Mindful Life Student Interview: Meet Gretchen Pascalis!
Meet Gretchen Pascalis!
Gretchen has been involved with The Mindful Life Practice Community (MLPC) since its inception in 2020! Over the years, she has been involved with the MLPC in a variety of ways, as she has offered vinyasa and kundalini classes, as well as classes on mantra chanting! Gretchen has also participated in the Mindful Life Practice’s (MLP’s) Sober Curious Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Sutra Study Masterclass program, and she even traveled to Bali for the Sober Girls’ Yoga retreat in 2024!
I decided to interview Gretchen to find out a little bit more about her life, as well as her experiences with the MLPC, yoga and sobriety. Here’s what she had to say!:
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I am a dual US-French citizen! Born in the United States, I grew up in Maine and attended college in Boston. However, I’ve always loved foreign languages and travel, so I ended up moving to the French Alps thirty years ago. It’s hard to believe that I have been living here that long! I love this part of France, as it has incredible mountain views and hiking!
I’m also the mom of a blended family, and I have two adult children, as well as two adult step-children. My husband and I are now empty nesters with two cats and seven chickens.
My husband retired early, and I currently work at the Université Savoie Mont Blanc as an English teacher and a yoga instructor. I also do a lot of work facilitating international mobility, which means a lot to me and has changed my life.
Whether it’s my asana practice (the postures of yoga), hiking, running, swimming, or CrossFit, I love movement! Additionally, in my free time, I’ve been reconnecting with my artistic side, as I have been writing and painting.
How did you first find the Mindful Life Practice Community and what experiences have you had with the MLPC so far?
In 2019, I joined an alcohol-free challenge where I met Alexandra McRobert. As a result, I was aware of the MLPC since the very beginning when it was founded in 2020.
I’ve taught for the MLPC (both vinyasa and kundalini). I also participated in the Sober Curious Yoga Teacher Training, completed the Yoga Sutra Study program, and traveled to Bali for the Sober Girls’ Yoga retreat in 2024.
It’s hard to find the time, but I’d love to enroll in the MLP’s Advanced Yoga Sutra Study course and, of course, come back to Bali again!
How has embracing yoga changed your life?
It’s hard to put into words just how much yoga has changed my life. Before I found yoga, I felt that there was something missing from my life. I needed spirituality, but I wasn’t able to find what I was searching for in religion.
Embracing each of the eight limbs of yoga has changed my life. Like many people, I was first attracted to the asana(s), but I’ve continued to practice yoga because of the benefits that I reap as a result of yoga philosophy. In particular, meditation is my favorite practice. I really love mantra meditation!
Is there anything that you would like to share about your sober journey?
I struggled with alcohol for most of my life, as I started drinking when I was a young adult. I didn’t have an “off” button, and I used drinking as a coping mechanism to calm my anxiety. Before I found yoga, I was also super reactive. I did not know how to sit with my emotions, and my gut instinct was to simply numb out.
"At first, I thought that I could not manage life without a drink, but I actually found that things became much easier once I had a clear and well-rested mind."My first long period of sobriety occurred between 2014 and 2015 after I lost my father. I was going through a lot, and I didn’t know how to deal with any of the emotions that I was feeling. My drinking got worse, and I knew I wasn’t able to moderate, so I decided to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) online. I stayed sober for over a year. However, I eventually went back to drinking, which started out as moderate but eventually ramped up.
Since then, I found yoga, and I have engaged in other long periods of sobriety. I am currently “sober curious,” meaning that I do drink sometimes, but with awareness. I have a lot of tools in my toolbox to help me if I do get out of control with my drinking, and I now understand that I don’t need to use alcohol to numb out.
That being said, I’m not going to lie and say that being sober curious is easy. Being sober curious works for some people and not for others. It is actually much simpler to not drink at all, as there can be a lot of mental chatter, which evaporates when you’re sober.
Someday, I may decide to become completely alcohol free. As of right now, I’m currently planning another long sober stint, as I know when the time is right to flex my sober muscles.
What advice would you give to anyone who is Sober Curious and thinking about giving sobriety a try?
If you are thinking about giving sobriety a try, you should absolutely, do it! If you feel like drinking isn’t doing you any favors, then I would recommend that you find a sober coach or an alcohol-free support group to help you. There are so many resources out there today! You can also read some Quit Lit (a literary genre that focuses on quitting alcohol) to better inform yourself about what drinking really does to your body and mind. These books will also help you to understand the benefits of taking a break from alcohol or breaking up with booze permanently.
If the idea of quitting alcohol for good scares you, then start by trying a month-long break from alcohol. In my opinion, you need to stop drinking for at least a month to feel some of the benefits of stepping away from alcohol. For me, after I stopped drinking for a month, I found that I slept better, and I felt much calmer. The change was actually incredible! At first, I thought that I could not manage life without a drink, but I actually found that things became much easier once I had a clear and well-rested mind.
It’s not easy to stop drinking, but the more sober streaks that you do, the easier it gets. I’ve now been sober for birthdays, holidays, fancy dinners out, travel, and vacations. And you can do this, too! Being alcohol free can be fun! You can explore mocktails, read excellent quit lit books, and listen to sober podcasts! You can also start to see how much time you will get back in your life once you don’t feel as though you have a fuzzy head or even worse…hangovers.
Taking alcohol out of your life is amazing, as it will allow you to connect to who you really are!
Learn more at themindfullifepractice.com/yoga-sutra-study !