Christina Charlotte

Yoga Nidra, Meditation, Class Structure & Flow

AM: If you were to lead a workshop on any topic or theme, do have something in mind that you would choose? If so, what would you choose and why?

CC: I think I would choose Yoga Nidra. This is a guided meditation practice that I find fascinating. It goes into the whole science of the brainwaves, what your brain state is when you enter the practice, and the end goal, which is essentially deep sleep. So, you can take this practice deeper and deeper. It’s said Nidra can be the equivalent of 2+ hours of REM sleep.

AM: Wow.

CC: I think it so important, especially nowadays, because we're just not well-rested as a society. We're always so busy running somewhere.

AM: If there was just one thing that you could tell someone about a Yoga Nidra class—assume this person has no or very limited knowledge—what would you say? What do you think is the most important thing to communicate up front?

CC: I would start by explaining what yogic sleep is. Yoga Nidra can also be called yogic sleep. I’d talk more about what that is and spend some time explaining the importance of REM sleep, the overall impact that that quality sleep has on health and well being.

We need a certain amount of sleep every night, and we're not always getting it. Nidra is a nice little filler. It doesn't replace your evening hours of sleep, but if you're wanting to do something really nourishing for yourself, you can listen to a guided recording or take a workshop/class to zone out everything and refresh. As little as 30 minutes day can make a huge difference.

"When you are vulnerable, it opens the door for others to be vulnerable in return."

AM: It's not easy to get up in front of people and teach a class. Why do you do it?

CC: Well, I'm a pretty private and introverted person, so teaching is not necessarily something that comes naturally to me. But I think there's something important about expressing yourself and sharing your experiences with other people. When you are vulnerable, it opens the door for others to be vulnerable in return. People enjoy sharing what is going on in their lives and I’ve always wanted to make an impact. Once you get over the initial jitters of being in front of people, it gets easier to lead and teach classes.

AM: Often, when I chat with instructors, they tell me teaching is a two-way street—one of the reasons they enjoy teaching so much is because they love learning, and they learn so much from their students. Having the connection back and forth is super important.

CC: Yes, you truly do learn so much from your students. That's one of the reasons it is important to go into things with a beginner's mindset. You can’t have this rigid structured plan, you have to feel out what your students need. What they need today.

AM: That's a wonderful segue way into another question I have: how do you like to structure your classes? Do you follow some general principles, are there things you like to keep in mind when you put together a class?

CC: Well, of course it needs to start with the type of class I am creating. Is it more flow based? Yin? Hatha? Restorative? Then I structure my class around music and make a playlist. This sets tone for what I want to teach. I use the playlist to help me feel the class out on my own first, in my home practice.

This helps me decide what would be most beneficial for different parts or songs, as a complete practice. There's the warm-up portion, peak section, and cool down. I use that format for most of my classes, those segments will usually be Incorporated. But the music adds an extra level of creativity and gets my brain thinking about what could be changed up, added, or tweaked in the different sections of the class.

So, I have a general concept or theme mapped out in my head and then a lot becomes muscle memory, which is great because at that point I don’t need to look at notes; I can start/stop demos at any time and remember what comes next, what corresponds with the queuing.

AM: Interesting. If you were to think about a sample structure for a peak section of a flow class, what might you incorporate for that portion?

CC: There's always a goal in mind and a peak pose that depends on the focus. An example target area could be the hips. For this, one pose I especially like to build up to is dancer. It's a balance pose. It also incorporates so many different muscles in the body. You're standing on one leg and opening up your chest area while targeting different points on the body.

Dancer is an example of a peak pose, it involves a series of different balance poses as warm up to the posture.

Things Christina Loves, Feng Shui, Insight Timer, Yoga Myths, Goal Setting

AM: Here’s a fun freebie question: What’s an unusual habit you have or a quirky thing that you love?

CC: Haha. I probably have a few of these...

One quirk is around design and feng shui. I'm very meticulous about my space, perhaps even to an OCD level—I need everything orderly or else I feel like it's chaos. Lately, I've been into reading up on the feng shui elements of a room, where you should position things based on those principles.

I really love organizing as well. Organizing a closet is fun for me, although most people would probably think that's absurd. Aesthetics can make us feel better, I think.

