Meet Brie Michalik | Yoga Instructor & Owner of Craft Yoga

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brie Michalik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brie, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
“Where are you from?” used to be a question that made me uncomfortable, feeling as if I had no direct answer. Luckily, I have found a home where I currently live- Longmont, Colorado. If you ask my birth certificate, it would say upstate New York. If you asked friends I grew up with, they might say Denver, Arizona, or New Hampshire- a few places I lived for short periods of time. I have been in Longmont since January of 2010, making this the longest I have lived anywhere. Aside from simply being a Longmont resident on paper, I have built a life here and have never felt so at home. My twelve year old daughter has been born and raised here. Craft Yoga has been born and raised here. Longmont is truly where I have laid roots for the first time. The story of “where I’m from” has a big influence on who I am. Some of it not so great, but somehow every detail has added up to exceed greatness. I live a life I feel blessed to live, and life is shaped by everything, the big events and the small graces. Moving for various, sometimes even traumatic reasons, has instilled the ability to relate to people from all walks of life. Working in the Yoga industry, my willingness to relate and adapt have done me a lot of good.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work as a full-time Yoga teacher. You can find me at the Yoga Pods of Boulder County, Soul Tree Yoga, and of course at my favorite office~ any Craft Yoga event! How did I get to where I am professionally? Wow, that’s a loaded question! I will say that I worked in restaurants for ten years and always knew it wasn’t my forever. I became a mom at nineteen, and be it motivating & rewarding, it is also complete with it’s own challenges. When I started teaching Yoga, I was going to the food bank every week, ‘donating’ plasma for an extra thirty bucks, and walking my daughter to daycare on my shoulders through the hottest days of summer and snowiest days of winter. Someone told me earlier this year, “wow, you are so lucky to be a full-time Yoga teacher,” but I remember all the days I felt quite the opposite of lucky. What carried me through the difficult times was the simplicity of knowing why I was doing what I was doing. I could come home after the most stressful days and still feel like I did something good for the world around me. I believe if you invest in your passion, you will learn more about your authentic self. Authenticity breeds success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, being *THEE* Craft Yogi, I of course love craft beer. I’d be checking out Left Hand’s new location in Denver, set to open this fall! That would lead to a brewery hop including (but not limited to) Black Shirt Brewing, Crooked Stave, Little Machine, and Woods Boss. Now that we are hungry it’s off to Three Saints Revival or the Paramount Cafe, depending on what vibe we want. I’d finish the evening at Denver Comedy Lounge or the Gothic theater, two of my favorite places to spend a night out.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The list of who has supported myself and Craft Yoga is a long one. First and foremost, every single person who has unrolled their Yoga mat with me during my decade of leading classes. Secondly, businesses who have supported Craft Yoga- Left Hand, The Roost, GrossenBart, HopSquad (Austin, TX), City Star, and the City of Longmont. My daughter Evey & our cat Toaster who passed away November of 2021, he made my online classes extra special through the pandemic. One of my main Yoga teachers since this journey began when i was a kiddo, Sri Swami Satchidananda, I never met the guy, but dang- he taught me a lot and still does. Teachers of mine who believed in me since the beginning, Erik Schnackenberg and Meghan Stockdale, I’m incredibly blessed to have learned from both of them. Last but not least, my crew of best friends who make me smile and help me take breaks from the hustle and bustle of self-employed life.

Instagram: @yoga.breezy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briescraft

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL52B5KWMK2nls0aH1r7Nng