Christine Morita-McVey – Sellwood Yoga

“Christine’s approach to yoga makes it accessible to everyone, with lots of encouragement to challenge yourself as well. She always provides variations for the moves and poses so that whether you are just starting out, just not flexible, a fully-fledged yoga master or somewhere in between, you have something you can do and instruction to help. Christine’s approach is welcoming and supportive, and her classes always leave my body feeling good.”

” I look forward to another year of your classes and your support for my work toward staying strong and healthy. I turn 75 in March; I plan to be a strong 3/4 of a century, with your help.”

Instructor

Christine believes that consistent, regular exercise, in whatever way that brings someone satisfaction and joy, is central to a good quality of life. Christine began practicing yoga and started strength training after joining a rock climbing gym that offered both as part of the membership. Her consistent strength training practice increased her self-confidence and her yoga practice quickly led to her enduring love of handstands.

While remaining thrilled with arm balancing postures, Christine later found that her yoga practice created a sense of thoughtful calmness in her life. Wanting to share that sense with others, Christine completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training with Michele Loew and Rosie Acosta and has been teaching yoga since 2015. In her yoga classes, Christine skillfully weaves variations of poses through her sequences, with options for those who want to explore more dynamic postures and options for those that prefer a quieter practice. Her yoga classes are thoughtfully structured and welcoming to all.

Wanting to share the many health and self-confidence benefits that come with strength training, Christine became a personal trainer, and is certified through NSCA. She enjoys working with people who are just getting into strength training or who are unsure of how to progress in their workouts. Her approach is encouraging, instructive and inclusive. In addition to personal training, she teaches group strength and stability classes. These classes are thoughtfully designed so that participants can progress over time.

Christine is currently pursuing a post baccalaureate degree in Applied Health and Fitness. Outside of the gym, the studio & her studies, Christine grows Pacific Northwest native plants and can often be found in botanical gardens and local nurseries. She also enjoys cooking for her family, hiking, and herding her two aging cats.

“I just wanted to send you a note about the streaming classes with Christine – I think she and her classes are fantastic. For the last 2+ years, I’ve tuned in 2-3 days a week to her Monday morning yoga class and her Tuesday/Thursday Stretch and Strengthen livestream classes. I find them appropriate with modifications for any fitness level, yet challenging for anyone that wishes to push themselves. She offers great warmups that hits every muscle group, then gives excellent coaching on form and the exercise physiology of it without getting into too much detail. Her Stretch and Strengthen classes build over four weeks – starting with fewer reps per exercise and building to challenging sets of lunges, squats, pushups, ab floor exercises, light to heavy hand weights, and balancing poses. Lots of functional exercises. I add these classes in the morning to enhance my elder fitness routine of body pump at the gym and regular hiking – they are great flexibility and strength enhancers, superb regular whole body tune ups. Her attitude is always cheerful, light, humorous, but focused without too much blather and yikyak. I highly recommend her classes to all ages, particularly for mature and older adults who are not necessarily competing any longer, but are driven to stay full-body-fit. Honestly … I don’t do yoga for “spirituality”, and her classes focus on whole body exercise, not spiritual or cross-cultural practice … perfect for me.”