Sunday, November 24, 2013

Fall quarter 2013

Hi there everyone,
I am so grateful for my Fall Yoga Students this year.  I am grateful to all the studenst who showed up to class and committed to being present with their bodies and their minds and for the courage to show up and let go.  I was amazed at how well students listened to my instructions and followed directions.  It felt so easy to teach because everyone seemed like they knew yoga already.  I felt grateful to have this season of letting go, Fall, to share with the students who were in my classes.
There is so much intensity and passion in a room full of committed yoga students to being present and in the moment with the yoga postures.
What a beautiful time I've had with all of you:)
Jai Bhagwan,
Kristin:)

26 comments:

  1. This quarters yoga class has been a good experience, every morning after a session a felt wide awake and had a positive vibe. I even got a comment once that I was giving of a vibe like I just left yoga so it was like a reassurance like hey this is working. Not only did I feel positive but my body felt good as well. I have played rugby and football and my body can feel a little banged up at times, after a yoga session the tightness and minor aches would be relieved and my body would feel good. The meditation aspect does really help one relax and just to focus on the present and forget about all other outside struggles. I would recommend yoga to anyone who is interested in taking a class or feeling better in general.

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    1. This quarter has been a good experience for you! You have felt positive and people have noticed! The yoga postures have helped with your tightness from rugby and football and feeling banged up! Your body feels relieved! You have been practicing keeping your mind in the present and forgetting about your struggles. You are awesome! Thanks for being in my yoga class.
      Best,
      Kristin:)

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  2. I personally took this class this quarter and I was absolutely in love with it. I have taken many yoga classes and by far Kristen Harper has been the most soothing and influential yoga teacher that I have ever met. You can tell just by the first class that she is absolutely in love with her job and that she is truly there to help the students that she receives. There has been many nights that I have dreaded the walk to her class, only because of the weather that we live in but every time I leave, I leave with a smile and my body feels amazing and healthy. Kristen's class fully soothes and truly lets you get in contact with your inside emotions while brining them out to awareness. I would completely recommend this class to anyone who wants a instructor who cares about your health and to people who want to feel relieved walking out of that door.

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    1. Wow! Thanks for the kind words! Usually, what shows up on the mat shows up in students lives….So, you are in love with yoga because you are in love with life! Your life might have its challenges, like the weather walking to class ect. but overall you are in love with Life. Also, you feel amazing and healthy because you are:) I was just there to create space and facilitate yoga.
      Again, thanks for the kind words…I accept:)

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  3. There are many reasons why I decided to take yoga. The first and most important was to have a specific time to really stretch my body after a week of working out. A few months before coming to school, I injured my IT Band and was receiving massage therapy. Because I was moving back to Ellensburg, I wasn’t going to be able to receive treatment when I needed it. Yoga has really helped in keeping my IT Band loose as well as loosen all my other sore muscles.
    Another reason why I decided to take a yoga class was for a stress reducer. Last year, I was very stressed over my school work and rarely had time to take the time to relax. By taking this class, I was, in a way, forcing myself to make time to relax throughout the week. My plan worked out great. Because the class is at the end of the week, I can spend my weekend with a clear mind and prepare myself for the coming week.
    -Dominique Sambrano

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    1. You were able to stretch your body and heal your IT band and the muscles it effects:) You were also able to get clear at the end of your week and prepare yourself for the coming week.
      I am really impressed with how you were able to see what you need in your life and get something to help with stress and pain in your body that is health and good for you. Way to go Dominique!

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  4. This quarter of yoga was a great experience for me. I benefited both physically and mentally from going to your class. Physically, I became significantly more flexible, but I as well became more in tuned with my body. I found some of my strong points, but more importantly found my many weak points, which I can now work on and become both more flexible and stronger in those areas. As a rugby player I really have no choice but to stay in good shape physically, but overall mental health is not always a huge focus for me. Yoga taught me ways to battle stress and helped me become a more calm person. My mind and body now feel more in sync, and my ability to both chill out, and to focus have become much stronger as well.
    Yoga has improved my life, I am now a better rugby player, student, and overall person, but most of all, my overall outlook at life is stronger.
    -Beau Davis

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    1. Yoga has improved your life, you are a better rugby player, student, and overall person..and your outlook on life is stronger.
      Way to go Beau!!

