Written by: Chloe Redmond, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As an intuitive Meditation Teacher and Well-Being Coach, Maria Mayes of Take 5 is here to share a simplified pathway to inner peace. She specializes in Stress Management (aka Mental Wellness for Small Businesses), and 1:1 Mentorship and Coaching for individuals and couples with high-stress occupations that tend to self-medicate with alcohol. With Take 5 practices, Maria has condensed more than a decade of research, education, certifications, and most importantly experimentation into each offering. Each is designed to be fun, practical, and personalized.
Chloe Redmond, Founder of Vino Vaquera Consulting, sat down with Maria Mayes to explore the layers of her Take 5 teachings and offerings.
Q: Hello Maria! I am SOUL honored to share your story and passion with the publication! When you are ready, please formally introduce yourself to our audience.
Hello! So grateful for the opportunity to connect with you here. As a Meditation Teacher, Well-Being Mentor, and mindful Tasting Guide, I am here as a conduit for Inner Peace. I am passionate about bringing the teachings of mediation, breathwork, and health empowerment to businesses from the conference room to the cocktail table! Most of us are time-strapped and juggling many responsibilities and through Take 5 I help work teams and individuals liberate themselves from anxiety and the effects of chronic stress.
Q: When I think of everything I would outsource as guided educational & spiritual experiences, you truly check all of the boxes! Can you give us a glimpse into the earlier years of Maria Mayes and the building of your well-being tool kit?
Well, let’s just say I wasn’t always this zen. I spent most of my first three decades on the planet living a fear-based lifestyle. As a toddler, I was diagnosed with having grand mal seizures, and since I never when one might occur I was always on high alert. During my adolescence, I started trying to outrun my anxiety and seizures by overachieving in school and then work. In my 20s in my first corporate job, I learned that the deal was often closed at the cocktail table rather than the conference room; wine became my tool for self-medication. In my 30s I was desperate for an alternative to seizure meds and anxiety meds and found the 4.7.8 breathing practice which started my journey in holistic health. Self-care was non-existent – I was too busy being busy. I had young kids, a husband, a father who was dying, and clients to care for. Eventually, I hit a wall and had a nervous breakdown. In recovery, I began a journey of changing everything, from my consumption habits to my physical activity to my mindset and habits with yoga, meditation, and breathwork being key.
Q: What made you decide that it was time to turn your passion for well-being and mindfulness into a career?
I had a burning desire to pay the healing forward and then the universe gave me a few big pushes to make it happen. First with a layoff in late 2017 which prompted me to start my teacher journey starting with yoga and second when I learned I’d be let go yet again in March 2020. I’d been teaching yoga on the side but was too caught up in my software career. This time I listened to divine guidance which was loud and clear; I dove into more education with Chopra Global and launched Take 5 at the end of the year. Today I’m truly doing my dharma work.
Q: Tell us about the philosophy behind the branding of Take 5. We love the idea of being able to rejuvenate mid-day at our convenience!
When I was coming out of my darkness I had to start small; after years of not taking any time for self-care, and numbing and fighting against my body I had to start small. I could Take 5 minutes – that was doable. When I felt overwhelmed I’d step outside and do some breathwork, or do a short meditation at my desk. I’d take the stairs up to my office and if I was going into a stressful meeting I’d go to the bathroom and do push-ups against the counter. I found all these quick ways to reset my nervous system and manage stress. Years later when thinking of what I might name my business the song Take 5 came on – it’s an old Jazz song by Dave Brubeck and my Dad used to play it on repeat. Dad was clearly in agreement so Take 5 it was.
Q: Do you feel there is an importance to balancing the mind and body at the same time? For example, do you suggest that clients often explore both yoga and meditation offerings simultaneously?
I feel it is important to do both. While they don’t necessarily have to be done at the same time one can help you get deeper with the other. Essentially hatha yoga which is the most widely recognized form today where we practice specific postures (asanas) was originally aimed at harmonizing the body-mind and channeling its energies towards meditation. If we can’t get the physical body comfortable, we won’t be able to experience the freedom of a still mind. In addition, most of us have chronic neck and shoulder strain from the extensive amount of screen time. I start my personal practice and teach students how to quickly release tension in spots like the neck and shoulders to allow us to get still. This is the format for the Take 5 Workplace Relaxations I offer to my members. There are currently over 100 unique Take 5s that members can access anytime to reset their nervous system.
I also think we can turn any movement practice we choose into one that is mindful. Whether it's running, hiking in nature, swimming, or hitting the gym. We can choose to make it a mindful experience where we listen to the needs of our body and become aware of the circus in the mind and tame it with the breath, some meditative music, or even a mantra.
Q: We understand that you are a Chopra Certified Instructor. Can you touch on the highlights of this educational program or how it has helped to share you as a healer & professional?
