Friday, May 17, 2013

Spring has sprung!

I am so grateful to all of the students who were able to practice yoga with me this quarter.  I have given students the opportunity to post comments about their experience with yoga this quarter.   Congrats to all of my students who are graduating.  May the long time sun shine upon you!
Kristin:)

63 comments:

  1. Kristin,
    I have really enjoyed your yoga class this quarter. Yoga has been really relaxing for me and I felt that it was my time that I could de-stress and just worry about what was in the moment and not think about the things I had to get done during the day. As an athlete Yoga was very beneficial because it helped me stretch. I really enjoyed meditating though sometimes I felt like I could fall asleep during it. I really enjoyed this yoga class and I think I will continue to take Yoga throughout the year. Thank you for teaching us.

    -Brianna Bofinger

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    1. Yoga has been relaxing for you and it helped you de-stress this quarter!
      As an athlete I bet you need the rest!
      Thanks for sharing:)

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  2. Kristin,
    being in your mondays and wednesdays 12 O'clock yoga class has really opened my eyes to how amazing it is! it has not only made me so much more flexible but has also relieved my mind from all the stress i have been going through lately. in winter when i was enrolling into this class i had no idea how much of an impact it was going to have on my life and i don't regret taking this class at all. every class day is such a blessing and i have the greatest time. yoga and the meditation has created a new Dalton Pierce for years to come, the meditation has cleared my mind and got me to think of things more clearly. thank you for this great experience!
    sincerely,
    Dalton Pierce

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    1. You have had a great experience! I am so glad I got to share what I know about yoga with you and it helped you feel better:) Horray!

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  3. Kristin,
    I am really happy that i took this class with you this quarter. it taught me how to relax more and meditate on the present time and i have used it to comfort myself during times of high levels of stress. a few stretches were a little too intense for my lower back and my wrist but every thing else was awesome. You were a great instructor that was not intimidated to help and fix someone if they were doing a pose wrong, which in turn helped me bacuase i could see how to fix myself if i was doing wrong. i really enjoyed participating in yoga this quarter and i feel that i have benefited and will continue to benefit from taking yoga. i appreciate this class and recommend it to all my friends no matter what their body type may be. thank you for the opportunity and the life long lessons.
    yours truly,
    ~Johnny Malidore

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    1. Thanks Johnny, You have helped me learn more about myself by being a student of mine. You have a big personality that was a spark plug in the class.
      Thanks for sharing, yes people can feel things more intensely though yoga postures. I appreciated how you took care of yourself during class and were able to benefit from most of the stretches.
      Take care!

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  4. Kristin,

    Thank you so very much for the past three quarters. I have learned a lot about relaxing and yoga has greatly benefitted my life. I had surgery almost a year ago now and the pain I once felt prior to fall quarter has almost vanished. Throughout all the balancing poses as well as stretching poses, my legs feel like they are brand new. I will continue to do yoga throughout the summer and I hope to take the class again sometime next year. Yoga was the easiest way for me to relax after a stressful week of classes and now I have learned a new way of relaxing. The class size was huge compared to winter quarter's class from 7-8:40! Thank you once again for instructing the class. I couldn't have asked for a better instructor.


    Sincerely,

    Kevin Moran
    (Class: Thursday 7-8:40)

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    1. I couldn't have asked for a better student! You have received some amazing benefits from practicing yoga this quarter. I am so tickled to hear that yoga helped you recover this quarter. That is fantastic!
      Have a great break:)

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  5. I love this class and yoga! This class, although big is still great! I have had yoga with Kristin teaching, and i cant imagine a class without her. She is a great teacher, who lets you go at your own pace, with as much flexibility as you have. I have benefited greatly from taking this class. It has help my hurt shoulder and lower back!
    Thanks Kristin!
    -Alexandria Hansen

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    1. So glad your shoulder and lower back are feeling better. I am so happy to hear that you loved the class and practicing yoga!
      Thanks for sharing!

