“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ~ Albert Camus

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Things I love about summer:

• Being outside
• Blue skies
• Green grass
• Trees in full bloom
• The gentle buzz of summer insects
• Long, lingering summer evenings
• Early, perfect summer mornings
• The magic of a warm summer night
• Birds singing
• The first firefly of the season
• Warm sun on my skin
• Riding my bike with out gloves
• Running without a hat
• Walking the dog, in sandals
• Sandals in general
• Skirts and dresses
• Climbing trees
• Road trips
• Hiking in the woods
• Canoeing
• Lazy, hot summer afternoons
• and…
• YOGA OUTSIDE!

I am hosting a Summer Solstice celebration is Thursday June 21st at Horner Park at 6:30pm! You will find us on top of the hill behind the field house near Montrose and California. We will be practicing 108 Sun Salutations and rejoicing in this magic, solar energy that has taken over the natural world.The sun salutations will be broken down into 9 sets of 12 with each set complemented by a poem, affirmation or intention making it truly a moving meditation. The practice should last between 75-90 minutes, complete with a sunset savasana.  Why 108? More about the Summer Solstice here

This is a donation based class with all proceeds going towards I Grow Chicago, a local organization whose mission is to grow Englewood from surviving to thriving through community connection, skill building, and opportunity. You can donate online through our event page or bring cash on the day of. Join the FB Event Page for updates.

All levels and abilities are welcome. Modification will be given and you can always skip one (or twelve) salutations to rest and soak in the summer evening. Grab a friend and please bring your own mat. Thanks to McFetridge Yoga Studio for helping me coordinate and host this event.

Love & Light,

Kristin

“Kindness is the only strength there is.”~Gregory Boyle

Monday was one of those mornings. I spilled coffee grounds all over the floor at 6:10am. I kicked over my coffee while doing somatic yoga on my back at 6:35am. I had cleaned the floor, dried off my meditation books, had my bolster airing out and returned to my mat with a tiny cup of what was leftover of my coffee at 6:52am. I gradually made it to all fours, and up to several sun salutations thinking, Will all day be like this? No matter, I will just be patient and roll with it. 

The day proceeded in a way only certain days progress. Outside it had all the right amounts of sunshine and shade. There was a light breeze and temperature was bordering on perfect. I made it to my morning class to teach and realized I did not bring my yoga mat. I forgot an item on my grocery list. I dropped my phone several times while walking the dog. I was sure to give myself ample time on my bike to commute between all my yoga classes throughout day. I managed to turn on the wrong street, get caught behind a smelly school bus, and get stuck in rush hour traffic in Lakeview. Somehow, I was still on time and able to enjoy the slivers of blue sky between the buildings. I repeated to myself:  Inhale, I am present. Exhale, I am calm. 

After my class in Lakeview, I sat outside the studio to speak with one of my students. Her native language is Russian. I had to ask several time how to pronounce her name at the beginning of class, as it begins with an elusive “Ks”. I could tell she was struggling with translation during class, but managed to follow along. I was sure to clarify things when she looked confused. We spoke after class about being new to Chicago and how it is important to distinguish Belarus, her home, from Russia. When we were getting ready to say goodbye, she told me “Thank you for the class and being a patient and compassionate teacher.” I felt undeserving of this praise and thought, Thank you for your patience and compassion towards me as I learn about you. 

Mary Oliver says “Patience comes to the bones before it takes root in the heart as another good idea.” I think the same goes for compassion. It is something you have to feel internally so you can express it externally. I practiced compassion with myself in the morning: not getting upset about the coffee fiasco, my forgetfulness and general imperfections. One year ago I would have not been so forgiving. This internal shift has given me the strength to practice compassion with others. With my loved ones. With strangers. With my students.

Compassion is a mighty task that often feels daunting since I made it my mantra back in January. It has been a slow process. This past year has taught me to be kind, patient and more compassionate not only myself, but to my loved ones and the world. I take time each day to be grateful for what I have and allow myself to feel a sense of worthiness despite my imperfections. I try to focus on what I have accomplished rather than focusing on our cultural mantra of “never enough” and “busy competitions”. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if I never wear fancy yoga pants doing a complicated yoga pose. Or if I am doing as much as that other yoga teacher on Instagram. It is not easy, but kindness is infectious. I am finally learning to slow down and see the forest for the trees. Small acts of kindness over time turn into bigger ripples. These ripples over time turn into waves. Kindness is truly where our greatest strength lies as humans.