"If you want to learn about and implement feng shui design principles, the bedroom is a great place to start."

AM: Is there a general principle of feng shui that you could talk about, something that's important to keep in mind, with regard to how you design the space around you?

CC: I feel the most important concept when you're looking at a map of your home is the bedroom, because I believe you have to get plenty of high-quality sleep in order to be a functioning, healthy person.

If you want to learn about and implement feng shui design principles, the bedroom is a great place to start. A couple easy things here: eliminate electronics from your room, keep things simple, don’t accumulate clutter. One big thing is to not store lots of stuff under the bed, which many people do.

Yes, we're often limited on storage, but according to feng shui rules, people should reconsider under-the-bed-storage since this can block the flow of energy, causing bad qui (chi – energy) in your space.

AM: What's a favorite feng shui component of your bedroom that you're proud of or thankful for?

CC: I recently got this alarm clock that uses a soft light to wake you up in morning. The light starts off dim and gradually brightens, like a sunrise. If the light doesn’t wake you up, then it plays a gentle sound (I have mine set for ocean waves) that slowly increases in volume. This is just so much better than having your phone startle you awake, immediately putting you in a bad mood, as you are jolted into the morning. And I also love my brown noise sound machine to help lull me to sleep at night.

AM: Is there a specific alarm clock that you recommend checking out?

CC: Mine is called Philip's Smart Sleep Wake up Light. I found it on Amazon, and it was relatively affordable. I think it was around $99. It's also a radio, which is pretty cool.

AM: Could you take a couple of minutes to talk about someone that you personally look to for inspiration? This could be someone in your professional life, maybe a personal mentor, teacher, or…

CC: I'm involved with a networking group called the Young Leaders Alliance, YLA, they're local here in Florida. We set up monthly events. I’m active right now on their planning committee. This organization has been instrumental for connecting me with like-minded people.

Through a program called MentorConnect, I was matched with a mentor this year. I've talked with her and we’ve met on several occasions. Even though she's doing something completely different from me professionally, the experience has been fantastic. She holds me accountable has helped give me the extra push that I needed to get out there and make things happen instead of worrying about what if.

She also shared some great advice from a book on the topic of “feeling the fear but doing the thing anyway”. She shared with me how important it is to operate your life in that way. It’s been very influential.

"I think one of the biggest falsehoods out there is that you have to be flexible to do yoga."

AM: As you interact with different people, instructors, and students, do you come across any ideas people believe about yoga that are just incorrect or inaccurate? If so, how do you debunk those myths?

CC: Well, I think one of the biggest falsehoods out there is that you have to be flexible to do yoga. I don’t know where people keep hearing this from, but it's a big misconception, and it should be disregarded. You don’t come to yoga already flexible, you come to yoga to improve your flexibility and well being. It’s a process.

AM: Agreed. You're not the first instructor to mention this, so it's a misconception that’s definitely out there. I'm sure this mentality turns plenty of people away because they think, hey, I don't have a high enough level of flexibility. I can't do those poses. There's no way I’m going to class.

CC: I don't know where the overall intimidation comes from, with people thinking they need to be very flexible. Maybe it's the pressure of having to be best at everything that society kind of pushes upon us.

But I hate that it deters people from trying a beginner class. Everybody can do yoga. 100%. There are always modifications. I’ve taught chair yoga to seniors with significant mobility issues. Even they can make it happen. There are many ways to teach and practice yoga.

CC: And it's not all about the poses either. Meditation can be your yoga practice.

Sometimes I'll just call yoga “stretches” because people get intimidated by yoga, they don't know the yogic terms. I generally don’t teach classes using Sanskrit terms for that reason—people are more likely to get confused and I try to keep everything very user friendly when I teach.

AM: I appreciate that so many of the movements in yoga are the opposite of what your body is accustomed to doing most of the day; the poses are designed to open you back up, to rebalance the body. The way we spend so much our day is unnatural.

CC: That is one of the hardest things about working a desk job. Especially if you are sitting for 8 hours a day. We're not designed as humans do that.

"Learn your alignment first so that you can go into poses safely."

AM: Yoga is a reset for the body and, I think, a tool to achieve and retain balance. That's another thing I like to share with people, too—yoga can be as good as or better than a chiropractic adjustment for the whole body.