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  5. Attending yoga this quarter was an amazing experience. Yoga has had a positive impact on my life in both athletics and my mental state of being. I noticed that athletically I gained flexibility, balance, and had a faster recover time from soreness. Mentally I came in touch with myself more than I have ever before. After class I would always feel refreshed and relaxed but not always with ease. Some of the classes were very challenging both mentally and physically. During the beginning of the quarter I had a hard time getting into a lot of the poses and getting in touch with myself. By the end of the quarter I noticed that my balance and flexibility had improved along with my ability to get in touch with myself. After breaking barriers with myself I noticed that breathing allowed me to pay more attention to what my body was telling me. Over all this was a great experience and I would love to make yoga a part of my life. Thank you for the experience.
    -Griffin Boudia

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    1. You have broken barrios with yourself! You were able to focus on your breath and pay attention to yourself!
      Horray!

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  6. In many aspects of my life, I like to have balance, certainty, and focus. Practicing yoga has become a great way for me to work on maintaining these things in my life. Some days I feel uncertain of myself, and troubled with trying to balance my life as a busy college student, just as I found my self struggling to stay in balance postures or focus deeply in meditation. But after a class where I was able to keep my mind focused on the present moment, and my body stabilized in my postures, I found myself more able to apply the same methods to the daily obstacles in my life. Especially in this past quarter, I have found myself better equipped to bring focus and peace into my life in order to further pursue the things that I love. Although I have practiced yoga for some time now, this quarter has granted me with the ability to push myself further and deeper into my practice than ever before. With the new tools I have established this quarter I hope to continue my practice and continue reaching new levels in yoga and in my life. Thank you Kristin for being such a big part in that process!

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    1. You were able to apply methods to the daily obstacles in your life! You were able to go deeper!
      Thanks so much for thanking me, but you were the one who did all the work!

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  7. Yo, this class is the bomb. No pressure and tons of positivity. I'm always down to spend two hours doing stretches with some homies in this class, and this studio is the place to do it. You get to kick it in an art gallery, and check out all the dope paintings that are in there for that exhibition. It totally helps you avoid awkward eye contact with the other yoganites. The prof is hella nonjudgemental and is always willing to help you to correctly do the poses. And damn! it feels good if you're sore from working out. I can't stress enough how off the chain this class is. If you're a beginner, then it's the perfect environment to get a relaxed introduction to some intermediate yoga poses. I had never done yoga before this class, but I will definitely be able to do my own routines for now on thanks to the instructor. Her classes teaches you how to do yoga on your own because she describes what each pose is and the locations of the muscles and how they feel when they're being stretched. It's amazing. Om for life dawgs.

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    1. Om for life dawns!!!!! I love your language, it is refreshing and fun! I am so happy you received from my class. Thanks for practicing yoga with me this winter!

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  9. I had a wonderful time in this class. The instructor gives very straight forward and easy to follow directions, even if the position isn't the easiest. Having this class in the morning made for a great way to start off my day. There is something great and unique about the feeling I would get after class, and I found lots of times that I had more energy and was more attendant after class. Some of the things I learned that I was able to take away from class, was just stopping and meditating. Being able to at various points of the day just stop and give my mind away even just for a few minutes helped in many cases where things started to pile up, and i just needed a minute to reset. Also a great thing for when I can't sleep, I would use that and go out pretty quick. All in all, I really enjoyed having this class, the environment was warm and friendly, and definitely plan on doing more yoga from what I learned in my free time, and possibly take another class

    -Michael Christiansen

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    1. You have been just stopping and meditating during your days, you have more energy, you have been able to reset! Keep downloading the good stuff into your life brotha!
      Kristin:)

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  10. This class has been awesome for me! I have grown as a person not just physically but mentally as well. Being able to wind down after a long day of class and work and let myself relax has been great and the instructor makes sure that we are always relaxed and comfortable. Through this class I wanted to test my body and become more flexible I feel that I have definitely achieved that. This was my first time doing yoga and it was a great experience. The instructor made classes fun and let you go at your own speed. I never felt rushed or anything. I use some of the stretching that we do in class in the mornings to help me wake up but I have also found that I feel like I have more energy as well. I will for sure be taking more yoga classes after this.

