a little bit about me

Yoga is for everyone. We are allowed to feel safe and at peace with our bodies. These are my truths as a yoga student and teacher.

I took my first yoga class at Ball State in 2001. Dabbling on and off through practice for years - through free programs and DVDs, yoga was only practiced sporadically.

In 2018 I became serious about my practice, reading, feeling, experiencing yoga and life differently and taking classes consistently prompted me to take my first yoga teacher training. Physical changes came, and quickly became side effects to more profound and meaningful changes happening inside.

Since then I have been committed to learning and growing and following my gut and heart to make yoga truly accessible to everyone.

People often associate physical flexibility with yoga but the real flexibility comes with our minds. With our lives. How can we create fluidity and flow in our everyday lives so that we are living out what we truly believe about life?

Asana is the least interesting but extremely necessary part of yoga. It allows us to access and open energy channels within our bodies so that we can reach our highest selves. Energy is everything. Until we can shut things off and create stillness in our bodies to tune into our true nature, our selves, then we are by default listening to everything around us instead.

We use these postures to cultivate that stillness.

As an asana teacher it is my goal and responsibility to guide you through posturing in a safe and intentional way physically.

As a yoga teacher is it my goal and responsibility to create and hold space for you in a safe and intentional way mentally and spiritually.

My passion for stillness - and what happens when we tap into it - make meditation, gentle, restorative and slow flow classes my area of focus.

My favorite pose is savasana. Not in an ironic way, but because of the importance and reverence I have for stillness. I value being even and flat about things - just like the posture . Savasana allows us to truly get flat with our body inside and out, it’s amazing for our blood pressure and it’s the pose that connects us the most with the earth - allowing us to truly be grounded.

Off the mat I am also growing. Happy Roots is my plant business - working to promote growth through actual growing. I am married to Nick; have three daughters (Madeline - 18, Amelia -14 and Claire - 9) and any one of them will quickly tell you if I’ve skipped daily yoga or meditation. I love reading, writing, Uno, my amazing dog Rick, my cat Tilly, making charcuterie boards, being outside. the rainbow, humans, life and feeling all the emotions of this human experience we get to have.

With gratitude,

Kristen