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Teaching the practice of yoga

News | December 3, 2015

An email from the Davenport School of Yoga, sent in the summer of 2014, caught Christa Orfitelli’s eye. An announcement noted that the school, in downtown Davenport, would be starting a class for people interested in teaching yoga.

Christa, who normally likes to think about things a bit, decided pretty much right away she would give the class a try. The 200-hour program met on Saturdays, with reading and yoga outside of class, too.

“I signed up thinking, ‘I don’t know where this is going to lead me,'” said Christa, who is a behavioral health clinician at Genesis Health Group.

This is where it led to: Christa now teaches two yoga sessions a week – one on Sundays at the Davenport School of Yoga at 5 p.m., the other at the Davenport West YMCA on Wednesdays at 6:40 p.m.

“It’s been a nice journey,” she said.

Before each class, Christa sits down with a pen and paper. She thinks about certain positions, postures, or parts of the body to focus on. After writing down a plan, she works through the movements to see if they fit well together.

Christa particularly enjoys sharing the practice of yoga with people who haven’t done it before. She also likes to talk about how the concept of mindfulness and awareness can come into our daily lives.

Christa started her yoga practice many years ago, attending classes with her mom. One of the poses that she has been most pleased to learn is the crow pose – a pose where a person balances in a crouched position on their hands.

“Yoga has become a place where I can keep coming back to when times are stressful,” she said. “The idea of coming back to my mat has been one piece in getting me through some stressful times.”

 

3 Comments on “Teaching the practice of yoga”

  • Barb

    December 11, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    Christa’s classes are great! She is patient and attentive to the class. Very enjoyable classes!

  • Linda

    December 3, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    I have attended Christa’s class at the Y and have enjoyed them very much!

  • Carol

    December 3, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    Turned to yoga to balance out my running. Now addicted to it as well as to running. Find the crow way beyond my abilities. Will leave it to you pros.

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