      Delete
  6. One of my favorite parts of this yoga class was the warrior postures. Warrior I and Warrior II are said to build strength and confidence. When I was doing these postures, I really did feel more confident. Standing tall and strong with my head held high in these positions, gave me a sense of confidence that I don’t often stop and feel during the course of an average day. When I would look out over my index finger or bend back and look up towards my hand, I felt like I was able to feel more confident about myself and about the future. Through yoga, I had to learn to trust my body—trust that my legs and arms would hold me, trust that I could find a place of balance, and trust that I could contort my body in new ways.
    Through yoga I’ve realized how hard it is to clear my mind. I find my mind wandering all over and will occasionally “tune in” that I’ve been spacing out. Focusing on breathing and relaxing my mind is harder than it seems like it should be. I’d like to continue to try meditation techniques after this class. I think it would be good for me. It seems like it must be taxing on my body to be constantly thinking; my mind needs time to rest. I like yoga’s emphasis on breathing and using breathing as a way to calm the body.

    Thanks for guiding me in my practice.
    Naomi

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    1. You are believing in yourself.
      Don't ever give up on believing in yourself, It is your birthright to be amazing, powerful, precious, loving, and wonderful.
      Thanks for practicing with me,
      Kristin

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  7. Your yoga class has helped improve my balance and helped the pain that I have been experiencing in my lower back over the last 7 months now to subsided instead of being constant. I took the class to gain more flexibility, and because of my back, this has been hard for me to do on my own. I slowly did gain some though and am thankful for that. I also appreciated the meditation that we did at the beginning of each session because it was a nice time for me to stop over processing and making lists of all the things I needed to do for the rest of the day. It allowed me to connect with myself and just be quiet externally and internally. Overall, I am glad that I got to take a class this quarter, and look forward to continuing to take yoga classes in the future.

    Jolyn Hull (9:00am-Mondays and Wednesdays)

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    1. Invite in the over processing thoughts and the planning thoughts. Don't try to stop them, it is impossible to stop them, thoughts are like water, just let them pass through the mind. It helps to stay curious and observe your thoughts when your sitting in meditation instead of trying to stop them. The poem below makes me think of this idea:


      THE GUEST HOUSE

      This being human is a guest house.
      Every morning a new arrival.

      A joy, a depression, a meanness,
      some momentary awareness comes
      as an unexpected visitor.

      Welcome and entertain them all!
      Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
      who violently sweep your house
      empty of its furniture,
      still, treat each guest honorably.
      He may be clearing you out
      for some new delight.

      The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
      meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

      Be grateful for whatever comes.
      because each has been sent
      as a guide from beyond.

      -- Jelaluddin Rumi,
      translation by Coleman Barks

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    2. you are sitting, instead of your...a little fix to the above:)

      Delete
  8. Dear Kristin,

    Thank you so much for a wonderful experience in Yoga! Attending your classes has been like going back to my old instructor--but with better music! While I did feel that some of the exercises were repetitive (mostly because of sore muscles from my Karate class) I enjoyed the corpse pose meditations immensely, and plan to practice them on my own now.

    Your classes have reminded me of how important a calm mind is to being happy and succeeding in life, and I'll never forget that lesson. Thank you so much for a great experience, and for letting me borrow your music! Namaste!

    Jonathan Hoff

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    1. Namaste Jonathan! Thanks so much for being in my class this quarter:)

      Delete
  9. Kristin,
    Yoga has really allowed me to relax and de-stress. I am much more flexible and have improved my balance tremendously. I am now aware of the pain my body undergoes and have incorporated more stretching into my routine already. As an athlete it was a really great thing to be aware of all the pain I was actually in without stretching. Thank you for teaching us, this quarter has been great.

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  10. Dear Kristin,
    I have thoroughly enjoyed your yoga class this spring quarter. I have never done yoga before taking your class and I discovered yoga to be very relaxing. I love how yoga allows my body to relax, stretch, and being in the moment. I also discovered that yoga helped me to de-stress from the busy quarter and relax my body and mind. I will continue to find ways to incorporate yoga more into my daily life.
    Thank you for teaching us this quarter.

