Kristen Townsend, M.S., was introduced to yoga as a competitive figure skater, and has been incredibly blessed with the opportunity to study yoga, it’s deep roots, and learn to teach from several high-level teachers, healers, scholars and innovators within the global yoga community, including Shiva Rea, Maria Garre, Shannon Paige, Daniel Odier, Christopher Tompkins, and Sonia Masocco. Kristen’s training in teaching yoga has come through Shiva Rea’s Samudra Global School for Living Yoga.  In her Prana Vinyasa classes, Kristen shares her experience in cultivating a sense of inner balance, clarity, strength and compassion, as well as practical physical strength and flexibility to serve the flow of life. Time off the mat is dedicated to serving the shakti and raising the collective vibration by her “behind the scenes” assistance to vinyasa pioneer and sacred activist Shiva Rea; utilizing her Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Biology by collaborating with researchers at the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Lab to study the amazing lives of honey bees; and teaching figure skating.