Meet Vanessa Michielon. Vanessa is MFML’s newest teacher who combines a powerful mix of movement practices support students in managing their stress. Dance was Vanessa’s way in and she shares what else inspires her and fuels her passion for movement.
What do you teach and why?
I am a certified Yoga, Pilates and Barre teacher, and I love sharing all these different practices in a dialogue with each other, as they all contribute to cultivate specific qualities and energies.
What brought you to this practice?
Dance has been my gateway to all the practices I teach today. I fell in love with Ballet when I was 4. My passion for dancing and expressing myself non verbally just kept on growing and growing through the years. Thanks to Somatic Dance, I later discovered Yoga and other Western awareness practices (Body Mind Centering, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Feldenkrais) that very much influence my way of teaching today. My curiosity for moving efficiently and building inner strength and resilience brought me to Pilates, which has always been used by dancers as a powerful tool to support their training.
Why do you teach?
Movement has been my medicine and passion for my whole life and today being able to help other people feel better, often shifting from self-consciousness, overwhelm and inner fight into confidence, self love and inner connection is invaluable.
What is your favourite way to unwind?
Having a meal with close friends and family, holding a cat in my lap, going for a walk in the woods.
Which living teachers / thinkers most inspire you and why?
Naomi Absalom and Jean Hall for their brilliant work on expanding the notion of what Yoga Asana can be. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen for her pioneering researches on the developmental foundations of movement. Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Stephen Porges and Heather Mason for their studies on body-oriented approaches to calming the nervous system.
Recommend your favourite books ( 1 – 3 titles)
So hard to choose.. Probably One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round by Tiziano Terzani, a brilliant Italian journalist who travelled the world searching for a cure to his cancer and ended up leaving us a beautiful reflection on life, death and healing from many different cultural perspectives. Then The body keeps the score by Bessel Van Der Kolk and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Which daily practice would make us feel better?
I am a strong believer of cross training and approaching movement as a tool to regulate our energy. So depending on what you need, I would choose a combination of practices that both down regulate and up regulate the nervous system. At the same time it’s good to keep all your joints mobile, help you focus on your breath and cultivate internal awareness.
Beach or Mountain?
Can I choose Tuscan hills?
Cat or Dog?
Dogs are adorable, but I am seriously obsessed with cats.
Rural or Urban?
I am shifting towards rural.
Sunrise or Sunset?
Sunset
Spring or Autumn?
Spring
Which is your favourite food?
As a true Italian, I am having homemade pasta
More about Vanessa Michielon:
Vanessa’s teaching style makes people feel welcome, included, respected and safe. Her movement- based approach empowers her students to understand how their energy levels, breath quality and emotions can flow when they use their bodies in specific ways. With practice, they learn the power of movement and breath work to achieve positive mental and emotional states. If you’ve been inspired, why not try one of Vanessa’s classes?
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