    -Tiffany Hughes

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  11. Dear Kristin,
    I really liked your yoga class this quarter! I have taken yoga classes before but I never really felt like they made a difference; however, your class makes me feel so relaxed and stress free. I always leave class feeling better. Your course was the only class that allowed me to unwind and forget about work and school. When you walked around and helped me to gain an even further stretch I could feel the impact on my body. Thank you for being a wonderful teacher and I look forward to more classes with you in the upcoming years.
    -Breanna Emmons 9 AM class

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  12. Dear Kristin.
    Thanks you for the wonderful Yoga class this quater! This is not the first time I take Yoga class, but I feel like I did learn alot of new thing about Yoga by attending your class. Attending your class in the morning prepare me for my day studying at school. Your class helps me relax and relieve my stress. Thanks you for being a great teacher.
    p/s: you have great singing voice.

    An T Pham

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  13. Dear Kristin,

    Taking yoga this quarter has been a very rewarding experience for me. I looked forward all week to coming to yoga class on Thursday nights. I really enjoyed the meditating and breathing aspect of the class. I find myself using the three part breath at least once a day, and the breath of joy can be a nice little pick me up. This class helped me learn to relax, and increased my flexibility. I recommend yoga to everyone capable of participating.

    Carson McDonald

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  14. This yoga class provided me a safe and warm environment to strengthen and work my shoulder muscles. I have never taken an official yoga class before, so I initially thought it would be many confusing postures that would make me feel silly however this class had the opposite effect. After I would attend my 9AM yoga class I would feel more empowered, relaxed, and ready to take on the day. Many people say yoga has healing effects and although the physical effects are obvious, I have come to appreciate the calming effect it has on our minds. Being able to pause and savor a moment is essential to enjoying life. Yoga allowed me to recognize and learn to enjoy the power of just staying still and breathing.

    -Luci E.

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  15. This quarter yoga has really help me in many ways. It has allowed for a proper body alignment as well as help balance my inner focus toward my goals. It calms and prepares the mind for the day. Allowing it to go through a full wake up and morning mediation before attacking the tasks at hand for the day. It was a great way for me to rehab my muscle and ligament injuries. There was never any extreme amount of stress/stretch on any part of the body during the class. Over all the class had a fun vibe to it. It was well taught and lead at a good pace

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  16. Yoga class has enabled me to strengthen both my physical form and mental well being. On the very first day of class I took away a valuable lesson from Kristin, in that it is important to not dwell on the past or stress about the future. If a person is able to enjoy the present moment and follow their will in the present everything will manifest itself into positive results.
    I was a little hesitant about yoga at first but the experience has lead me down paths I would have never knew existed without this course. I have learned that meditation is something that takes practice, but is very achievable and rewarding.
    Thank you Kristin for your great teaching and encouragement.
    -Keven Samuelson

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  17. Kristin,

    I was a part of your Monday and Wednesday class at noon and I have to say that it was truly a great experience. I had some minor experience in yoga before I joined the class and was glad to be able to do it on a more regular basis. I really liked learning about the 3 part breath as well as the moves to warm up your body. I have continued to use these moves outside of class and have seen improvement in my respiratory system and overall level of calmness. I especially liked the last class where we stayed in the corpse pose for 45 minutes and practiced yoga sleep. The time seemed to fly while we layed there and I felt a real sense of being relaxed. It was a great opportunity to learn how to stay focused in a relaxed state while not actually falling asleep. Overall I would say the one thing I am most happy about and will take away from this class is a routine of yoga moves that I can do by myself on a regular basis even when I am not in a class. Thanks for the class, I look forward to practicing more yoga on my own in the future.

    Taylor Galbraith

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  18. A lot of people say that yoga has a physical and emotional healing abilities. I’ve taken yoga once before when I was only 10 years old, and to me back then yoga was all about bending down backwards and doing crazy tricks and poses. I was never in a mind set to truly appreciate the art of yoga. This quarter when I took yoga, I’ve come to realize how beneficial it is for me. For the past couple of years, there are some days when I just feel like I can’t breathe due to allergies/asthma. Learning the different breathing techniques in class really helped me out. These simple, easy to do poses really had a great effect on my body. After the class I usually am very awake, refreshed and I physically feel so much better. This class has truly been a healing experience.


