Kristie Lindblom

She began her journey with Yoga in 1994 with her dance teacher, Marina Votta. After receiving her BFA in Dance from Point Park University in 2003 along with a BA in Education, her dance career ended abruptly when she had a defibrillator/ pacemaker placed as a result of a congenital heart condition. In 2015, she received a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Lesley University. Her area of research focus was yoga. Kristie developed her deep appreciation of the Eight Limbs of Yoga through living chronic disease. Her breath became a powerful ally when there was little else she could do physically. Meditating on the operating table profoundly influenced her understanding of the divine self. Asana (the physical postures) became deeper through therapeutic work as she used the Yamas and Niyamas (the ethical precepts of Yoga) guided her healing emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual processing of her heart condition. As a result of the wisdom taught to her through her heart condition and living with an Implantable Cardiac Difibrillator (ICD/ Pacemaker), Kristie's classes seek to nurture, balance, and inspire the deep space within where inspiration, creativity, and healing take place. She incorporates breath awareness, philosophical inquiry, and presence to draw out a sense of empowerment and self. Her therapeutic sessions combine restorative practices, breath work, visual imagery, healing touch, and gentle yoga.Presently, Kristie's professional interests lie at the intersections between brain science, movement, learning, and healing. She uses her skills to support you and families in the neurodivergent community (autism, ADHD, trauma, OCD, etc). She has made contributions to research in the fields of psychology, health care, and biomedical engineering. She has taught university level courses in Stage Movement, Somatic Preparation for Dancers, Meditation and Mindfulness, and Wellness. Kristie has been honored to receive the teachings of Bob and Cindi Bartoation), Laurel Hodory, Joanne VandenHengel (Vinyasa), Ruth Rittenhouse (Dr. Dean Ornish Stress Management), and Leslie Kaminoff (Yoga Anatomy), among others. Recently, she has added Thai Yoga Massage to her skills, studying with Sunny Klaber. Additionally, Kristie holds a certification in Dynamic Pregnancy Prenatal Yoga™, and is trained in Highmark’s Discover Relaxation With I/Iwith the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reducing Heart Disease as a Stress Management Specialist, as well as instruction at Pittsburgh's branch of the American Heart Association.