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After two years in Center City, there is some major changes coming at Essential Yoga.

The biggest change is that studio is moving locations. Christine Kissner’s studio had been in the Swedish Village Mall for two years in Center City, but now she takes her operation to the heart of Lindstrom in the Cottage Gifts Building at 12710 Lake Boulevard.

The other big change hitting Essential Yoga is the cost. Kissner is hosting two classes a week, Monday and Wednesday, for one hour and anyone can participate in the class for free.
“It’s my service to the community,” she said. “I want to be able to help anyone who needs it.”

The studio will open the free classes on Monday, April 25. The classes will be flexible and for people of any skill level, even ones who have never done yoga before. Kissner can work individually with each person during the class to maximize what they can do and what they are learning.

The scale of her teachings includes advanced yoga practitioners, children, rehabbing patients and people who aren’t in the best physical shape. She welcomed guests  of all sizes and shapes to bring their children and their spouses. “I want to give people a glimpse what yoga is,” she said. Kissner emphasized that the atmosphere in her studio is non-competitive so even someone with just a slight interest in doing yoga is welcome. “They would need nothing to start my class. I have the mats and there’s no special attire and we start laying down and getting in tune with our body before focusing on our breath,” she said.  “Your mind goes in all these different directions, almost like a dog, and it’s my job to just get it back and settled.”

She even noted that her 26-year-old son attends the same class as an 83-year-old grandmother.

She also wants to eventually add more classes as the schedule allows, focusing on trauma yoga that can help relax the mind and body after any sort of traumatic event, whether it be emotional or physical.

While guiding the free yoga classes, Kissner is working on a book, Recovery from Life, The Long Journey Back to Self, which she hopes will help people learn to grow through challenges and be better humans. She said the classes and authoring will go hand-in-hand.

Kissner hopes that people aren’t intimidated by yoga and will join her for her free classes. After all, everyone’s mind and body needs to be recalibrated at some time or another.

If anyone is interested or maybe hesitant, Kissner welcomes contact before classes to walk someone through what to expect. She can be reached through her web site essentialfitnessyoga.wix.com/studio, by phone at 651-210-4979 or by e-mail at [email protected]

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