    Hima Priya Mareedu

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  19. This yoga class has increased my ability to stretch and has also taught me multiple things about controlling my breath. Proper stretching is something I never took serious before this class but while taking this class and a swim class I realized how important stretching the body out can be. The three part breath helped me regulate my breathing while running and swimming. Typically everyday after class I felt completely revitalized. Thank you for a great quarter and thank you for opening me up to the world of yoga.

    Nathan Douville

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  20. I was a little apprehensive about taking yoga in the beginning because I had lost all of my flexibility and felt awkward in the class. Once I was able to relax I noticed my body felt much, much better. Now, instead of visiting the chiropractor multiple times per week, I am able to focus on the tense areas and can stretch them out on my own. Thank you Kristin for a wonderful, relaxing quarter!

    Liana Paynter

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  21. I am so greatful to have been apart of your yoga class through Central Washington. Like others, I have benefited tremendously from the breathing techniques. The three part breath and breath of joy are by far my favorites, and I have been able to incorporate them into my daily life. I have always enjoyed yoga as a strength and stretching activity, but your class has helped me too find the benefits of meditation and relaxation, thank you. Jai Bhagwan!

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  22. This quarter was my first time ever trying yoga and I am so glad that I decided to take this class. I wanted to take yoga to become more flexible but I ended up getting so much out of it in the end. I knew yoga would help me stretch my legs and that would help my knee that I had surgery on. But then after going to class I was shocked at how many of the poses actually targeted my hips and lower back it was really relaxing. I use child’s pose more and more often at home after sitting in class all day or even after driving for a long period of time. Yoga not only has helped me physically loosen up but also mentally. The breathing techniques like the three part breath and the breath of joy actually came in handy when I have been under stress or running low on energy studying. I never have been a believer in meditation but it was actually extremely relaxing to meditate in corpse pose at the end of every class. This was a good way to wind down and recover. The only downside was that I found myself wanting to stay in corpse pose and take a nap instead of leaving class some days. By the end of the quarter I am pleasantly surprised how much I actually started to look forward to yoga each week. After working out and going to school and work it has been nice to have those 2 days of 2 good hours of relaxation for myself. I definitely would take this class again if I had the chance and I would recommend that people give yoga a chance. It may feel silly in the beginning but it is helpful if you take it serious and actually focus on the poses and getting to know your body and what you need to work on. Thank you so much for being a great instructor this quarter you made this class very enjoyable!

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  23. As someone who has been active and played sports for the majority of my life, yoga has really improved my flexibility, something that I have always struggled with because of my height. The breathing exercises and gaining that flexibility and strength in my core and stabilizer muscles has really helped me get through old injuries and I'm almost positive that it has prevented possible ones. I wish I had taken stretching and core strength more seriously earlier in my life because it would've saved me a lot of doctors visits and old injuries but it's something that I won't neglect now!

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  24. Kristin,
    I attended your yoga classes Monday Wednesday at 9 am and it was a great way to start off my day. I felt so fresh and clear minded after stretching meditating and strengthening. I have been practicing yoga off and on for over a year and your class brought some new rhythms to my experience which I very much enjoyed. This is the first time I have really focused on my breathing in motion with the different poses. Breathing is such an important part of yoga and you guided my breathing in a way the worked and flowed for me. There was always a peaceful energy in your yoga sessions and I can sense you have a beautiful spirit. I will definitely use some of your lessons when I practice yoga at home. This was a great yoga experience for me this quarter and if I wasn't graduating I would take another one of your classes. Thank you so much.

    Emilia Henrichs

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  25. Hi Kristin,

    I have really enjoyed your yoga class! I plan to continue with yoga and bring along by boyrfriend as well. He is a hockey player, and I know he could benefit from the cross training. I have severe back pain and started yoga to try to get some relief from day to day pain. So far, I have drastically reduced my pain and have even lost about 8 pounds! This was also a great way for me to have some mandatory chill out time, as i am a very high anxiety person and need to force myself to calm down sometimes, especially in my last quarter at CWU. The practice and meditation leave me in such a wonderful calm mood.