How have you been kind today?

Love and Light,

Kristin

PS: I am teaching at FOUNTAIN HEAD this weekend! 9:30am Sunday June 10th.  Sign up here.

 

 

“And do you care what’s happening around you,
do your senses know the changes when they come?
Can you see yourself reflecting in the seasons, can you understand the need to carry on?”

~John Denver “Summer”

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Have you been paying attention? Have you shifted with the seasons? It is time to blossom. Time to burst forward with the growth that has been incubating since the winter. Time to set goals into action. Time for backbends and suns salutations…. Time for outdoor yoga!

**Edited: Class is not at Oz Park, but inside!**On Sunday June 3rd I have the pleasure of teaching at Lululemon at 9am representing Yoga Six in conjunction with Lululemon Halsted. Class is Free!

at their store! Class is at 9am. On Sunday June 10th I am delighted to be teaching at The Fountainhead representing the fantastic Coconut Yoga at 9:30am. Sign up through Coconut’s website on their “Schedule” page. Registration includes a mimosa, but please BYOM (bring your own mat).

On Saturday June 16th I will be assisting an outdoor yoga class The Art of Movement led by the lovely Jessica Knochel at the Gold Coast Art Festival in Grant Park. Keep your eyes open for more information on this… It is coming soon!

Thursday June 21st is the summer solstice and I am searching for a place to host 108 Sun Salutations. I am considering having an outdoor pop-up class in the evening at a beautiful park. I love to be in touch, literally, with the rhythms of nature. So why not roll our mats out on the grass, salute the setting sun and open our hearts to a new season blossoming before our eyes? Any location suggestions would be welcome 🙂

My weekly schedule is still shifting, but keep an eye on my classes page for up-to-date information. There will be some additional 8am weekday classes, a midweek gentle class and some more shifting around that will be happening now through July. Follow my IG for weekly sub updates as well.

Love & Light,

Kristin

 

This morning as I pedaled down the rain soaked ally,

I fell in love with the sky.

A tumultuous mirror of the life below,

ever changing, shifting, and evolving.

The dark and the light casting shadow and sunlight

onto the city and what I once perceived to be lost in the concrete.

It is truly in the tender fleeting moments I slow down:

The robin reemerging after a storm to sing its morning song.

The trees green growth heavy with potential after the downpour.

The soaring buildings embraced by thick low clouds along the lakeshore.

The world is always there waiting for you,

inviting you to share in its quiet, beautiful secret.

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Another season, another training! This module of my 500hr is called DIVERSIFIED. It is still asking me to question, reflect and write. This poem emerged from our first prompt today. However, we are also bringing in more anatomy and somatic educators during the week. I love to add sensory awareness and intentional movement exercises into my yoga classes from beyond the traditional yoga lexicon. I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge so I can share with my classes! I also plan to get back on a bi-monthly blog routine as we round out spring and arrive at summer. I hope to share more poems, reflections, and yoga tips.

Stay tuned for a post about yoga in parks, rooftop bars and more soon ❤

Love & Light,

Kristin

I woke up this morning to a city quiet and covered in snow. Grief hung in the air. Will spring EVER come? On my walk to yoga I was inspired to write. A Simon and Garfunkel song whispering in my ears…

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April Snow

 

The robins who have begun to sing the morning rapture, slept late.

A suffocating quiet echoed in their place.

The crocuses are covered in a soft blanket of white,

a crystalline quilt of soggy ice.

Empty of its prior beauty and magic, what remains is cold,

wet and heavy. A love once new has now grown old

I can feel the longing as I walk beneath the boughs of the trees.

Potential growth struggling to burst forth.

Reaching out to the sky standing empty and tall, buds aching to ripen.

Not hoping, but knowing that change will happen.

Can I stay as patient as the oak?

Can I remain as steadfast as the maple?

Can I trust that nature will run its course?

