julierussell.org

Self-Breema is a self-care practice in which you use gentle, rhythmic movements and focused body awareness on yourself, rather than receiving bodywork from a practitioner. At Journeying Toward Wholeness, Julie Russell presents it alongside Yoga and T'ai Chi as one of three movement practices that together support balance, inner peace, and a felt sense of wholeness. The site describes the combination as "a way of living and being" that opens the heart, mind, body, feelings, imagination, and creativity, and that over time brings forward courage, serenity, acceptance, and compassion.

What Self-Breema Is

Breema bodywork is traditionally done with a partner, but Self-Breema is the solo form: you apply the same kind of comfortable, non-strenuous movement and touch to your own body. The practice is done fully clothed, typically on a padded floor or mat, and the emphasis is on how you move — gently, without strain, with attention on sensation — rather than on achieving a particular shape or intensity.

The site treats Self-Breema as a distinct practice in its own right, listed separately from Yoga and T'ai Chi in the site's navigation and described as one of the three core practices Julie teaches.

How It Relates to Yoga and T'ai Chi

At Journeying Toward Wholeness, the three practices are not presented as competing methods but as complementary ones, each contributing something different to the same aim:

Because Self-Breema is low-impact and undemanding, it can serve as a gentle entry point or as a counterbalance to more active Yoga practice. T'ai Chi's slow continuity and Self-Breema's softness reinforce each other, while Yoga adds structure and stretch. The site frames the whole combination as supporting qualities of "courage, serenity, acceptance and compassion" — the language of an inner journey rather than a fitness program.

How It Is Practiced at Journeying Toward Wholeness

The site's navigation shows the formats through which the practices are offered:

• Recorded Classes — pre-recorded sessions you can follow at home.
• Rejuvenation I and Rejuvenation II — two named program levels or sequences.
• T'ai Chi DVD — a standalone T'ai Chi instructional video.
• Retreat — an in-person retreat format.
• Prison Yoga — outreach teaching in a prison setting.
• The Painting Journal™ — Julie's own creative/art practice, offered alongside the movement work.

If you want to learn Self-Breema specifically, the practical path suggested by the site's structure is to start with the recorded classes or a Rejuvenation program, then consider a retreat for in-person instruction. Note that the site does not publish prices or state whether any of these require an account or login, so check the individual pages before assuming access terms.

What to Expect from the Teacher's Background

Julie Russell holds a B.S. in Education from Wheelock College and an M.A. in Art from Peabody College in Nashville, where she founded and directed The Center, a school for pottery, arts and crafts, for seven years. She expanded into the healing arts in the early 1980s, doing Breema and practicing and teaching both Yoga and T'ai Chi, including classes and workshops in art therapy and The Painting Journal. She has lived and taught in Tennessee since the 1960s.

That background explains the site's particular blend: an artist-educator's approach to movement, with creativity (the Painting Journal) treated as part of the same wholeness work as Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema.

Choosing Whether This Approach Fits You

This framework suits you if you want:

• A gentle, self-directed practice you can do at home without equipment beyond a mat.
• Movement taught as inner work — attention, ease, and emotional balance — rather than performance or calorie burn.
• A single teacher's integrated approach across Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema, plus a creative component.

It may be less suited if you want high-intensity training, competitive athletics, or a large studio with many instructors and class times. The site is a personal teaching practice, not a chain or app platform, and its offerings are organized around Julie's recorded classes, programs, and retreats.

Julie Russell's site, julierussell.org, is a small personal teaching site rather than an online store. It lists the resources she offers — recorded classes, a T'ai Chi DVD, a retreat, and a painting journal — but the site itself does not show prices, a shopping cart, or an online registration form. In practice, access works through the site's navigation and then direct contact with Julie. Below is what each listed resource is and how to reach it.

What the site actually offers

The navigation on the homepage lists these sections, each pointing to a different resource:

Because the site gives no pricing, no payment platform, and no booking form, treat every one of these as "contact to arrange" rather than "click to buy." Do not assume any of them are free.

How to get to each resource

1. Open julierussell.org. The homepage is the hub; every resource above is reachable from its navigation.
2. For recorded classes: go to the "Recorded Classes" page. This is where previously recorded sessions are described. Since there is no checkout on the site, you will need to use whatever contact method that page provides to ask about availability and access.
3. For the T'ai Chi DVD: open the "T'ai Chi DVD" page. It describes the DVD; ordering details, if any, would appear there or come from contacting Julie directly.
4. For the retreat: open "The Painting Journal Retreat." Retreats usually require dates, a location, and a registration step — check that page for the current schedule and how to sign up.
5. For Rejuvenation I and II: these appear as separate entries, suggesting two distinct programs or levels. Open each to see what it covers.
6. For ongoing classes (Yoga, T'ai Chi, Self-Breema): use the corresponding pages to see what is taught, then contact Julie to ask about current class times and how to join.