    -Jessi Broderius

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    1. You have grown mentally and physically, you have been able to wind down after a long day of class. You have felt more relaxed and comfortable and you have housed some of the stretches in the mornings to help you wake up.
      Way to go!
      Kristin:)

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  11. This class has been a great experience for me. Not only does it help you know what you can and can’t do with your body but it helps you mentally What I really enjoyed about this class is the peace of mind it brings to you when you do yoga I thought that I could never achieve that peace of mind by doing yoga. This was my first time doing yoga and now I wished I could have started before. Yoga has helped really helped me with my stress I found myself before doing yoga stressing out most of the time. Now I feel more at ease with myself and calm I don’t find myself stressing out as much. I plan one sticking with yoga and truly recommend to anybody is feeling stressful.
    -Selene B.

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    1. You were able to have peace of mind. What a gift you have given to yourself by simply enrolling in a University Yoga class.
      Awesome!

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  12. Kristin,

    Practicing yoga with you this quarter has been a blessing. I've had too much on my plate and unfortunately missed more classes than I wanted to due to illness and working too many hours but I always, ALWAYS felt better after yoga. Yoga has truly changed my way of thinking about my body; before I started your class last spring quarter I would feel frustrated when I was exercising and didn't feel like I was performing at the rate that I should. Yoga has taught me to be happy and satisfied with where my body is at, and to challenge myself but realize that every day my body is different. Every day I have to think about how I feel and treat my body respectfully even if I think I should be able to do more. Yoga has also done wonders for my anxiety and stress levels; without it, I don't think that I would have survived this quarter. Even on days when I didn't have class just doing a few poses in between my busy schedule during the day or doing some breathing exercises helped keep me centered and focused. All in all thank you for continuing to teach me to love and appreciate my body and accept it where it is at, regardless of other expectations.

    Best,

    Kelsie Miller

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    1. You always feel better after doing yoga! You have been able to manage your anxiety and stress levels, and you have survived the quarter! You have practiced yoga outside of class and it has helped you stay centered and focused.
      You deserve to feel love and appreciation for your body and I am soooo glad you were able to manifest that for yourself.
      Thanks for sharing:)

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  13. I looked forward to yoga class every week. Thursday’s became an escape from the stresses of school and work. A time when I could slow down and appreciate the moment; allowing myself the opportunity to get in touch with the universe within and around me. After every yoga class I felt a sense of well-being that is hard to achieve in our fast paced society. Thank you for guiding me through this practice! Your corrections to my postures during class have been enlightening. I know now ways in which to improve my techniques. I especially enjoyed the guided meditation we were subjected to. The smile upon my face was present for hours after its completion. The euphoric affect it had on me was unparalleled to anything I have experienced before. I plan on repeating this practice when necessary in order to rebalance my emotional state. While the practice of yoga had many unintended spiritual and emotional benefits; my primary motivation for taking this class was to experience the physical advantages of yoga. Completion of a session had a restorative effect on my body, alleviating soreness and renewing energy. This reason alone is worth participating in this class. I look forward to potentially seeing you in an advanced yoga course. -John Schutz

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  14. Kristen,
    I just wanted to say thank you. I have never been apart of something that was so positive for me on a personal level. It is so easy for me to constantly be thinking negatively and forget about all of the good vibes that do surround me on a daily basis. I actually would get excited for your Thursday night class. It was the one time during the week that I could shut out the stress of work and school and just concentrate on me. I do not think that there was one time that I left class and did not feel awesome about myself. I also have pretty bad scoliosis that causes a lot of tightness in my lower back and hips and all of the stretching really helped relieve some of the aching that I often get. Plus, it was a perk to get some of my flexibility back! So, thank you again. I can't wait to take your class again next quarter!
    -Graycee Hanna

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  15. Kristen and friends,
    Thank you for coming out to do some side stretches with me Thursday nights during our yoga class. I hope to continue to practice what I have learned in this class til the end of days. Kristen’s teaching style made it easy for me to be able to learn how to perform the stretches as she talked us through the lesson as well as walked toward each student to evaluate their postures. It seems like no matter what your exposure to yoga was, there was something to new to learn or a challenge to attempt as Kristen made plenty of suggestions as to how we could increase the difficulty of our postures. This quarter has been less stressful than others due to the meditation taught by Kristen. I appreciate the time Kristen gave us to define our goals and focus on the moment, her positive attitude has made it easy for me to welcome these new challenges into my life. Thursday has become my favorite day of the week as I know after yoga my body and mind come out feeling fresh. I hope to sign up for yoga again before I graduating and will make an effort to show others what I have been taught.
    Thank you,
    Ricardo Iriarte

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