Kristin Varner, Steward of Community Yoga Center

For me, yoga is a way of being with life itself. It’s not limited to practices on a mat or cushion. It encompasses my relationship with all of experience. I believe the heart of yoga lies in a keen awareness of the present moment - an awareness imbued with courageous honesty and radical love that extends to all aspects of living. Sri Aurobindo described it best: “All life is Yoga.” I've studied and practiced yoga as long as I’ve practiced law - almost twenty-five years. In March of 2018, some friends and I started Community Yoga Initiative to offer yoga in our community in accessible and inclusive ways. Just about every week since then, I’ve facilitated free yoga classes designed to strengthen, stretch, and destress the body; soothe, relax, and decompress the mind; and open the heart. Through the Prison Yoga Project, I facilitate a yoga and mindfulness course at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, California. The six-month immersive experience guides participants through regular yoga and mindfulness practices that manage states of trauma, develop resilience to stress, and promote physical, mental, and emotional vitality. I also aid high level athletes (including University of California sports teams and the United States Men’s Olympic Water Polo team) in experiencing the subtle complexities of their bodies and latent abilities of their minds through team yoga and meditation. I’ve loved assisting children and teens better understand the workings of their minds and how to calm and concentrate their attention through yoga learnshops I’ve organized. I’ve enjoyed helping people lessen feelings of stress and anxiety and increase their capacity to relax and focus through workplace wellness programs I’ve facilitated. Yoga has touched my life with profound love. I hope my practice and sharing of yoga is a continuation of that love. ___________ www.communityyogacenter.com www.communityyogainitiative.com