The transformation I went through during my educational journey with Chopra (which still continues) is hard to put into words. I received my Certifications in Ayurvedic Lifestyle/Perfect Health and Meditation and then became a Total Well-Being Coach in 2022. The Certifications themselves are great but it's so much more than the paper. It’s the deep learning, the experiential curriculum, and the caliber of teachers and coaches that make it truly next level. It’s the blend of eastern wisdom teachings with current validation through science, the East meets West approach and credibility is what drew me in. I think it is really important in a time where there seems to be a “coach” for everything to really consider the credentials behind the teacher.
Chopra Global really equipped me to serve my clients in the highest way and the Chopra community feels like a family.
Q: You just recently launched a new program, Empower Your Health. Walk us through what this transformation journey will look like for your current students.
Yes! I am so excited about this program! It’s been a dream of mine to offer a budget-friendly program that integrates some of the most profound elements of the Chopra programs as well as other certification work I have done in the neuroscience of yoga, poly-vagal theory, and breath coaching, etc. With this program, I have done just that! It’s designed to be a springboard for individuals to embrace an empowered, conscious lifestyle with content delivered in a group format. We are in week 3 of the first cohort now so we’ve covered the basics of Ayurveda and meditation and discovered our unique purpose or dharma. We cultivate daily practices for vibrant health and by the time we are done, the group will have a solid foundation of inner peace. The mentorship component provides the additional accountability, encouragement, and inspiration that you don’t get with online courses. It’s like a match that can light up the individual’s health journey. For those that want to dive deeper with 1:1 mentorship and coaching, they'll of course have that option available after the completion of the group program.
Q: Now, let’s take a moment to pivot on something else that our companies both have in common – a love for vino! We love the way you have incorporated your passion for wine and mindfulness with your podcast, Chakras and Chardonnay! What inspired you to put this idea into motion? Tell us about the response thus far.
I’ve been pouring and educating in a beautiful boutique winery on the road to Yosemite for 10 years. In 2020 after all the yoga studios closed I started offering workshops outdoors at the winery where I’d teach a yoga, meditation, or breathwork class followed by mindful exploration through a wine flight. Chakras & Chardonnay was the fan favorite and my message of mindful consumption really resonated. I would share a little of my story of going from self-medicating to meditating: I wasn’t getting drunk every night but I had developed an unconscious habit of heading to the wine fridge to pour a glass every night after work to “take the edge” off. As it turns out, so do a lot of others.
So in 2023 after lots of encouragement from other hosts who had interviewed me on their shows, I decided to take the plunge and share the message with a larger audience. The intention is to share what can often be deep content and wisdom teachings in a fun approachable way that listeners then can put into action. I am so grateful for the feedback so far – it seems to really be resonating with listeners and it has opened up this whole new world of connections with amazing beings all over the globe who are now offering well-being tips to me and the audience through the show. I also offer tasting tips, pairing ideas, and recipes. I am having so much fun with it!
Q: Speaking of wine, we would love to know more about your ‘Mindful Wine Tasting Experience’. Can you share a glimpse of what this process entails?
Yes! The Take 5 Mindful Tasting Process takes your wine-tasting experience to a whole new level. The reality is we are often physically present but not always mentally. By that I mean our mind might be somewhere else entirely, maybe still ruminating over the boxes that didn’t get checked off the work to-do list, the weight of responsibilities, or the concerns of the chaotic world we live in. The experience is designed to help you arrive into full presence through a guided relaxation and mindfulness meditation and then become intentional about your consumption. We then step into the rest of the process of admiring, exploring, and reflexing which includes a little guided gratitude journey for the many beautiful steps and beings involved in getting it from the soil to the glass. I offer these experiences in wineries and in businesses where I pair them with a stress reduction class. It’s such a beautiful alternative to the standard work party where there is overconsumption and all that comes with it.
Q: What do Take 5 clients and followers have to look forward to in late 2023/ early 2024?
I am really excited about what the future holds for Take 5 and the Chakras & Chardonnay Podcast. I have been doing a lot of in-person teaching in businesses and healthcare facilities ranging from hospitals to substance abuse outpatient facilities to senior memory care centers. I am inspired to leverage this experience to expand the Empower Your Health Mentorship Program and the Empower Your Health for the Workplace Program for which I am now enrolling businesses. You can also expect Empower Your Health Workshops where you can get a taste of these teachings, and more Take 5 Workplace Relaxations added to the library. As for the podcast I have so many amazing guests in store for you sharing some truly life-changing wisdom! And wine, there will of course be more mindful wine-tasting fun!
For press or further inquiries regarding Take 5 services, please visit the website directly.
Read more from Chloe!
Chloe Redmond, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Chloe Redmond is a leader in digital marketing, influencer partnerships, and social media management. A chance opportunity to work with Chopra Global (Deepak Chopra’s legacy company) in 2020 that left her with the understanding of how mindfulness and marketing can co-exist. She is dedicated in helping entrepreneurs reach their pure potentiality through intentional and intuitive marketing practices. Her mission: to teach others how to put their authentic self into play what targeting their niche and discovering creative partnerships.