    Thanks so much for everything, I will see you soon!

    Anna Dove-Maguire

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  26. Hi Kristin,

    I am so glad that I decided to take yoga this quarter with you. It was really such a stress reliever especially since it was on Thursday nights, I felt that I could just let everything go that I had been doing that week. Being a student-athlete it was also nice to be able to stretch out and relax at the end of the week. Over the weeks I started to notice that I was getting more flexible and my balance was improving as well. Yoga is something that I will definitely be continuing to do on a regular basis. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to teach us yoga!

    ~Emily Ainsworth

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  27. Kristin,

    First off I would just like to thank you for being there every week and taking the time to teach us yoga. I was very stressed out this quarter and coming to yoga each week gave me the opportunity to clear my mind and become stress free for those couple hours every Thursday night. Even though I was already very flexible I saw improvement and every week I was able to reach just a little farther. Something else that I enjoyed doing were the different kinds of breaths and how they would make you feel. I have used the breath of joy many times so I can get some quick energy. I hope to take some more of your yoga classes in the future and again thank you for this experience!

    Elizabeth Blanchard

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  28. Kristin,

    Here is my reflection paper!! I practiced yoga with you in your Thursday sessions from 7-9 PM. Thank you for being such a warm and welcoming instructor! I always felt so comfortable in your classroom and I'm sure everyone felt the same way. From the second i signed up for yoga, i was extremely excited to get practicing! And surely enough, after the first session, i fell in love! I was a little nervous going in to yoga because i believed being flexible was a big part of being able to enjoy yoga, but boy was i wrong! i learned that flexibility is not what yoga is all about. yoga is about treating your body, and learning to listen to it and breathe in ways that support your body. Although as yoga is coming to an end i am happy to say i have gotten a little more flexible, a little :) Yoga was my little escape! I looked forward to coming each week so i could clear my mind and live in the present. Yoga was an amazing escape from the every day stresses of school and life. I will most definitely be looking for a yoga class to join at home! I am forever a believer! I love everything Yoga has to stand for and will try and convince others to join me :) Hopefully that experience will be as pleasant as this one has been! Thank you SO much for everything.

    Kendall Downing

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    1. Yoga was your little escape. Thank you for being such a warm and welcoming student. What a joy it is for you to share your excitement of yoga. You will find the right yoga class for you this summer, I just know it. I can tell you are on the path my friend!
      Cheers!

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  29. Hey Kristin,

    You have been a great yoga professor! You're energetic and very helpful. Your descriptions of the poses are much more clear than Wii Fit or the yoga video I have at home.

    I signed up for this class because I wanted to keep my muscles stretched through the first few parts of my gender reassignment, and to help with my lower back problems. The child's pose has helped with my lower back, as well as, downward facing dog. The 6 movements of the spine have helped, not only me, but I had my fiancee go through them when her back hurt, and she felt better fairly quickly. I hadn't expected that my calves would begin to hurt, because I used to be fairly easy with my aerobics. During this quarter, I began to get very sore calves, which your class helped me stretch and relax. I also hadn't been able to get as much sleep as I was used to, and the meditations at the end of the class helped me increase my energy.

    This is my second yoga class, and I already signed up for the next because the yoga instructors Central picks seem to be some of the best, though, these are my first and best experiences with yoga.

    Thank you for a great quarter, and for helping me fix my back, calves, and other sore muscles. Also, thank you for helping me feel more energized, this class really helped with all of my other classes, this quarter. Thank you for increasing my yoga scores on Wii Fit, too.

    Have a good day, and keep up the great work!