I have no choice but to remember the pattern of past seasons,

which inevitability arrive and fade. Sometimes without rhyme or reason.

Every year, a new year. Not quite like the one before but always cycling again.

April, come she will. And like that, the snow gives way to rain.

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Love and light,

Kristin (& Luna)

 

I have been trying to incorporate more meditation into my weekly classes, just a simple minute or two at the beginning and end where I invite the students to simply sit.  I encourage them to experience and to delight in the moment. Sometimes I offer a mantra or focus on the breath. But other times  I ask them to essentially do nothing. Easier said then done, I know!

My training with Lorin Roche, author of The Radiant Sutras and Meditation Made Easy (on my read soon list!) taught me me to to be less judgmental and less strict when it comes to mediation. Rather, to trust and believe that my mind knows what to do. It knows where to wander and when to return again. I have always said “There is no such thing as being good and bad at mediation” but until recently I never truly felt it. I always resonated with the “bad at meditation” because I felt like I never gave myself enough time on the cushion. I would only meditate a few minutes here and there, not long lengths of time everyday. Now I recognize that mediation is so much more than just sitting for hours and hours on end. It can be the delight and full immersion in your morning cup of coffee, the ritual of waking up slowly or simply walking outside. Meditation can be fun! It was a new concept for me and contradictory to most things I have heard about meditation. However, it was extremely liberating.

For another yoga teacher training I am in (because I have decided that 2018 is my Year of Being A Student) our homework this week was to design a meditation, visualization or affirmation. I love how things sometimes just work out so beautifully! I wanted to share it with you today. The meditation is breath centered and based off of #1 in The Radiance Sutras. I hope is brings you some peace and joy in the present moment! Enjoy 🙂

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Please come to a comfortable seated position. I recommend sitting up on a bolster or a blanket. If you back is tired, feel free to sit back against the wall or in a chair. Place your left palm on top of your right with your hands facing up and thumbs touching in dhyana mudra. The left palm symbolizes femininity and specifically our innate female wisdom. The overall mudra brings a sense of grounding, balance and tranquility to your body and mind. It is a meditation mudra. Let the mudra gently sit in your lap.  Please gently close your eyes. Lengthen your spine, soften your shoulders and relax your jaw.

Bring your awareness to your breath. Feel the breath at the tip of your nose, softly flowing in and out of your nostrils. Notice as it moves through the back of your throat and deep into your lungs. Feel your ribcage and belly gently expand with each inhale and relax with each exhale. Notice the sensation of rising, lengthening as you breathe in and notice a sense of grounding, rooting as your breathe out. Imagine your breath flooding your body. Emanating from your lungs into your whole torso, limbs and head. Inhale send nourishment your muscles and your bones. Exhaling notice the flow of breath out, and the gentle pause before it turns to flow in. Not holding, not restricting, just notice the emptiness and delight in how that emptiness holds peace, quiet and the potential for all things. The source of all life. Inhaling notice the flow of breath in, and the gentle pause before it turns to flow out again. Not holding, not restricting just notice the fullness and delight in the joy of the exchange, the renewal of life. Be present with this ancient wisdom of your body. The knowledge of how to breathe and when to breathe to keep your body safe and balanced. Allow your breath to become smooth and soft, allowing the wisdom of your body, the wisdom of your breath to nourish, calm and restore your body and mind. With each in breath saying silently to yourself ‘I am here” and with out breath saying “I am peace.” Repeat this for several minutes on your own.

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Love & Light,

Kristin

(and Luna, who alternates between napping or licking Kristin’s face while meditating)

 

 I was lost in the throes of this gray, cold Chicago winter, thinking it will never be over, I would always be cold… but then all of a sudden it is mid-March! Time to jump back into my next training module of all things yoga, soul, and meditation. After day one, I am already craving more!

I want to bring words such as LOVE, GRATITUDE, JOY, VULNERABILITY, SHAME, SPIRIT and  WHOLEHEARTED in yoga and in society. These are all words that exist in every person’s human experience and in every spirituality. Feeling love, joy, vulnerability and shame is part of every human experience. I sometimes feel silly to use these words when I teach. I feel like maybe I am the only one who has felt something this profound in my body on my sticky mat. To me, I do not think yoga is just another fitness class. Because I believe the body, mind and soul are inextricably linked, by moving the body, we are also moving the soul.