Expected result: you will know which resource matches what you want and have the contact route to request it. You will not find a self-service purchase flow, because the site does not provide one.

What to ask when you make contact

Since the site does not publish logistics, a short, specific message gets you further than browsing. Ask:

• Is this resource currently available, and in what format (in person, recorded, shipped DVD)?
• What does it cost, and how is payment handled?
• What are the dates or delivery times?
• What should I have ready before starting (for example, props for Yoga, or art materials for the Painting Journal)?

Background that helps you choose

Julie Russell's approach ties the practices together rather than treating them as separate products. The site describes "Journeying Toward Wholeness" as a way of living that includes "opening into the heart, the mind, body and feelings, imagination and creativity," with Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema as the practices and qualities of "courage, serenity, acceptance and compassion" as the aim. Her background — a B.S. in Education from Wheelock College, an M.A. in Art from Peabody College, and seven years directing an arts school she founded in Nashville — explains why the Painting Journal sits alongside movement practices rather than apart from them.

That context is useful for matching a resource to your interest:

• Want movement and body awareness: Yoga, T'ai Chi, Self-Breema, or the T'ai Chi DVD.
• Want reflective or creative work: the Painting Journal, its retreat, or the Journal section.
• Want a structured program: Rejuvenation I or II.
• Want to sample before committing: recorded classes.

Common sticking points

• No prices or sign-up buttons. This is a contact-based site, not a store. Expect to email or call.
• The site was first created in 2002 and last modified in February 2025, so some pages may describe older offerings. Confirm current availability rather than assuming a listed item is still running.
• "Rejuvenation I" and "Rejuvenation II" are not explained on the homepage. Open each page before deciding which fits.
• The DVD is a physical item. If you are outside the usual shipping area, ask about delivery before ordering.

Journeying Toward Wholeness (julierussell.org) is the website of Julie Russell, a teacher who combines Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema with creative practice. The site describes wholeness as "a way of living and being" that opens the heart, mind, body, feelings, imagination, and creativity — and frames the result as qualities like courage, serenity, acceptance, and compassion. If you are looking for a single instructor's integrated approach to movement and reflective art rather than a large studio or app, this is the kind of site you are evaluating.

What the site covers

The navigation and page text point to these areas:

• Yoga & T'ai Chi — the core movement practices
• Self-Breema — a complementary practice Julie teaches alongside Yoga and T'ai Chi
• The Painting Journal™ — a creative/art practice she developed and teaches
• Painting Journal Retreat — a retreat offering
• Recorded Classes — pre-recorded instruction
• T'ai Chi DVD — a physical/digital instructional product
• Rejuvenation I and Rejuvenation II — listed as separate offerings
• Prison Yoga — an outreach area of her work
• Julie's Treasury and News Updates — supplementary content

The site does not publish prices, schedules, or booking details in the material available, so treat those as things to confirm directly before planning around them.

Who Julie Russell is

The site gives a specific background:

• B.S. in Education from Wheelock College
• M.A. in Art from Peabody College in Nashville
• Founded and directed The Center, a school for pottery, arts and crafts, for seven years
• Expanded into the healing arts in the early 1980s, doing Breema and practicing and teaching Yoga and T'ai Chi
• Also teaches art therapy and The Painting Journal
• Raised three children and has taught in Tennessee since the 1960s

This matters for fit: the offering is built around one teacher's long-running personal practice and art background, not a standardized certification program.

How to decide if it suits you

Choose this kind of site if you want:

• A blended practice (movement plus reflective art) from a single, experienced teacher
• Recorded or DVD-based instruction you can use at home
• A stated philosophy centered on inner balance and compassion

Look elsewhere if you need:

• Published pricing, class schedules, or instant online booking
• A large catalog of many instructors
• Credentialing or a formal certification track

Practical next step

Start with the Recorded Classes or T'ai Chi DVD pages if you want to sample the teaching before committing to a retreat, and check News Updates for current offerings. Because pricing and availability are not stated on the page, contact the site directly to confirm cost, format, and dates.

The Painting Journal™ is a creative practice taught by Julie Russell through Journeying Toward Wholeness, alongside Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema. It supports personal growth by combining painting with journaling as a way to explore the inner life—heart, mind, body, feelings, imagination, and creativity—rather than to produce finished artwork. It is best suited to people who want a reflective, hands-on method for self-exploration and are open to working with images instead of only words.