    Max Hanson

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    1. You have received many benefits this quarter from practicing yoga! You have had a great quarter! Thanks so much for practicing yoga with me this spring! Keep doing Downward facing dog to stretch those calves:)

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  30. Kristin,
    Thank you for another wonderful quarter of yoga! Spring quarter I had your class right in the middle of the day, smashed between two other classes so I was never able to stay for a full class. Taking your class from 7-9 p.m this quarter has been much more enjoyable for me. I loved getting that extra hour of practice and being able to go back home to relax at night. Thanks again for guiding me through yoga this last quarter of mine at Central :)
    Sadie Malcolm

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    1. You had a wonderful quarter! Horray! I am so glad you enjoyed the longer classes. I hope you have a fantastic summer Sadie!
      Take care:)

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  31. Kristin,

    Taking your evening yoga class this quarter has really helped alleviate my stress, fatigue, muscle tension and neck/back pain. This in turn has helped me become a better cellist because playing the cello requires a relaxed body and mind. Also, I have noticed a marked improvement in my weight and energy level since starting yoga this quarter. Perhaps the most important thing I have learned in your class is that taking just a few minutes a day to meditate on positive things can really help with physical and emotional healing, as well as promote relaxation. Lately, I have been meditating right before bed to help me fall asleep faster, and now, it only takes me 10-15 minutes, whereas before, it took me an hour. Now that I have seen the many benefits of yoga, I plan to continue practicing at home this summer, as well as when I come back here in the fall. Thank you for all of your help. :)

    Rachel Ward

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    1. You are sleeping better! I am so happy for you:)

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  32. Kristin,
    I am very grateful that I was able to take another yoga class with you as the instructor. It has been a lot of fun, and very calming over this hectic quarter. Yoga has definitely helped me gain patience and taught me a new perspective on how to view stressful situations. This has been a great experience and I hate to see it end. Thank you so much for everything that you have taught me, including new yoga postures! It has been a great quarter!
    Abby Loiseau

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    1. You have a grateful heart:)
      Thank you for bringing your open heart to class this quarter.
      Love and light to you!
      Kristin

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  33. Kristin,
    I would like to say thank you for teaching yoga to all of us. Yoga has really helped me channel my thoughts and focus more on the present rather than the past. Yoga has helped me feel less stressed and more relaxed, I can really tell a difference between quarters where I haven't taken yoga to the ones that I have and your class really helped me through the quarter. They helped me focus on what needs to be done, giving me a break with some activity and mediation helping me to become more in tune with myself. The stretching postures were my favorites. Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to be able to take yoga as a class and helping us appreciate what it has offered.
    Michiela Boukalis

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    1. You deserve to be be able to enjoy your life in the moment. It is your birth right.
      Thanks for sharing:)

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  34. Kristin,
    This quarter was my first time every practicing yoga. To be honest I was a little nervous because I had no idea what it was going to be like. I am so glad I decided to take your class. It has been such a positive experience for me. Overall I feel like practicing yoga has helped me become more flexible, relaxed, and feel more spiritually connected with myself. I definitely look forward to Thursdays because I know I will be able to let go of the outside world and concentrate on myself and what is happening at that moment.
    Thank you for teaching us!
    Alejandra Parra

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    1. I am so glad you decided to take my class too! Thank you for teaching me ! Your presence in my class has been a positive experience for me as well.
      You deserve to let go of the outside world and concentrate on yourself and what is happening in the moment. It really is the key point I was trying to teach, and you got it.
      Good job my friend:)

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  35. Hi Kristin,
    Yoga has been a great experience and i will be looking forward to continuing this practice. It has helped me gain flexibility, reduce stress and increase my awareness. This quarter has been extremely difficult and your class did the job when it came to releasing stress. Being able to go home after class and end my day so serenely was the highlight of my week. I would recommend this class to anyone who is looking for a way to exercise and relax at the same time. Thank you for this opportunity!
    Vanessa Castro

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    1. Stress has a huge impact on the health and well-being of people. I am so glad that you were able to reduce stress and get through your difficult quarter. You deserve serenity. Thanks so much for the clothes!!!!!!!!!!!
      Have a great summer:)

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  36. Kristin,
    I had a great time learning yoga from you this quarter. Going in I wasn't sure what to expect from yoga, but it ended up being a great stress reliever. The moments of reflection gave me time to turn things I need to do into things that I feel prepared for. I appreciate your positivity and understanding.
    Thanks for a great class.