Somedays, I think I might sound like a sham to my students when I use these words. However, I know deep down this is not true. There are too many yoga classes, too many yoga teachers, too many students flocking to yoga in all kinds of settings throughout our society for this feeling to be unwarranted. I think people are signing up for yoga to touch their toes, but many are staying for the access to the soul. Some of my favorite “master” teachers are now no longer doing vigorous asana. They are instead speaking to the power of meditation, of slowing down, of really, truly listening. I am still young, and I love to move. I feel this pressure that I should be able to do more advanced asana because I am young, fit and a dedicated instructor. But truthfully I still cannot do all the fancy instagram poses. Honestly, I can do some but I do not know if I even want to do them all. Or if I will ever be able to do them all.

This year, through a series injuries and health issues I was forced to slow down. It was frustrating when I finally faced the truth. It is hard to rest when our western society glorifies exhausting physicality. Even the yoga society! There are so  many HOT and POWER and SCULPT classes. Being told to “feel the burn” or “push to the edge” when really I just want to feel my breath, my body, and my SOUL. Now, don’t get me wrong I love to sweat, workout and run! I have begun to discover there needs to be more balance in yoga and in life. More “union” between breath, body and soul. More equilibrium between work, rest and play. I questioned myself many times: why I am not doing handstands and instead laying on a bolster? Why can’t I do that fancy arm balance on the beach I saw on Instagram? Why can’t I do the splits like I used to?  It has been both humbling and profound. It is a new kind of awareness, outlook on life. Full of those words I listed earlier but also beauty, patience and grace. It has not been easy. I have a quote that has been guiding my soul over the past few months by my new favorite writer, Brené Brown “ Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness, will we discover the infinite power of our light.” The body, our busy mind is the darkness. The consciousness, our soul is the light. Yoga can help give us the tools and courage to step into the darkness (and I think many things can: religion, prayer, nature, art, ect) but if we don’t take that first step we may never find the light.

I wanted to share a poem I have been working on over these long, dark winter months. It is about the moon, another beautiful light in the darkness.

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Did you see the moon last night?

Did she see you?

All her glory, grace rounded by darkness.

Magnificent. Marvelous. Patient.

Watching as we run around and

away from our shadows. Anxiety like stardust.

Emanating from nowhere and everywhere.

Past. Present. Future.

Her wisdom eternally shines down on us

but it been lost in the hustle, the artificial lights and arrhythmic living.

This city pulses. Night after night. Day after day.

Out of tune to the wider song, the deeper harmony, the earthly beat.

Quiet! She sees you.

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More classes on the schedule and a new studio all coming next week! Updates on IG and FB soon. Also, I am sure this module will produce more words. It is still cold outside, but spring is coming soon…. Until next time ❤

Love & Light,

Kristin (and Luna

 

in the quiet peace of the morning

the open presence of a new day

the empty slate. the blank canvas. the fresh page.

if I first slow down to listen, awaken, observe:

my heart is speaking.

but am I listening?

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Mornings sometimes come and go quickly. Other times they seem hang around like the grey overcast of winter, the end always seems just out of reach. In many spiritualities and religions the morning is a sacred time. It is a time for reflection. A time to reset before heading, full throttle as it so often feels in the hustle of city life, into the day.

I am a self proclaimed morning person. My routine at dawn has shifted, morphed and changed over the years. From drinking coffee and reading a book. To lacing up my running shoes and heading out to drink in the morning air. Rolling out my yoga mat for a full practice at sunrise. Currently, it is a mix of it all. Some movement. A little mediation. Maybe I read or write. But there is always coffee. I have found in the winter mornings, my body is more a tuned to move slowly, quietly. Meditation and gratitude has slowly found its way to be more prevalent in whichever way my morning routine is ebbing.

My husband has been asking me to come up with a little morning routine for him to practice before he heads of for work. After several weeks of promises, I have finally produced. It is 10-15 minutes long. Just enough time to awaken the body, mind and spirit to the limitless potential of the new day.

