A message to your YogaDownload students:
Thank you to all the YogaDownload students for your positive AND constructive feedback. It is my joy to inspire you and theme on subjects that make you process and go a little deeper within. And when you offer suggestions for improvement, I receive them as I'm always looking to grow as a yoga teacher. I love YDL because of the diversity of teachers on the site. Not everyone will identify with my style of vinyasa yoga or with my combination yoga and sculpting classes, but there will be another great teacher on the site that speaks to them! I encourage you to try styles that may be new to you as they could speak to you in different seasons of life.
In your words, what is yoga?
Yoga means so many things to me. First, yoga means community. In a world where most of our attention is put on our smart phones, I think we are meant to go deeper. I adore my yoga community and am grateful for the friendships and support there. Yoga is also the modality in which I can connect to God in mind, heart, soul and strength. I am a physical being who needs to process my many thoughts. The experience of movement and breathwork becomes a moving meditation and creates a shift to grateful living.
What teachers/teachings have impacted you the most?
There are so many yoga teachers that I admire: Heather Peterson, Chief Yoga Officer for CorePower Yoga for her love and consistency for our community over the years. Kathryn Budig, for bringing the message to "Aim True." Tiffany Cruikshank and her anatomical & therapeutical approach to healing victims of human trafficking through yoga. Michael Franti for his positive lyrics and yogic walk. Brooke Boon for her courageous and authentic leadership of the Holy Yoga community.
What inspires your teaching?
I think we teach from our broken places or our vulnerabilities so that others can be set free. For me, I started yoga after a back surgery to heal physically. Much of my cueing comes from a place where I want others with back issues to find relief and new strength like I did. Some of us teach with compassion for special communities like seniors, athletes, veterans or trauma victims. We all have a story, and these stories can be turned into gifts if we're willing to serve.
Kristin started practicing yoga after a doctor told her she should expect a second back surgery on her lumbar spine. An outdoor enthusiast and a young mom, she refused to accept the diagnosis. She stepped into CorePower Yoga and committed to practicing to see if she’d see any improvements in her condition. With a consistent practice, yoga healed her by strengthening her core physically, giving her body awareness, and reducing stress in her mind and body. Kristin started teaching yoga in 2003 and knowing that 80% of Americans suffer from back problems, felt moved to learn everything she could about the anatomy, breathing techniques to reduce stress and how to transform other’s lives through teaching yoga. “Power yoga brings this exhilarating, cardiovascular yoga practice to “everyday Joes” like me. My goal as a teacher is to share my passion and improve the quality of people’s lives. In each class I hope to help liberate my students both mentally and physically, and leave them in a better place.”
Click here to try one of Kristin's YogaDownload classes!