Meet The Mover: Michelle Smith

Name: Michelle Smith 

Location: Meanjin / Brisbane

Age: 32

Profession: Women’s Health Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner & Yoga Teacher

Can you tell us about who you are & what you do?

My name is Michelle and I am an acupuncturist, Chinese herbal medicine practitioner, yoga facilitator, dog-mum and dedicated member of ACY. Before following my career in Chinese medicine I was living and working in the Middle East and had a successful career as a marketer - my personal health was in a shambles which led me to Chinese medicine. After months of receiving treatment from my acupuncturist and feeling at a crossroads in my career, I decided to make a career change and move to Melbourne to study Chinese medicine. During this time I did my yoga teacher training - I had been practicing yoga for 10 years at this point of time and I thought teaching yoga would make for a great part-time job while studying! These days I am mostly working full time in my clinical practice but I occasional get back on the tools to teach a yoga class!  

In my clinical practice I am so grateful to support women through every phase of life from puberty to perimenopause and beyond. I see patients both face to face in my clinical practice in Brisbane and all over Australia and internationally on Telehealth. 

I love treating menstrual health conditions whether that be supporting teens through puberty, helping people with pelvic pain, painful periods and menstrual related conditions like PCOS, endo and adenomyosis navigate their cycle with greater ease, supporting people on their path to parenthood (I have a special interest in supporting people undertaking IVF and complex cases associated with fertility) and finally, supporting people through their postpartum and all the way to perimenopause and beyond! 

How did you come across Amy's classes? And when?! 

My first class with Amy was in 2018, I was fresh from finishing my 200hr YTT and went to one of her South Melbourne classes - in downward facing dog she came over to me and gave me a cue that changed my downward facing dog forever and I literally thought in that moment “I am terrified of this teacher and in love with her at the same time”  I knew that Amy wasn’t “just” a yoga teacher - her in-person classes were the kind that as a yoga teacher I wanted to have my notebook next to me during class just to write notes! 

As soon as Amy launched her platform during Covid I was hesitant to sign up — could I love an online yoga practice with her as much as I loved her in-person classes?!  After seeing other teachers rave about Amy for months, in June 2020 I signed up to her trial and was immediately hooked. ACY carried me through the pandemic and without a doubt changed my body, how I think about my body, how I move my body - ACY literally transformed my life during those dark years of the pandemic! I think I practiced the daily class every single day during all of the Melbourne lockdowns - it felt so comforting having Amy in my home for those months. Now that I am living in Brisbane it feels so special to have a piece of my Melbourne life still with me. 

How does the platform compare to other forms of movement you've tried in the past?

ACY is quality over quantity. Of course there are cheaper platforms on the market but not once have I ever questioned the VALUE that ACY brings to my life. 

What would you say is the biggest impact the platform has on your life?

What a question. The biggest impact the platform has had on my life has been the influence on my nervous system and understanding of my body. When I am swimming laps in the pool, I am moving with ACY in mind, when I am training for a long run, I am moving with ACY in mind, when I am teaching my nieces how to cartwheel, I am moving with ACY in mind, when I am skateboarding, I am moving with ACY in mind. The way that I’ve learnt to move my body through ACY is infused into how I move through life. 

I am not even sure how I could quantify the impact the platform has had on me. Now that I have been practicing with ACY for so long my relationship with the platform has evolved and it supports me in new and different ways - when I practice with Amy it feels like sitting down for tea with an old friend. Familiar. Comforting. Supportive. It’s the best. 

What's your favourite thing about the platform?

My favourite thing about the platform is that I can either trust in the process by doing Class of the day OR I can choose my own adventure depending on where I am at energetically, emotionally or where I am in my menstrual cycle. I typically trust the process and I know that Amy plans the daily class perfectly so that you are always evolving but I absolutely love the freedom to find a class that suits exactly where I am at on any given day. 

Your favourite class or category?!

I do really love the old school ACY classes and am often digging around in the archives for some “classic” ACY classes like “I’m back” and “Move into Joy”. I’ll often come back to these two classes especially when I am feeling stagnant as I know they will always do the trick in bringing me back into joy. 

Tell me, what greatness are you achieving this year?

This year has already been one of the most demanding years for me - there has been an incredible amount of darkness in my life and an area of greatness that I am proud of has been my ability to hold lightness, too. Having a yoga and meditation practice is all well and good when things are peachy but this year they’ve been put to the ultimate test and I am so proud of the way I have been navigating the terminal illness of my father, career challenges and personal setbacks with a sense of ease and grace - I am certain this is a result of my yoga and meditation practices. Oftentimes we think of “greatness” as achieving a huge career goal or reaching financial status - for me I measure my greatness in how I am able to show up for myself and my community. My greatness is my commitment to showing up with love and kindness in every moment. For choosing to see the light. For continuing to show up for my patients. For always coming home to my limitless potential to love. 

And what are you surrendering or moving on from this year?

This year is all about spending time in liminal space and surrendering to what is. I moved interstate because of family reasons earlier this year, so I am moving on from my “Melbourne” life and surrendering to “what is” in Brisbane. This year is all about transitions for me, and while I know that everything will be okay in the end, I am leaning on my practices like movement and meditation to ensure this time spent in liminal space can be navigated with a greater sense of ease. 

Any closing words, thoughts or feelings? 

As a health practitioner that supports so many women through all different phases of life, it makes my job SO much easier that I am able to refer my patients to a movement approach that I know honours the female body. I know that by moving with Amy my patients are being educated on their body, learning how to move in an intelligent way, honouring their nervous system and getting really freaking strong! I talk to my preconception patients about the importance of preparing their body for both pregnancy and birth, and I talk to ALL of my patients about preparing for peri-menopause as early as possible. I know that if I send them to ACY that they are going to be so well looked after no matter what season of life they are in. I am so grateful that I have been able to move with Amy, learn from Amy and continue to be part of the ACY community - I can’t wait to see us all in our 70’s still doing ACY together :)