What The Painting Journal™ Is

Journeying Toward Wholeness describes itself as "a way of living and being," and The Painting Journal™ sits within that framework as one of the practices Julie Russell teaches. The site lists it as a distinct offering alongside Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema, and it also appears as a section of the site ("Painting Journal") and as a named teaching method.

Two things define it:

• It is a journaling practice. Like a written journal, it is ongoing and personal, built on regular reflection rather than a single finished piece.
• It uses painting as the medium. The reflective work happens through paint and image, which opens a channel that words alone may not reach.

The site does not publish a step-by-step method for The Painting Journal™, so the specific prompts, materials, or session format are not documented there. What is documented is its purpose and its place in Julie's teaching.

How It Supports Personal Growth

The site frames the whole journey—including The Painting Journal™—around "opening into the heart, the mind, body and feelings, imagination and creativity." As that journey unfolds, the site says, "the great life lessons become clearer and one begins to exhibit qualities of courage, serenity, acceptance and compassion."

That gives a clear picture of how the practice is meant to work:

The intended outcome is not technical skill in painting but the qualities the site names: courage, serenity, acceptance, and compassion—described as feeling "the wholeness inside, natural to children."

Where It Fits at Journeying Toward Wholeness

The Painting Journal™ is one thread in a broader practice that also includes Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema. Julie Russell's background supports this combination: she holds a B.S. in Education from Wheelock College and an M.A. in Art from Peabody College in Nashville, where she founded and directed The Center, a school for pottery, arts and crafts, for seven years. She expanded into the healing arts in the early '80s, practicing Breema and teaching Yoga and T'ai Chi, including classes and workshops in art therapy and The Painting Journal.

If you want to explore it, the site's navigation points to these entry points:

• Painting Journal — the section devoted to this practice
• Journal — related written reflections
• Recorded Classes — recorded sessions, useful if you cannot attend in person
• Retreat — an immersive setting for the practices
• News Updates — current schedule and offerings

Because the site does not list prices, formats, or prerequisites for The Painting Journal™, check the Painting Journal and News Updates pages directly, or contact Julie through the site, to confirm what is currently available and what a session involves.

Who It Is For

The Painting Journal™ is a reasonable fit if you:

• Want a creative, image-based route into self-reflection rather than a purely verbal one
• Are drawn to combining art with an ongoing personal practice
• Are interested in the wider Journeying Toward Wholeness approach and want a concrete way to begin

It is likely not the right starting point if you are looking for formal art instruction or a structured, published curriculum—the site presents it as a personal growth practice, not an art course.

Julie Russell holds a B.S. in Education from Wheelock College and an M.A. in Art from Peabody College in Nashville. She founded and directed The Center, a school for pottery, arts and crafts, for seven years, and expanded into the healing arts in the early 1980s. Since the 1960s she has lived and taught in Tennessee, where she raised three children. Her teaching now centers on Yoga, T'ai Chi, Self-Breema, and The Painting Journal™, offered through her site Journeying Toward Wholeness.

Education and Formal Training

The pairing matters if you are evaluating her fit for a particular class. The education degree speaks to how she structures instruction; the art degree connects directly to The Painting Journal™ and the art therapy workshops listed on the site.

Teaching and Directing Experience

• The Center (founder and director, seven years): A school for pottery, arts and crafts in Nashville. This is her longest documented leadership role and the origin point of her teaching practice.
• Healing arts (from the early 1980s): She began doing Breema and simultaneously practicing and teaching both Yoga and T'ai Chi.
• Workshops: Classes and workshops in art therapy and The Painting Journal™.
• Prison Yoga: Listed as a distinct offering on the site, indicating teaching experience outside a standard studio setting.
• Regional roots: She has taught in Tennessee since the 1960s, combining a New England upbringing with decades in the same region.

How the Background Shows Up in Her Current Offerings

The site organizes her work around Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Self-Breema, with The Painting Journal™ as a separate creative practice. Her stated aim is that through these practices "one feels the wholeness inside, natural to children," and that the journey surfaces qualities of courage, serenity, acceptance, and compassion.

If your question is whether she is qualified to teach a specific format:

• Yoga and T'ai Chi — supported by roughly four decades of practice and teaching since the early 1980s.
• Self-Breema — same period of involvement, beginning in the early 1980s.
• The Painting Journal™ and art therapy — supported by the M.A. in Art plus the workshop history.
• Arts and crafts instruction — supported by the seven years directing The Center.

What the Background Does Not Tell You

The site does not list certifications, lineage, or continuing-education credentials for Yoga, T'ai Chi, or Breema, and it does not state class prices or registration requirements. If a specific certification matters to you—for example, for insurance, studio hiring, or a particular style—ask Julie directly rather than inferring it from the biography. The page was first created in 2002 and last modified in February 2025, so the biography reflects her standing as of that update.