AM: How about a piece of advice you’ve heard that you think is poor advice? It doesn’t necessarily have to be related to yoga. Something you’d say to others…if you hear this floating around out there, stop and reconsider.

CC: I would say—don't let anyone talk you into beginning your yoga journey with a power-yoga class! Take the time to know your alignment through the basic poses, and get to know modifications, first. The goal is to go into poses safely, and avoid injury. These poses should feel good. Basic-level classes help students to learn proper alignment, as a healthy foundation to build up to a "Power" flow type of class. Everyone's anatomy is different, so yoga is truly never a one-size fits all kind of practice.

AM: Since your background is in hatha and is alignment focused, can you talk some about how you make all levels of yogis and new students feel welcome in your classes?

CC: In my group classes, I offer as many modifications for different poses as I can. This is so important. The other critical piece I always tell students is to listen to their body. If something does not feel right, come out of the pose. Don’t force it. I try make sure everybody feels like they have their own authority to make the decisions that are right for them.

"Be curious. Without curiosity, you can't really meet someone where they are. Have acceptance for where your students are at in their practice."

AM: Now that you've been doing this for a while, what do you think are some of your unique skills that have helped you be successful in this field?

CC: Well, the main thing is to approach everything like I'm beginner, to be curious. Without curiosity, you can't really meet someone where they are. Having that acceptance for where your students are at in their practice. Also, tapping into other resources.

Trainings are especially helpful because I can connect with a network of people and meet like-minded instructors. This has opened many doors for me as far teaching goes, being open to all opportunities instead closing myself off into a box.

AM: If you are working with a group of intermediate students who are looking to advance their practice, is there any guidance you would give? Of course, everyone's practice is different, but if you could generalize a bit, is there something you think is especially helpful to keep in mind?

CC: I believe people should first write down their goals, so that they're on paper. That's been huge for me when it comes to actually completing goals. Write them down and then schedule them into your daily activities. With regard to advancing in your practice, a lot of it comes down to having a home practice. Practice by yourself, not just in the studio. This is how you’ll be able to explore and understand what your body is able to do and how you can push yourself.

When you're rolling out your mat, you’re in your own space. Set aside 30 minutes or so a day to work on your goals, or just practice and see what feels good for your body. What are your limitations? If you don't know your boundaries and how something feels, you’re not going be able to progress and you’ll just wind up frustrated. Body awareness and connecting with yourself is crucial.

Upcoming Projects & Retreats, Book & Author Recommendations, Tapping, Journaling

AM: Moving on to the project side of life for a moment—is there anything you've got going right now that you're especially excited about?

CC: On the topic of skin care again, now that I'm certified as an esthetician, I would like to start offering a variety of services to clients. It’s been a challenge to get this started and I’m now working with a mentor in this sector.

We're going to meet again in August, when I can gather my energy back and focus on one thing. I’m extremely excited to provide skincare services, and I’m going to pitch my mentor on the idea of incorporating skincare with other holistic modalities. I’d like this to eventually become a full-time thing for me; it’s a big project.

AM: What do you enjoy most about running your own business? And/or please feel free to talk about some of the challenges as well.

CC: Well, a big challenge would be supporting myself financially. As we all know, it's very expensive to live right now, so it's a transition from knowing what my income will be each month to having the variable income flow that comes when you are building something from the ground up. It's a risk that I haven’t fully been able to take yet.

"It is my purpose. I want to provide these services to people, and I find the most meaning in helping people in this area."

AM: What's driving you to consider taking this “risky” path? What is the motivation?

CC: I've asked myself that question a lot.

You know, why does this keep nudging at me? I really think it's because it is my purpose. I want to provide these services to people, and I find the most meaning in helping people in this area. So, I need to find the confidence to fully step out and take the risk. You don't get reward without the risk.

I'm trying to convince myself of that. I think once have more of a concrete plan fleshed out, a road map, I’ll feel better about taking the leap, so that is what I’m working towards right now.

AM: Thank you for sharing that, Christina. Is there anything in your industry, perhaps a physical or digital product, that you absolutely love and couldn’t live without?

