Kaitlyn Seifert | Therapeutic Yoga & Seasonal Balance Tips | Crested Butte, CO

In our Women in Wellness series, we spotlight inspiring women who are making waves in the wellness community. Today, we're excited to introduce you to Kaitlyn Seifert, a therapeutic yoga instructor based in Crested Butte, Colorado, whose approach to yoga focuses on aligning with nature's rhythms to nourish the nervous system.

Meeting Kaitlyn Seifert

With a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification, Reiki Level 3 training, and a background in Cognitive Science, Kaitlyn brings a unique blend of knowledge to her practice. Her continued studies in astrology and quantum physics further inform her holistic approach to wellness.

"I specialize in therapeutic yoga that aligns with the rhythms of nature," Kaitlyn explains. "My classes are designed to soothe and nourish the nervous system while creating balance between strength and flexibility."

Beyond the Mat: The True Nature of Therapeutic Yoga

Contrary to common misconceptions, therapeutic yoga isn't just about gentle stretching. Kaitlyn's approach recognizes that therapeutic practice can be quite challenging as it works to rewire established patterns in the body.

"A misconception is that therapeutic yoga is all soft and passive, when it can actually be quite difficult because you are re-training muscles to come into alignment," she shares. "With slow, intentional movements, one has the opportunity to unwind patterns of tension and create new, more easeful patterns."

What makes Kaitlyn's practice distinctive is her attention to nature's cycles. "This type of therapeutic yoga accounts for the season, time of day, and weather in order to balance the inner and outer worlds," she notes. "For instance, in the winter, we do more heating flows and in the summer more cooling, restorative type of movements. Yoga becomes a balancing force that adapts to continuous changes in life and body."

Practical Tips for Intentional Yoga Practice

Kaitlyn believes that the distinguishing feature of yoga is its emphasis on intention. Here are her practical tips for developing a more meaningful practice:

1. Align Your Practice with Your Needs: "Ask yourself what you are really looking to receive from your yoga practice — is it exercise, stress relief, relaxation, strengthening, or meditative states? And then look for classes based on that, allowing it to change with you, maybe gentle, relaxing classes during the week and energizing classes on the weekend."

2. Meet Each Pose Anew: "Allow yourself to meet each pose, each class, as if it's for the first time. Free yourself of patterns, mental and physical as you allow yourself to really arrive each time, accounting for how your body and mind are doing in that moment. This generates a real curiosity and sense of listening rather than autopilot."

3. Honor Your Body's Wisdom: "Use your discernment. I believe there is more power in listening deeply to and honoring your body rather than just doing what the teacher or what everyone else is doing. This strengthens the intuition and mind-body connection as we learn the language of the body, which is sensation."

Try This at Home: A Simple Practice to Start

Ready to experience the power of therapeutic yoga? Kaitlyn recommends this simple sequence to reconnect with your body and soothe your nervous system:

1. Lie down somewhere comfortable

2. Take 10 deep breaths, filling up the belly and expanding the back with each inhale

3. Inhale to stretch the arms up over head, becoming as long as possible

4. Exhale to hug the knees into the chest, do some gentle rocking or circles

5. Let the feet come to the floor, knees bent

6. Let the knees move side to side like windshield wipers

• Inhale to bring them to center, exhale to either side

• Option to also let the head go side to side, either same direction as knees or opposite

• Find a rhythm that feels soothing

7. When ready, come back to center

8. Inhale to clasp the hands behind the head, thumbs at the base of skull

9. Massage neck with thumbs

10. Inhale elbows come together, exhale let them fall to floor a few times

11. With elbows on floor, keep head still, turn eyes to the right until you yawn or take a deep breath, then look center

12. Keep head still, turn eyes to left until you yawn or take a deep breath, then look center

13. Relax eyes, press shoulder blades into the floor

14. Exhale to relax fully

15. Allow yourself time to get up slowly

Finding Balance Through Seasonal Alignment

Kaitlyn's journey to therapeutic yoga stemmed from a desire to find balance. "My passion for therapeutic yoga came from a desire for my yoga practice to cultivate more ease in my nervous system and to balance out the more yang activities of life. I came to my mat to slow down, find my center, and integrate all life's emotions."

This philosophy resonates with her students, who often experience profound shifts. "Most often, after working with me, I see people are more relaxed, more mobile, and more connected to their body and their environment. I see them really deepen their awareness and cultivate more ease."

What might surprise you about Kaitlyn's approach? She's passionate about making yoga accessible to those who might feel alienated by mainstream wellness culture. "I generally attract yoga students and clients that are new to, or slightly turned off by yoga and the wellness world. I believe that the best yoga classes are ones from which I take something home, something I can apply to everyday life."

The Power of Community

Beyond her yoga practice, Kaitlyn is expanding her vision for wellness in her community. She's opening a new wellness center in Crested Butte called the Ohm Zone, which will offer yoga classes, workshops, retreats, and other healing modalities including massage, personal sauna pods, red light therapy, and PEMF treatments.

"I love to collaborate and create spaces of not only yoga, but deep connection, joy and healing," she shares. "Yoga, like many movement styles is a gateway into self awareness and growth, and as we honor its unique history, we can also be creative in how we fit it into modern life."

Connect with Kaitlyn

Ready to experience Kaitlyn's approach to therapeutic yoga and seasonal balance?

• Website: kaitlyngraceseifert.com

• Wellness Center: ohmzonecb.com

• Instagram: @kaitlyngraceee_

• Email: kaitlyngseifert6@gmail.com

• Phone: 970.497.6434

Kaitlyn also offers worldwide retreats and is available for online private yoga sessions. If you'd like to be updated on retreat offerings, you can register for her email list by sending an inquiry to kaitlyngseifert6@gmail.com.

This post is part of PeachyYogi's Women in Wellness directory, where we spotlight inspiring women in the wellness community. Stay tuned for more features highlighting women who are making a difference through their unique approaches to health and wellbeing.