bring peace into ordinary moments. Through A Course in Miracles and embodied tools from yoga, we explore how to soften the inner critic, listen to the inner teacher, and invite miracles, defined simply as shifts in perception. I share how the lesson these thoughts don’t mean anything becomes a lifeline when anxious loops try to run the day. We walk through a clear arc—awareness first, healing second—and name willingness as the subtle muscle that changes everything. Instead of demanding instant calm, willingness says I’m open to a kinder view, and that tiny opening lets love do its work. We talk about how contraction in the body signals misalignment, and how simple choices—one honest breath, grounding attention, a small movement practice—restore safety to the nervous system so the mind can soften. You’ll also hear why integration beats self-eraser mode. The inner critic once kept us safe; we thank it and invite it to rest, turning resistance into resource. Nature offers the model: seeds unfold without self-doubt. When we remove barriers to love’s presence, our coding for joy, clarity, and contribution begins to lead. From parenting moments to creative work, real-life stories show how gentle shifts bring surprising ease, more fun, and a steadier trust in guidance that’s already within. If you’re craving less reactivity and more calm, this conversation is your map back to center—clear, compassionate, and immediately usable. Listen, breathe, and practice the next right kindness toward yourself. If it resonates, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so others can find their way back to love too.

    19 min

  3. EPISODE 5

    What Changes When You Believe You Are Holy

    The words “I am very holy” can feel like a comfort… or like a dare. It really depends on what life has asked you to walk through. In this episode, I share a grounded and very personal reflection on A Course in Miracles Lesson 35, and why this line can feel hardest to believe right after heartbreak, public doubt, messy relationships, or those quieter moments when we begin to lose trust in ourselves. If your sparkle has dimmed a little… or if you’ve found yourself hesitating to be seen again… this conversation is meant to meet you right there. We talk about what happens when “feedback” starts to feel like critique disguised as love, and how projection can quietly move through a community or friendship until you begin believing a story about yourself that was never yours to carry. I also explore the connection between the way we see ourselves and the environments we unconsciously create around us. Sometimes we find ourselves drawn into dynamics that both lift us up and slowly cut us down at the same time. And woven through all of it is the reality of practice. I share honestly about what happens when I drift away from my anchors, whether it’s Ashtanga Yoga or ACIM. When I step away, I spiral. And when I return, I remember what is actually true. You’ll also hear a potent, very practical way to work with Lesson 35 in daily life. Scan your mind for the labels you’re wearing today. Maybe it’s failing, imposed on, depressed, victorious. Then gently add the correction: “But my mind is a part of God. I am very holy.” It’s simple. It can be confronting. And strangely, it can also feel like a deep exhale. A quiet practice of mindfulness and forgiveness you can bring into the middle of real life. If this episode helps you breathe a little easier, please subscribe, share it with someone you love, and leave a review so more people can find their way back to center.

    28 min
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About

Back in 2020 I started this Yoga off the Mat Podcast while I lived with my little family in Mexico...I was just starting to offer online trainings, do lives on social and overall put myself out there on the internet...I was healing from cancer, trying to keep my marriage strong and teaching a whole lot of Yoga trainings with people from all over the world, it was the best of times, and then it wasn't. After nearly 5 years I'm reposting these...for those of you who are new to me, welcome! I've changed a LOT but the the foundation of my beliefs are the same: ONLY LOVE IS REAL... So enjoy these past episodes and stay tuned for some new content on a Yoga, on & off the mat and how everything we are looking for, are hoping for, is available if we only just take, one, deep, breath. See you soon loves, Marie 

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