Christine is just so beautiful. I love seeing her smiling face coming in to yoga - and she’s always sooo happy about it! :) As an owner of a restaurant (Honey Butter Chicken - highly recommend!) I know that she works really hard and needs this yoga reprieve. I am so grateful that I have gotten to know Christine over the last several years. She’s quite a bad-ass and one of my fellow buisness-owner HEROS. Thank you for helping to make TULA such an amazing community!

Here’s some more about Christine:

Hometown: Chicago

Sign: Virgo

Favorite Color: ALL OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME.

Favorite Movie: Changes like the seasons. Really enjoyed La La Land and Moana more recently. (Strange, because I don’t typically like musicals.)

What would your last meal be? Fries with limitless dipping sauces.

What brought you to yoga?

Wanting a deeper connection to and between my body, mind, and soul.

What brought you to TULA?

Initially I just lived in the neighborhood and it was the closest studio to my house, but I quickly grew fond of it. Since, I’ve moved and I still go to Tula! Small studio nature, friendly teachers, great retreats, neighborhood feel, online classes = WINNING

What is your favorite yoga pose (and why)?

Triangle Pose. Something about stretching down, to the side, and up at the same time makes me feel like a starburst. I also have low back and hip issues and triangle pose seems to not only not hurt, but also soothe and open those areas.

What are the benefits you have experienced from a regular yoga practice?

Being more present, most importantly - especially in my body. So much of my life is spent in my head, on the phone, in busy kitchens, and crowded restaurants. Yoga gifts me time to reset and reconnect to only myself - to work my body, to strength my heart, to let go. No matter how tired I am when I walk in the studio, I always leave with positive buzzy energy and a more grounded sense of self. I often joke that going to yoga is like going to my church, but it’s not far off in theory.

What is your Least favorite pose (and why)?

Fire Log - but only because my hips and fire log are in direct conflict with each other I use block props to do the pose and to work on opening my very tight hips safely, but yeah - I sort of feel like fire log and me are like two people in a relationship who like each other but simply just aren’t compatible.

What advice you would give someone just starting yoga?

Yoga is a practice that is learned over a long period of time, over a lifetime. Let it take you on its journey. Ya probably aren’t gonna do side crow your first day - let the poses come to you as you are ready. Also - focus on your own relationship with yoga, not others relationship with it. Your yoga is your own - own it, and don’t worry about what poses, mantras, classes, clothing, body shape, or status other people have.

What is your favorite after-yoga activity? Brunch :)

List 3 fun facts we don’t know about you:

- I love gardens and plants and farms but I’m a total black thumb.

- I have a tattoo of a Yosemite pine tree from my Tula yoga retreat.

- When I was first starting to cook professionally, I sliced my thumb open from cutting a sweet potato and got 13 stitches. I also have no feeling on the side of my thumb now. #cheflife