About BodyInUnity Yoga School
- My Mission:
To illuminate the truth & wisdom in each person I work with through yoga postures, breathing, and meditation for the purpose of healing, transformation & spiritual development. - To create community by facilitating safe, protected environments for students to share their personal experience, strength, hope, struggles and triumphs with one another as they share life in the common deep desire: to freely receive and give love.
- To share my honest, real personal journey through challenges, addictions, recovery and living life in abundance . . . how it use to be, what happened, and how it is now. To help students recognize the interconnectedness and interdependence of all humans.
- To teach the precepts, philosophy and practices of yoga in a way that is relevant and relatable — shining a light on where we can identify and unite with universal truths that dispel fear from misunderstanding.
Values:
- We respect each individual’s personal relationship and understanding of God.
- We do not argue about doctrine ~ Our foundation is LOVE, not denomination.
- We share our own personal experience, strength & hope but do not impose beliefs on others.
- We create a safe environment for people to be honest & vulnerable without fear of judgment.
Our Vision:
- To facilitate our students’ growing relationship with God, Self, Family, Community and the World by the power of the ONE Spirit.
- To help improve the holistic Health & Wellness of the people we serve.
- To communicate the transformational power of Divine connection which can manifest as real Grace and Forgiveness in our everyday lives.
- To provide a space for Spiritual Development & Emotional Wellbeing, where true Love, Joy & Peace abound.
Why:
To care for our bodies as temples of the holy Spirit; to love God with ALL our heart, mind, soul and strength; to enable us to better love our neighbor as we love ourselves by:
- Focusing ALL we do on a Higher Power of our own understanding.
- Improving Posture for Healthy Organ function.
- Relaxing and Clearing the Mind.
- Reducing Stress by Clarifying our Intention & Choices.
- Helping to Prevent or Manage Diseases such as:
Diabetes, Cancer, Heart Disease, Arthritis, Obesity. - Enhancing Balance, Flexibility & Strength.
- Increasing Energy, Vitality, Focus, Alertness.
- Strengthening the Immune System.
- Continuing a Lifetime of Spiritual Development.
- Healing & Integrating Physical, Emotional and Mental Memories for Holistic Wellbeing.
About Kristen
A Journey from Chaos to Contemplation:
Kristen is first a child of God and a student of the contemplative way. She is a mother and the wife of a retired Army officer. After more than twenty years of experience in the commercial fitness industry, she shifted her energy to Holistic Wellness Coaching, focusing on posture and mind/body wellbeing as a way to connect to God & community. She maintains her Personal Training and Group Fitness certifications with the American Council on Exercise, a Yoga Alliance qualified 500hr Experienced Yoga Teacher level education, and FeetUp Yoga Teacher Certification, as well as multiple trainings & years of experience in Breathwork, Pranayama, Mindfulness & Meditation.
Click ACE icon to verify Kristen's certifications.
After a trip to India for yoga teacher training in 2016, Kristen’s trajectory drastically changed course from asana-(postures) centered practice to a holistic yoga lifestyle. The journey from the physical outside to the eternal inside transformed her life from one of pretending and performance to peace and presence.
Kristen began her recovery process in 2010 from early childhood trauma, anxiety, insecurity & codependence — which manifested as an addiction to alcohol — using the precepts of yoga known as the Yamas & Niyamas, working through the body and breath with Asana (movement/postures) & Pranayama (self-regulation), and Mindfulness & Meditation practices and lifestyle. Surrender to a Omni-loving, Omni-present, Omni-inclusive Higher Power is the cornerstone of her life and teaching, which is called Bhakti Yoga — in devotion to God.
Shortly after she began teaching yoga in 2002, BodyInUnity was born when committed spiritual study and love of yoga lead her to intertwine faith and fitness. Kristen had been a student of yoga two years prior with hopes to improve her flexibility, and to balance out the many demanding classes she was teaching. She discovered it offered so much more.
Building on her foundation in fitness, Kristen got her initial yoga training from YogaFit, and pursues more than ten hours every year of continuing education from Yoga Alliance certified teachers, and accredited fitness professionals from around the world. She sees life as a classroom, and doesn’t believe in teaching unless she is constantly learning. She is most inspired and and devoted to the Yoga lineage dating back to the 9th century: Viniyoga. Nathamuni, Krishnamacharya, Desikachar and presently, Kraftsow.
Kristen has also brought her expertise in posture, alignment, and functional fitness to her classes, as well as private students, utilizing her ability to design unique programs to enhance quality of life, including spiritual wellness.
Although not fluent, Kristen learned enough functional Korean and Dutch, to enable her to share her classes with civilians as well as U.S. military and NATO forces while serving overseas with her husband and daughter.
She was also frequently invited to lead soldiers for their required physical training, and received awards for excellence in fitness services she provided for military families.
After being introduced to aerobic dance fitness in college, Kristen began teaching on campus, and helped to train female bodybuilders for competition at a local gym while she herself competed for a short time.
Over her 30+ years of leadership in fitness she has sought education in, and taught many disciplines including: strength training, hi/low aerobics, step aerobics, cardio kickboxing, circuit training, outdoor cross training, kids fitness, senior fitness, aquatic fitness, indoor cycling, sprint triathlon training, stability ball core & cardio, personal training, but has always gravitated toward a holistic and functional approach.