Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Yoga classes end for the Winter this week.

Even though it snowed again today, yoga classes end for the winter.  I am so grateful to all the wonderful students who showed up and practiced yoga with me.  I have given students the option to post on my blog about what stood out for them in their bodies, minds, and energy through the winter in yoga practice.  My yoga students have been a bright spot during this dark and cold winter...

Thanks for making it a great winter!

21 comments:

  1. Winter quarter at Central Washington University was a really stressful and tiresome time. Kristin's yoga class was a really great stress reliever for a college student. For two hours a week, it was my time to concentrate on really figuring out what is going on with my body.

    I do this during the first few minutes of the class by finding and noticing my breath and seeing where it is most open and finding where there is the most restraint. The poses that we do are both challenging and Zen like.

    The relaxation phase of the class is really powerful. The music and the sounds that Kristin puts on really allows me to open my mind and really meditate. The best meditation and relaxation experience that I had this winter in class was the one time that Kristin sang to our class. It was a really pure relaxing sound that was pleasant to listen to.

    Another advantage for my me was to improve my flexibility and balance. I am an athlete, so flexibility and balance are really important to perform in my sport.

    Thank you for a fantastic quarter and stress reliever.

    - Kenny Hall
    Monday & Wednesday (noon-1)

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  2. This was my second class of yoga with you and I enjoyed it just as much if not more than the last. My intention of continuing on with another quarter with you was to improve my flexibility as well as become more comfortable with the poses; which were all accomplished.

    The class has enabled me to relaxation, both in and out of class. You did another great job of going about teaching the class through the quarter, everything that you explained I felt confident in considering your experience. If I had to choose one thing about the class that I enjoyed the most it the explanation of each pose. Thanks!

    Elliott Tonning

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  3. This class has been my only vice during the stressful, hectic, and cold winter quarter. Just the 50 minutes, twice a week, helped me de-stress, relax, and clear my mind of school and work. I has also helped me learn the importance of patience and relaxation in our daily lives.

    I was also surprised at my flexibility and ability to do all the poses (even the more advanced poses in the Yoga II session). Your way of teaching the poses and breathing exercises was very successful; so successful I am very confident in my ability to practice the poses and breathing exercises on my own, even without the packet you have provided to us.

    I am really looking forward to continuing my yoga practice and learning about new and more advanced poses in your Yoga II class next quarter. Thank you for allowing me to learn about myself, my body, and mind.

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  4. This was my first yoga class, and I really liked it! In the beginning I was nervous because I am the most unflexible person in the world, plus I have bad knees. I quickly learned that I could modify any pose, and it was easy to follow along because each pose was explained clearly. My confidence grew with each class, and now I am able to do the majority of the poses.

    Yoga has taught me how to de-stress and relax. I would come to class stressed out with my mind busy with the day's tasks, and would leave clam and ready for the rest of the day. I feel physically and mental less tense after yoga, and it has helped with my back pain as well.

    I plan on practicing yoga for years to come. I have reaped the benefits, and have enjoyed it greatly. Next quarter I look forward to yoga II!

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  5. I had never taken a yoga class before and I didn't know what to expect at first. I decided to take yoga out of curiosity, but what I got out of it was a whole lot more than that.

    Now that I'm getting older, I need to be focusing on exercising, staying healthy, and in shape. Yoga helped me with that. With everything else I have to think about, whether it's school related, or not, I get side-tracked and sometimes forget about taking care of myself. The breathing techniques and poses I learned in yoga lifted a lot of weight I carried coming into class. It enables me to focus more clearly, whether it's studying for a test, or communicating better in my personal relationships.

    Yoga helped me feel good about myself. It makes me want to take better care about myself. I take what I learned in yoga with me wherever I go. I practice the poses before I go to sleep and when I wake up. And if I'm ever stressed during the day, I practice the breathing techniques.

    Thank you Kristin for bringing this amazing change to my life.

    ~ Erika

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  6. This was my first yoga class. I went into it very optimistic of what I would get out of it. I actually gained a lot. I know that physically I experienced a gain in my overall body control and flexibility. I would say just as strong was the mental experience where all you think about is your body and controlling it. I believe this is an enlightening class and everyone should try it. I enjoyed all parts of the yoga experience. I know that I left the class feeling more refreshed and relaxed than before.
    Thanks for the experience I’ll be back for more yoga for sure!

    Steven Dueker

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  7. Taking this class has made me realize how much I need yoga and time for meditation in my life again, (since it seems like I always end up taking yoga in my busiest quarter, winter) and how much more I would benefit from it if I increased doing yoga to even twice a week instead of once a week.

