LISA VORTMAN | CONSCIOUS CREATIVE

Timeless time 🫠 “ a state of being present, where the artificial urgency of clock time dissolves into a natural, enduring rhythm, such as the waves of the ocean or the act of listening to music.” “To be able to enjoy it we have got to live each moment … and listen to it as if it were the only thing important to listen to. And then, if we do that, our time has an entirely different quality.” — Alan Watts

To “retreat”, at its core, is to intentionally shift our sense of relationship — to time, attention, the self, to our perceptions, others and to life itself. When we are constantly in a schedule — responding, producing, planning, consuming, communicating, anticipating — our awareness narrows. We have less capacity to listen and learn. Living in this way is primarily a state of management and upkeep. Retreat interrupts those patterns so that we can live with more vibrancy and, as some may see it, aligned with our soul purpose. It’s not like everything suddenly becomes peaceful or profound on retreat, but we create enough spaciousness to hear what is there beneath it all: the subtle cue, the intuitive pull, the emotion waiting to be felt, the synchronicity, the fatigue, the desire, the resistance, the wisdom. Throughout our life as we age, it gets increasingly easy to move from one role, task, season, or expectation into the next without fully pausing to notice what life may be trying to teach us. And often, our attunement is gradual which feels like a luxury because it takes time, and most people report having not enough time in a day for all they need to do let alone what they want to do. So in retreat we are choosing to GIVE TIME, for recalibration and for the nervous system to settle. When we choose this time for ourselves, we become more present to what actually feels aligned instead of what is expected or habitual. Retreat reminds us that there are possibilities beyond our limited thinking. In this opening we may find a new way forward or a rejuvenated sense of being. Alignment is not something we just have or not, but something we become available for. Photos by @gretchenrobardsphoto on our 2024 Greece retreat

Excerpt from “A Kind of Luxury” — the part about birth: “As each contraction rolled into the next, my inhale became a subtle anticipation, a rising. My exhale became a delicate balance of effort and ease—a letting go, a release. Again, again, again. The more intense they became, the more submerged I felt, like being underwater, where sound dissolves and orientation shifts, where I fought to float but forgot the nature of floating is to surrender, not fight to control it. In the end, birth reaffirmed that power and life force energy lives in the quality of our breath. When we resist what is here, we tighten, fear, and gasp for relief before we are ready to receive it. But when we soften into the moment and trust it, a deeper breath arrives—the kind of breath that carries us forward.“ Underwater Photography by @roberthouser 🙏 thank you for these captures and experience Bob! It was such a unique maternity shoot and an artful way of honoring this fleeting moment in time..

Excerpt from “A kind of luxury” — an at home retreat: “Maybe this is the version that matters most — the one where nothing is ideal, everything is real. Nothing curated, everything as it is. There’s no held container, no schedule guiding me, no agreement with the outside world that I am “away”. Life is still happening and I am inside of it, challenged in my practice of honoring intuition amidst temptations and obligations. And maybe this is truly the work of conscious creative living… Not to escape our lives but to find subtle pause and alignment within it. Discovering our relation to it all, right here in the middle of it. Which, at a time of transition, is a remarkable practice and reminder — one I may not have been able to fully experience if I had not known what it means to retreat as I have known it in such blissful conditions and to recall such a feeling here at home when I needed it most…” Photos by @gretchenrobardsphoto + @lisavortman_creative @consciouscreative.us

I often hear “you’re never truly ready for kids” as a way of nudging to just go for it. But for me I can attest to the alternate perspective — we chose to live an intuitive path that led to a kind of certainty we never knew was possible. And that readiness has made this experience all the more joyful and profound… so much of it required releasing other people’s stories and turning inward as partners to explore our own timing and intuition. I am feeling so deeply grateful for the life we built before babies, and the life we get to now share with this sweet son of ours.. So much of this was divinely guided 🥹🤍✨ Savoring every bit of it !!

Julien Quest arrived earthside April 16 2:22am ✨ We are fully immersed, in love and savoring every squishy bit of this newborn era… 🥹 Does anyone have a pause controller?! Can I borrow it? Please and thank you.

Grateful for the quiet, powerful ways our shared humanity connects us all. On retreat with @conciouscreative.us + @xplorefit_wellness_retreats + @katerina.fragkou.adai + @lisavortman .

This village of women is kind of blowing my mind 🥹❤️‍🔥 They are loving, bold, thoughtful, resilient, consistent, playful, wise and so much more ! HUGE THANK YOU to my mamas and sisters for this beautiful day, for all that my cousins and aunties poured in and all the ways these beautiful women showed up and showered my lil man and me with light and love. Beyond blessed!!!! 🥰🫠🙏🤗❤️

MEET LISA! One of our beloved studio owners and teachers leading heated vinyasa flow classes on Monday and Wednesday nights. Visit our website to learn more about our teachers and check the class schedule to explore a variety of practices with our amazing team. ✨

One more month-ish of teaching before I go on maternity leave! Would love to flow with you all!!! Mondays + Wednesdays, Heated Flow 7:30pm at @pranayogawellbeing (register day prior!!) @ariseinoakland : Tuesdays at noon Thursdays at 6pm Saturdays 8:15am

I’m so grateful to enter this next era with these conscious, creative women in my life — the ones who show up with open hearts and thoughtful minds. The ones who reflect on their own actions and impact, and strive to do more good. I can’t wait for my son to meet you all and to be surrounded by so much LOVE. 🤍 @consciouscreative.us

We’ve poured so much heart, energy, and devotion into this partnership, this community, and this studio. The path may not have been our ideal but it’s been powerful. Life kept unfolding right alongside the process of opening this new space — personal challenges, big transitions, and moments that asked us to stretch, learn, and grow in real time. Patience, faith, and trust have been tested in so many ways. We may still have a ways to go to fulfill our intentions but we are on the path and it feels so good!! What I’m most proud of in this moment is our shared commitment to growth. To listen. To learn through experience. To let the process shape us. To keep refining, shifting, and evolving as we go. There’s something really beautiful about building with partners who are also honoring a yogic path. It doesn’t mean we always speak the same language or share the same preferences. Like any partnership we rub up against each other’s comfort zones and challenge one another to grow in ways we didn’t expect. But the commitment to keep returning — to each other and to our dharma — is deeply humbling. I’m so grateful to be in this with these two powerhouses. Our Grand Opening feels like a celebration of devotion — and of the community that continues to show up and grow with us. Come by to celebrate with us, see the space and connect in community ! March 14th 11:30 AM ✨