Breathing Room
A Yoga Support Circle for Women* in Seattle
*Anyone that identifies as a woman or non-binaryWhen was the last time someone took care of you the way you take care of everyone else?
You show up for the people who need you. You’re paying the bills and drinking the protein shakes. You give so much to the people and causes around you, and somehow there’s never much left over for you.
You nap. You hit snooze. But there’s a tiredness that doesn’t go away with sleep.
You push past your needs to meet other people’s needs or approval. You say yes when something in you is saying no, and when you do say no, you explain and explain, as if you need permission to have a limit. All the while the sneaky inner critic points out ways you could be better.
Somewhere along the way, joy got postponed. It’s waiting for a time when things feel more settled, but that time keeps moving further away.
If you’re neurodivergent, there may be another layer. Many of us have spent years feeling like too much in some spaces and not enough in others.
None of this is a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a sign of how long you’ve been holding on, in a time when so much feels out of our control.
What might it be like to pause here, take one full breath, and let yourself be met with kindness?
You’ve tried to take care of yourself. Really, you have put in the work.
Yoga classes where you found your mind wandering rather than giving space to connect with your body, mind, and breath
Meditation apps you downloaded with good intentions and opened twice
Reading self help books, fantasy books, romance books, podcasts, anything to help you feel a touch of relief
Morning routines, gratitude journals, a variety of habit trackers, and cold plunges
But… the Good Hang podcast by Amy Poehler is actually what gets you through the week with a smile. (the Kate Berlant and Jonathan Groff interview… am I right!)
What if taking care of yourself didn’t feel like one more thing to do?
Breathing Room is a wellness group, not a therapy group.
We'll stay in the present and future rather than exploring past traumatic experiences. It also isn't a "follow these three simple steps and your life will be better" kind of thing. It's a place for active rest, exploration, connection, and care, where we can see and be seen with loving eyes.
Each week centers on one yogic principle, like ahimsa (non-harming toward yourself), aparigraha (letting go), or santosha (contentment) along with:
Yoga, breath work, and meditation, cultivating spaciousness and connection in mind and body
Reflection and conversation, exploring how these teachings show up in your everyday life
A small circle of women, to hear other perspectives and know you aren’t alone in the chaos of it all
Each week, a talented yoga teacher will lead the movement, breath, and meditation practice, bringing a fresh perspective to each week’s theme.
Facilitated by Monique Thakkar, a licensed mental health counselor and yoga teacher who brings both clinical understanding and a deep love of yoga, connection, and wonder to every session.
What you’ll receive…
Date: Fridays January 8, 15, 22, 29 and March 5, 12, 19, 26
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Where: Datza Studio 2201 Eastlake Ave East Seattle
Cost: $600 per course or $400 before 11/30/2026 or $500 before 12/12/2026
One yogic principle each week, such as ahimsa (non-harming), avidya (seeing clearly) chitta vritti (noticing the mind), santosha (contentment and embodied joy), and aparigraha (letting go of grasping)
Inclusive and adaptive yoga, breath work, and meditation led by a talented yoga teacher each week
Guided reflection, journaling, and small-group conversation facilitated by Monique Thakkar in a community of warm hearted women
Block off your Friday evenings as a way to close out your week by coming home to yourself; ending your week with nourishment to get through all the things you have to do on the weekend.
Breathing Room is open to all that identify as a woman or non-binary
If cost prohibits you from attending this course, please reach out and we can explore an accessible rate for you!
About the Facilitator
Monique Thakkar is a licensed mental health counselor and certified yoga teacher based in Seattle. Through her private practice, Thakkar Therapy, she supports neurodivergent adults in managing stress, cultivating self compassion, and building authentic connections. She also helped build (with a huge help from the Synergy Yoga Teacher Training Class of 2025-2026) the Yoga Collective, a small, community-centered yoga project for new yoga teachers.
Her work is rooted in kindness, curiosity, and a deep respect for each person’s own wisdom. She draws on compassion-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and somatic approaches, with a long-standing love for the ways yoga and philosophy can help us come home to our bodies and ourselves.
After two years of dreaming up this group (thank you to everyone that helped brainstorm), Monique created Breathing Room because she believes in the transformative power of engaging both body and mind, in a community with open hearted humans.
She also believes that the best way to get through an apocalypse is to help women let go of what’s been weighing them down and reconnect with the part of themselves that simply wants to celebrate being alive.
Training and education
M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, University of Puget Sound
Group Therapy Adjunct Teacher University of Puget Sound (2024/2026)
200-hour yoga teacher training, Synergy Yoga (2026) and Octopus Garden (2013)
18 years of personal yoga practice (sometimes more regular than others lol)
3 Day Pranayama Training with Tami Hafzalla
36 hours of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
30 hours of Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Therapy
8 hours of Compassion Focused Therapy
Two 10-day silent Vipassana retreats