I stumbled in to yoga after years of running for long periods of time, in the woods... and theoretically in my brain since I was old enough to physically, run. My escape since childhood was always miles on a road or miles on a trail... so initially, yoga was simply a means of getting me back on the trails after my body took a time out in 2012. In a year I had run a few ultras and then I went out and ran 50 miles in one day... I may have mentioned that I was working out a few decades of stuff, earlier. I tend to be all in, so.
in 2014 I turned 40 and I met a girl at the beach that was offering a yoga retreat that fall and so I said, yes... because I had literally said out loud, less than two hours earlier, that maybe I should go on a yoga retreat that fall... so when it presents itself, you say yes and thank you, universe.
that year I had begun a divorce, my mother was still recovering from life altering spinal surgery I was her caregiver and I was in the throws of building a corporate wellness consultant position... that exposed me to companies mainly in center city, the gift.
because of that I experienced the msbr mindfulness training at jefferson which helped me mentally in a way that I could only describe if we had hours to do so. My face changed as did my struggle with depression and anxiety. I jumped in to the studies of reiki and energy healing which became a part of my vocabulary... alternatives to the everyday solutions that had been provided to my mom who was in chronic pain on the daily. Reflexology... the toxins that were in my body were insane and I didn't know that until I tried. the symmetry of my career and my personal life those few years were all that I did and all that I wanted to learn. essentially all that I spoke about.
I was surrounded by chronic disease and chronic pain with every company that I studied and developed a possible solution for... and in my personal life, my mom was fighting for her life and I was going to find every possible alternative at my disposal to help... and I was going through my own battles of self.
in november of that same year, I went on that yoga retreat in Sri Lanka, India and I came back with the knowledge that yoga was a whole other level of healing, and a way to move in your body, mentally and spiritually. it's been a soul journey, since. that experience lead to spending a month in baja sur mexico in 2016 for an exploration of the soul and 200 hour yoga teacher training with golden buddha yoga.
essentially I came back wanting to build, this... double sunrise. so fast forward, I walked away from that beautiful corporate job, spent some time on a medicinal herb farm and sat with what matters. essentially what double sunrise has evolved to is based on experience and personal growth... and the love of my mom, family and friends.
I have been presented the gift of holding a space with a group of profoundly talented and passionate humans... who have healing gifts, infinite wisdom, and a passion to share that knowledge with our community... so as the founder of double sunrise I am over the moon excited to partake in those experiences, too.
she believed she could so she did.
love + light,
kristi