How do you begin your day? Do you have a morning ritual?

Love & Light,

Kristin

I have been writing more now since we moved to Chicago. It feels grounding and simultaneously liberating in a way only the creative process can embody. I do not share all of my writing, but I have been finding an overarching theme:

Belonging.

We have been moving frequently the past few years. I have worked a smattering of  different jobs. Making new friends and trying keeping in touch with the old. Creating new routines and learning new cities. One of the first things I do in any move is get a library card. Words have the power to transform and inform any situation. I picked up a book yesterday from the library,  Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown, PhD LMSW.  I started it only last night and stayed up too late.  I feel like it is expressing all the things I have been feeling. I did not know exactly what I have been describing in my poetry or my seemingly random blog posts. I often use the word “alone” but never “belong.”

“True belonging is not something you negotiate externally, it is what you carry in your heart” ~Brené Brown

YES, my heart sang. this is what we have been feeling. The more I tune into finding compassion, gratitude and courage internally, whether through writing, meditation, prayer or yoga, the more I feel at home. It doesn’t matter that I have not made many close friends or that I am struggling to break into the yoga scene and find reliable work. The more I get to know myself, listen to heart’s deepest desires and stand authentically in my truth, the more I can withstand the hills and valleys of what Brown describes as “the wilderness of uncertainty, vulnerability, and criticism.” That little voice inside keeps saying get a desk/real job and try this new workout/fad diet and why don’t you be more social. If I listen deeper I hear my heart say have faith, do what nourishes OUR body, mind, and soul, the rest will fall into place. 

I am not done with the book yet, so I will end there. I already recommend it to you! I also recommend Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle. I almost cried several times on the L when I was riding to and from from teaching downtown last week. It is powerful. It is profound. He is a modern day saint. Compassion, especially self-compassion, is another key to true belonging.

“Close both eyes see with the other one. Then we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent judgments our ceaseless withholding our constant exclusion. Our sphere has widened and we find ourselves quite unexpectedly in a new expansive location in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love.” ~Gregory Boyle

I almost cried again. I will share some poetry that is bubbling out of all this soon.

I am subbing around the city bunches this month, and will have more quotes in my classes from wonderful writers, visionaries, poets and saints. My February and March schedules can be found here.

Peace, love and namaste,

Kristin

 

Let the beauty you love be what you do.

There are thousands of ways to kneel and kiss the earth. ~Rumi

I completed the EXPRESSIVE module of my advanced teacher training last week then promptly headed to my favorite place in the world: Crested Butte, Colorado. It was a combination that left my soul feeling alive. My heart overflowing with joy. My body utterly grateful.

Although I always leave a little piece of my heart and soul in the mountains–down Gothic Road near Paradise Divide, to be precise–I seem to come back a bit fuller. There is nothing like the blue bird skies, crisp mountain air and magnificent peaks to help me stop, breathe and press the reset button.

While at training, we were encouraged to tap into our creative side. Into our imagination. To take risks. To be honest with ourselves. After reading the Sufi poets–Hafiz, Rumi, Kabir, etc– we were encouraged to write on our own. Since I was young I have always loved writing. I even audited a poetry writing class in college. Unlike my dancing and choreography, I rarely shared my writing. If nothing else, this training has inspired me to reconnect with my inner poet and has given me the courage to share the words in my heart outloud. Perhaps this is my new choreography. A dance of letters across a page. Here are two of the poems I wrote last week in “Bhakti style”.

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Who am I —

the hum of the furnace at night

laying on the soft, wooden floor

listening, absorbing.

What is a prayer–

the whisper of the wind in the trees

the cold, damp earth under my feet.

grounding. embracing.

I don’t understand–

the unconditional love of a mother

the raw joy of a child in play

compelling. enduring.

Kristin–

sometimes the most important prayers do not have answers

but rather are moments dripping with love.

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Come to where you hear the voice of truth

perhaps when your own heart speaks,

but are you really listening?

 

Home is not a moment of arrival

and truth is not always eloquent.

It is love the heart never forgets.

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Thank you for reading ❤

Peace, Love and namaste,

Kristin