CC: An app called Insight Timer. It’s a free app that’s great for meditation. They have so many guided meditations, and I like to track my meditation practices with the timer. It makes a sound to bring you back, and it records how long you've meditated for. If you're into setting goals for meditation for yourself, you can see minutes you’ve completed for the week. It helps keep you accountable.

AM: Are the guided meditations always the same? What are the options you can choose from?

CC: They have a full library of guided meditations that you can search for and complete. They range from all different kinds of practices. There are yoga nidras on the platform, which is how I found out about it, and also sound healing. There’s also straight music options, too, if you're just wanting some background noise during your practice.

"The most important agreement is the agreement we have with ourselves. What we tell ourselves.”

AM: Thanks so much for sharing that resource! Are there any books that you have frequently gifted and/or other resources that you would recommend for people to check out?

CC: One book I have gifted quite a few times is the Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. Another one of my personal favorites is the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

AM: What is something you really enjoyed about one or both of those books? Perhaps an idea or theme that really stuck out to you?

CC: I found The Four Agreements to be very relatable, it's kind of like a psychology book. There were just four basic concepts that were easy to understand and apply. It made me reflect on how we so often hold to the patterns of thinking described in the book and that we can make a conscious choice not to think in certain ways that have a negative effect on our lives and health. The book talks about how we live our lives, often subconsciously, according to agreements—or  rules, or patterns—that we have with different people. But the most important agreement is the agreement we have with ourselves. What we tell ourselves. The book brought to the surface a different way of thinking.

CC: Another great author is Gabby Bernstein. I've read most of her books and she has such a positive impact on people. She also provides affirmations that you can do on a daily basis. And she describes a unique “tapping” practice to combat anxiety, I don’t know if you are familiar with it?

AM: T-A-P-P-I-N-G? I’ve heard a little bit about the approach, but could you explain further?

CC: It’s a psychological acupressure technique, also known as EFT, and I learned about it from one of her books, and she has a YouTube tutorial on it as well. Basically, there are these acupressure points in the body, you tap on them with a certain rhythm and recirculate energy throughout your body to reset.

AM: Interesting.

CC: Yeah, I've used it to help me get through some anxious periods and I’ve found it really does lower my anxiety baseline.

AM: How about one of the best or most worthwhile investments you have ever made? I'm using the term investment in a very loose, non-specific way. Could be an investment of money, time, energy, or something else.

CC: I was initially very reluctant to have somebody design a website for me. For some reason, I thought I could just do it all on my own, but the project wasn’t really going anywhere. I kept procrastinating.

Then, I finally made the decision to have someone build out a site for me, and I’m so glad I made this decision. They put everything together so quickly and beautifully. We had a chance to do a photo shoot as well and design a logo.

At the time I was thinking, wow, this is a lot of money. I don't really have my business fully established yet. But going through the process helped give me confidence to share what I'm trying to present to others. And it’s already opened a lot of new opportunities for me.

"I'm a big believer in rewriting. And meditation before that happens, to center the brain.”

AM: How about a belief, behavior, or habit—could be something that you've recently discovered, or not—that has significantly improved your life?

CC: Well, aside from writing down goals and journaling, I'm a big believer in free writing. And meditation before that happens, to center the brain. Also, prayer, spirituality, and reflection is something that is important to me and I've always tried to find time at the end of each day for this.

AM: When you talk about journaling, is there anything specific that you try keep in mind? Do you just want to make sure you put pen to paper each day, or do you have something more structured?

CC: Sadly, I'm not able to journal every day, but I find that when have a slower morning—when I’m not immediately rushing to work—I love to meditate and then free write. Pen to paper. I try to get at least one to two pages when I do this.

AM: We sure have covered a lot of ground, and I want to thank you again for your insightful responses. I enjoyed learning more about you and what you've got going on in world! As we wrap up, did I forget to ask you something? Anything else you think would be helpful to share?

CC: I think that we pretty much got to everything. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about what I am doing, because I don’t get to do it all that much. Thank you!

AM: For those who would like to learn more about Christina, check out her website here: https://www.evergreenholistics.com/ and Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/evergreen_holistic.

Christina is also collaborating with Molly Curls and Retreat Conexions to co-host a wellness, yoga, and movement Lead with the Heart retreat at the Bodhi Tree resort in Costa Rica June 29-July 03 2023.