Vitality for Life
Strength & Stretch Specialist
Astrology Lifecoach
What Our Clients Have To Say....
'A delicate synthesis of Eastern & Western wisdom'
Practicing yoga with Christi has been a huge part of a healing process I entered into about
10 years ago. As a distance runner, yoga was helpful to my body by providing much-needed
stretch and it also offered space to work through energetic imbalances.
When, I came to Christi, I felt like I had hit a plateau both physically and energetically. After
10 years of practice, I had become very good at stretching my muscles, lengthening my spine
and releasing some energy and I had also begun to feel I needed more – I needed to address
biomechanics and strength. Running was causing painful inflammation in my knees and
hamstrings and I could not reconcile the idea of giving it up. After all, is not running as
primal a movement as yoga and I felt I should be able to do both. I was doing deep
stretching every day and had became a yoga instructor and I needed to find a practice
which would allow me to release tight areas of my body and strengthen them to be highly
efficient and functional at the same time.
Christi’s teaching and practice address all of these goals for me and then some. She addresses the body from all angles and her yoga practice focuses on stretch and biomechanics. She approaches release in the body from – stretch and strength in the muscles, fascia, joints and explains how all are tied together in the brain (which makes class fascinating and fun). She has helped me release the fascia in my calves and my shoulder joints, which I believe have both been tight and under-functional since childhood.
Adjustments such as these have had an amazing domino-like effects throughout my entire body and after just a couple of weeks of learning to active my glute, leg and abdominal muscles, I was doing hour long trail runs without any inflammation or pain anywhere in my body. Energetically, I was able to find awareness in areas of my body which I knew needed attention but was unable to release due to my continuous over-relaxing of the glutes and abdonminals and trying to have my spine in a highly flat position.
Christi’s teachings are a delicate synthesis of the best of both Eastern and Western wisdom and I am excited to learn more. Christi has done so much exploration; her classes give me the sense of swimming on the surface of deep water; and I am loving the awareness that there is a depth of knowledge below waiting for discovery. I highly recommend the experience to everyone including the yoga students who take my classes!
- Katie Miller
I'm now able to compete at my highest level
Throughout my childhood and into college, I was a very competitive athlete. Playing football and wrestling, I carried my athletic desire into college and became a competitive cyclist.
Transitioning from full-body sports to a one-dimensional exercise was not easy on my body, and old injuries I had acquired during my contact-sport days began to present themselves.
I went to Christi with a tremendously weak core resulting from years spent bent over the handlebars, and with her knowledge, motivational skills, and personal drive, we were able to alleviate my pain and weakness.
My overall strength and core stability has allowed me to train and compete at my highest level, and my two consecutive National Collegiate Criterium titles (2007 and 2008) are a tribute to Christi’s talents.
- Phil M., collegiate and semi-pro cyclist
My pain disappeared...
Christi Sullivan is truly one of the most embodied yoga teachers I have ever met. It's clear that her practice extends "off the mat" and carries over into every aspect of her life. Her presence, as well as her dedication to the art and science of yoga, is authentic, and the joyful spirit that she brings to teaching is contagious.
She also has a profound depth of knowledge when it comes to functional anatomy. Using NKT (NeuroKinetic Therapy) she tested to find out which of my muscles weren't firing. After following her instructions, I was amazed to find that my pain disappeared within minutes, as the appropriate muscles began to "turn on" again.
Christi's yoga classes are as unique as she is, and it's obvious that students feel comfortable with her. I have never enjoyed a yoga class more (even when I'm really pushing myself to my limits!, and it's common for students to laugh and ask questions during class. Christi encourages intuitive movement and listening to the wisdom of one's own body, rather than adhering to rigidly dogmatic poses. Her cues are also unique -- subtle adjustments have changed poses that I've been doing for years so that I'm now getting much more out of them. After just three weeks, I can already see positive changes in my body, and I can certainly feel the difference.
- Aloria Weaver, artist and yogini
I feel more stable...
Since I started doing yoga and working with you, I feel substantially better:
1. Joint pain – I have been over at the backbone hiking with my dogs several times during the last couple of weeks, and my knees feel good. I realize I can walk down the hill without it really hurting and I feel more stable.
2. Sleep – I always slept pretty well but my sleep is more restful. My body relaxes faster and easier.
3. Waking up – I am not tippy toeing to the bathroom because my calves are tight. They are still tight but loosen up a lot faster.
4. Energy - It never really was bad but it is better now.
5. Food cravings – I am over the cereal thing. I really could care less if I had beer and if I want to drink I drink wine. I have also noticed I am much less gassy than I used to be.
6. My spine feels loose and fluid. I am not exactly sure how to explain this but when I am doing my exercises, I can feel it kind of move into position smoothly and easily it isn’t really a crack per se, just kind of sliding around to where it needs to be.
7. Learning to use my breath and movement to let go.
I realize that this is due to the work you have done with me so thanks! I know I have a ways to go but I wanted to celebrate where I came from on all of this. So, thank you. This is awesome and so are you. I struggled with it for a while; I am so used to forcing or muscling my way through things that this has been a HUGE shift for me.
- Lori
Yoga is the answer...
Wow. This has been a year of change in my life. I became a grandmother, became empty-nesters, changed jobs after 10 years, finished my Ph.D., and turned 50. And I have to say that I feel great! With this many life-changing events in one year, many within the same week, I was asked by a colleague how I was maintaining and not getting sick.
Yoga is the answer. My friend and I got the coupon for a week of free yoga with Loveland Yoga and Core Fitness with Christi! It was the best week of a “new” exercise program that I have ever had. I had tried yoga at home with some videos, but Christi has made my yoga practice a must in my life. Since I started in October, I’ve lost 20 some pounds and many dress sizes within those 10 months. I have a renewed spirit, and have been able to work through any stresses that have come up with breathing and mediation. Diaphragmatic breathing has become much easier to achieve in my everyday life and helps with the stress levels because my body, mind, and spirit are not being sent messages of flight or fight every minute of the day. I find that it’s easier to be in the moment and enjoy each day as it comes.
The instructors at Loveland Yoga and Core Fitness are fabulous. They have shown me how to take my yoga practice off the mat into my everyday life and it has made such a difference in my life! Thank you, Christi!
Namaste'.
- Dr. Deb C.