    I forgot how little time it feels like it takes to become aware of how much control you have while doing yoga, as in physical and mental strength, and how much more open I seem to be, mentally and physically. For the first time last week I was introduced to Yoga Nidra, an exercise to access feelings of sensations in your body, like cold/hot, feeling pain/content, and feeling like the closest I've felt to enlightenment in yoga. (I also enjoyed the Indian teacher's voice who led the exercise :)) I really felt different after class, because of going to the next level of relaxation.

    I think many of us don't take advantage of spending time to meditate or simply relax, and this leads to stressful situations at home, school, and work. I caught myself at least once this quarter thinking of skipping a yoga class to catch up on homework, but always talking myself into going. I was relieved afterward, because it was just what I needed to de-stress from the week (since my classes are on Thursday nights).

    So thank you, Kristin, for teaching a beneficial class continually opening my eyes to new possibilities in yoga, as a way to express myself freely in class with movement and breathing.

    Amy, Thursday (7-8:40pm)

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  8. This was my first time taking a college-level yoga class. I wanted to sign up for the course in order to obtain a certain number of credits for the quarter. Much to my surprise, I gained so much more than I had expected. I found it somewhat of a blessing in disguise.
    I'm a 20 year old, completely self-supported, full time student and worker, therefore I'm rarely lacking in the stress department! I also was involved in a car accident last year and have been seeing a chiropractor once a week since then (which isn't working very well). Those few mornings of yoga have helped me with all of the above. Not only could I take my mind away from everyday worries and concentrate on the present, but I felt as though I could confront and focus on the muscle aches that I often am too busy to deal with. Since the beginning of this quarter, I have felt less exhaustion and discomfort than I have this entire year. The power of the mind, body and soul is truly a beautiful thing.
    I hope to continue practicing yoga in the future. Thank you for sharing with us Kristin. :)

    Olivia

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  9. This quarter was very stressful for me. My head was always thinking about something and having a time for yoga was just a relief for me. Every week I was waiting for Thursdays nights so I could feel that everything was fine.
    Once I was practicing Yoga, I felt that the world was turning in the right direction. I would always feel that my worries and anxieties went away. I learned to focus on the present. The present that felt very pleasing, relaxing and which I wish I could experience every day. I learned to appreciate every part of my body. I agree with my yoga teacher, that not everyone has the privilege to stand. Being able to notice my own body and those functions that are very natural such as breathing, made me realize how grateful I should be. When I feel good about myself, everything around me is fine.
    It is great to feel a sense of love and sensitivity after the yoga practice. It feels like one can transmit the love to the people around simply by having good wishes for them, just like we end yoga every time. So may all beings be well, happy, and free from suffering.

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  10. Taking yoga was extremely helpful for me this quarter. I took on a lot of credits and simply having two short 50 minute classes a week helped keep me from losing my head through it all. It was extremely relieving to be able to distance myself away from classes and simply focus on me and making myself feel good. I feel like getting off campus and stepping into a room so full of relaxation and calming thoughts created a very soothing environment where stress could be left at the door.

    This was my first yoga class and I hope not my last. I've learned so much about what it means to focus on myself and my body's individual needs. Too often I find myself worrying about everybody else that I forget to stop and really figure out what I need as an individual. I'm always moving fast too, so to really slow things down and concentrate on something we take for granted, like breathing, was really freeing for me.

    Yoga also helped with the simple little aches and pains that I've always just pushed past. I was having some trouble with my shoulder at the beginning of the semester and after every class, it was almost like I couldn't feel the ache of it anymore. It was also really nice when I was just sore from a more intensive workout, and I found that I really liked being able to pinpoint exactly which muscles were aching the most through various poses.

    Thank you so much Kristen for this amazing experience. I hope to see you in another class in the future!

    Caitlin Castellano (T/Th - 12:00 class)

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  11. i would like to first off thank you for the wonderful yoga class this quarter. I greatly enjoyed taking yoga 2 and going deeper into the yoga practice.

    I enjoyed clearing my head and releasing all the stress that built up over the week. I always have so many thoughts running through my head that during the class is was nice to have a clear head during yoga. I am already rather flexible but I did notice myself get physically stronger throughout the course.

    thank you for a wonderful class.

    Lauren

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  12. Yoga this quarter presented a new challenge because I was taking the advanced class, whereas last quarter, I took beginning yoga. Class was almost two hours and poses would have deeper steps or we would hold them for longer. It was challenging to make it through class sometimes, especially since my quarter was already very stressful and left me tired most of the time. But if I could endure the practice, I always felt infinitely stronger and more relaxed by the end. I will miss taking yoga in a group setting (especially doing tree pose in a circle!), but I am excited to be able to apply what I learned to my personal practice.