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    1. You were able to relieve some stress and reflect!
      Fantastic:)

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  37. Hi Kristin,

    Yoga was great for me in several different ways. I probably wouldn't have ever tried a yoga class by myself, but I was convinced to go with a friend of mine. It ended up being the most relaxing couple hours in the middle of my insanely busy week. It felt good just to have that time each week where there was nowhere else to be and nothing else to do for that time. And what I loved most about your class is that you were never rushing to get things done, or to do certain things or to follow a strict schedule. I always felt time was never an issue in your class, and that relaxed me the most.

    I am a music student here at CWU. For musicians, it is top priority to keep our bodies, joints, and muscles healthy. A musicians livelihood can largely depend on his/her physical well being. I was surprised about how much yoga helped me with that. Now when I practice my instrument, I can feel these places in my body where I store tension, and I'm beginning to learn how to release it. If anyone was doing something everyday that could end up in some kind of repetitive stress injury, I would highly encourage them to try yoga.

    Thank you for your consistency each week and giving us this time to do yoga!!

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    1. Playing music and practicing yoga are very similar. They both involve being present and in the moment. Sound is an anchor into the present moment.

      It also sounds like you are becoming aware of tension in your body and you are beginning to learn how to release it. It is a big part of this adulthood thing, learning that most things as your body, are serious of small events of tension and resolution. Music is all about building tension and then having a resolution.
      The word when sang in church amen, is a perfect example.

      You were able to gleen and apply a very important element of yoga, of music, and all life.

      Jai!

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    2. series of small events...just noticed that in my last post.

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  38. Kristin,
    Your yoga class has given me a much greater appreciation of my body. I started practicing (although not consistently) winter quarter to gain flexibility in my back and hips to aid in healing an injury. But, your class did more than just help me heal my back; it gave me a better perspective. You usually spoke about taking each day as it comes, and not expecting anything out of your body because every day it is different. Changing how I view my body and what it is capable of took some time, but I would definitely say now that I am so grateful for everything my body allows me to do. I'm a runner, and I've also incorporated this into my running and it has helped me tremendously. The meditation is hard for me because my mind is always busy, but it's something I will continue to work on. I look forward to practicing with you in the future!

    Thank you for being a great instructor!

    Kelsie Miller

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    1. You are grateful for everything your body allows you to do! I accidentally missed your post somehow earlier. You have a busy mind, you are noticing it, that is enough work for now, just notice and be curious...your mind is a beautiful thing.
      Happy Solstice!!!
      Kristin:)

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  39. You were able to appreciate your body more through Yoga:)
    You are grateful for everything your body allows it to do!

    It is okay for your mind to be busy, just observe what business is like.
    Running is a great way to meditate!
    Here are the steps to running meditation:
    1. Start small (just meditate while running when you think of it)
    2. Focus on your breath (just listen to what it sounds like, where you feel it the most, where you feel it the least,etc)
    3. Let thoughts come and go through your mind
    4. End with a smile

    Keep running!!!! It is a grate way to bring your mind to your body through the awareness of meditation.

    Have a great summer,
    Kristin

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  40. great...whoops on the spelling:)

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  41. Kristin,

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge and teaching me yoga this quarter. I could feel the acceptance and peace that you have gained, which helped me to do the same thing. There was no judgement from you; a very loving environment. I sincerely enjoyed my experience every time we had class. I also loved the fact that we took it in the 420 building... there was something about the environment that was very soothing.

    I have been working on healing my neck and my toe since last year and the opportunity to take yoga couldn't have come at a better time. I found that yoga, along with a few other techniques I was using, helped my healing process immensely. In yoga, I noticed where in the body was weak and where I was strong. It really helped me to start my days off "right" in the morning, and actually made me more driven to go exercise more after. I could feel my toe stretch while doing downward dog and I could feel it very weak when balancing on that side for tree pose. However, throughout the quarter, I could feel it getting much stronger.

    The meditation was also very beneficial to me. Anytime you can control your mind and your thoughts, you are freeing the body up and encouraging healing to start in you. This is such an important aspect to ultimate health, so thank you for sharing that with us.

    Great class; I think you're wonderful!

    xoxo Alexa Mabey

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