Be Local: Yoga is beneficial for relaxation, exercise
Britney Strope Kwiatek led this mindful meditation at South Fayette Intermediate School just before the coronavirus pandemic shutdown in March of 2020.
Courtesy of Britney Strope Kwiatek
Britney Strope Kwiatek does yoga with her “understudy” recently.
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For Britney Strope Kwiatek, the adage, “when a door closes, God opens a window,” rings true, as she said last month.
The expert yoga teacher started her own business after the studio where she taught for eight years closed.
The Shanti Yoga, Kwiatek’s new venture, is for yoga participants from beginners to experts.
Yoga is for people of all ages, she said.
Kwiatek’s students should be ready to open their minds and bodies.
“It’s for beginners to restorative,” the South Fayette resident said. “Chill, relax and hold your pose.”
Her students can expect to feel better just through relaxing and exercise. The yoga workouts can be equally beneficial to cardiovascular patients and those who suffer from anxiety.
Kwiatek offers virtual classes and pre-recorded Zoom links to practice alone for convenience.
“Britney has the capabilities of Skype and Zoom,” said Cassidy Graham, a recent yoga student. “Now that the pandemic is winding down, things are opening up. But she is still offering classes and the Zoom links to make it convenient for everyone.
“She is super knowledgeable – with years and years of training and teaching,” Graham added.” She can teach at any pace and anyone at any level. What I like is that Britney takes a slow approach with beginners and really explains what muscles her students are using and why that is important and why you pose a certain way. She’s great at explaining the reasons why she teaches things a certain way. That makes a difference.”
Kwiatek has offered (Wind) or “wine” down yoga classes on Zoom.
She teaches yoga to elementary and intermediate students in the South Fayette School District and worked with the South Fayette varsity track team, which implemented yoga into the program’s workout routine.
A multitude of styles and philosophies associated with the practice of yoga that range from the energetic to the calm and meditative are utilized today.
“Yoga helped me clear my mind and to get rid of anxiety that I had,” Kwiatek said. “When I started doing it, it felt natural to me. Anxiety drove me to it.”
Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. For those going through an illness, recovering from surgery or living with a chronic condition, yoga can become an integral part of treatment and potentially hasten healing.
A yoga therapist works with patients and formalizes individualized plans that work together with medical and surgical therapies. Thus, yoga supports the healing process and helps the person experience symptoms with more centeredness and less distress.
To reach Britney Kwiatek, visit her Facebook (Britney Strope Kwiatek), or IG@britstrope sites, or visit the Shanti schedule site at www.calendly.com/BritneyStrope-1 or Britneystrope@gmail.com.
Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Chris Slota at 724-225-1326 or by email at chris@belocal.net. Discount cards are available at the Observer-Reporter and Almanac office, 122 S. Main St., Washington.