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  14. This was my first time taking a formal yoga class with an instructor. I enrolled in both the level 1 and 2 classes because as a graduate student I must be enrolled in 10 credits and i didn't have any other classes to take. These two classes were the most enjoyable of my quarter! I really looked forward to my three classes a week, they were relaxing while also giving me energy to continue my day. I never knew that yoga could be so euphoric. Yoga also is an excellent workout but so much different than running which I really like and they are very complimentary. I am very glad that I took a chance and took these classes because I would now consider myself a yogi and I'm looking forward to taking more classes and practicing on my own as well.

    -Lisa Dodgen
    (T/Th 12 and Thursday nights)

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  15. This is the second time taking yoga two, but I was a little rusty. It had been about 3 months since I have taken yoga so I knew I would need to be refreshed on all the poses and positions. I took yoga classes just because I wanted to. It is an amazing way to relax and I knew this quarter would be a stressful one. I absolutely enjoy yoga and loving going to class every week. This quarter was rough on me though. I had to work 50 hours a week and sometimes I had to work during yoga class and couldn't make it. This quarter was also the time for me to get sick. I had a horrible cold/flu and had surgery on my arm which made me miss some classes, but the classes I did make it too I loved! Yoga is a way to help me relax and release my stress. It also helps me with my health and my digestive track. I have had many many health problems and ever since I started yoga, my doctor says I've been healthier now than ever before. Yoga also helps me with my flexibility and stretching. My favor pose is the Cobra, I have never been able to really stretch my back, until I learned that move. I also love corpse pose, mainly cause it relaxes me so much that when I get home I am ready for a great nights sleep. This quarter has really been helpful to me and I am excited to take yoga again next quarter. I want to keep up with my yoga and continue with my yoga classes for many many years. Kristin you have been such a help! Thank you for teaching me and showing me the correct poses and answering any of my questions! You've been great!! See ya next quarter!

    -Brooke Robertson
    (Tuesday/Thursday nights)

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  16. Yoga class this quarter has been a hectic but rewarding experience for me. When Thursday evening came around I was invariably exhausted, and always wished that I could just go home and sleep instead of immediately rushing out again to go to class.But once I got there, I was always glad. After I got my breath back from my frenzied week, I was always sad that I couldn't go to bed then and there.

    One things I got out of this quarter especially was the three-part breath. I found that I could use it during the week to calm my nerves; for playing tests, exams, and other stressful situations. It also helped me get to sleep at night. I hope that I can get even better at it and continue to use it in the future.

    And one of these days I will actually be able to do the yoga nidra bit without great discomfort (I was coming down with pneumonia this time around , and the time before that I froze to death). Maybe next time.

    Thursday 7:00
    Laurel Koran

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  17. (A post from a student who had difficulties signing in to post)
    I have really enjoyed your yoga course this quarter! It has helped me to deal with stress that has been burdening me for a long time as well as in the present. I feel that yoga has made me internally well and gives me a way of letting go of things. I would and have recommended this class to anyone! It's such an amazing thing to participate in. Thank you for your instruction
    Alika Kuni

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  18. This was my second quarter taking your yoga class, i wish i could take it this spring as well! Yoga has most definitely improved the quality of my life and will continue to be an influence on me as i continue to learn and grow in this practice of mindfulness and body awareness. I have become so much more flexible and much more aware of my posture and body throughout the whole day. Yoga has helped me improve my rock climbing technique immensely and helps me keep a calm state of mind. Your yoga class was by far my favorite way to start my day! Thanks! -Todd Kelly

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  19. About a year ago I injured my back and have been constantly improve my core strength and flexibility. I believe Yoga to be the best preventative workout to save your back. I am going into the PGA so I need to be able to swing a club and your class has helped me to do so. I learned this quarter especially how to leave stresses at the door and concentrate on just stretching and relaxing, being in the present.

    Thanks Ms. Harper!,

    Joe Vargas

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  20. Thanks again everyone! My gratitutde for your presence this winter is beyond words. I am glad to hear you received from the class..and I accept all of your kind words.
    Jai!
    Kristin

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  21. I did like yoga, for the most part. Sometimes I went in and wanted to fall asleep during the relaxing poses, while other times I was more energetic. There were physical exertions that were good and hard, like sitting on an invisible chair and feeling your legs almost die. The meditation was calming, and I thought it was interesting how a roomfull of people could do precisely the same thing such as when you said "relax the jaw" and a tension, previously unaware of, was released, which probably happened to most others too.

    -Sami Abdul-Wahid

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