Yoga has led the owner of Sole to Soul Hot Yoga Studio to higher ground, and to the truth – and now she’s inviting others on a journey of healing
By Katie Chatham
Christina Foster opened Sole to Soul Hot Yoga Studio on April 14, 2018 with one intention: to offer others the opportunity to follow yoga to higher ground and to truth, just as she has.
“This isn’t about me from this venue,” she said. “This could be anyone’s story.”
Christina said yoga has been interwoven throughout her own journey. An Army veteran herself, Christina was married to a Special Forces soldier who lost his life serving this country.
While Christina was dealing with the loss, a friend of hers “forcibly” took her to a hot yoga class, where she spent the majority of her time there sobbing. That experience brought her back, over and over. Soon, she found she had a desire to learn about the connection between her body and her emotions.
“Something shifted,” she said of her early experiences with yoga. “I did training to learn about all these sensations in my body.”
She started out teaching her friends, and eventually opened Sole to Soul Hot Yoga Studio, which she considers her haven; a place to share her story and allow others to share theirs, too. The name of her business, Sole to Soul, describes the way she has found that safe place from the ground up, and remains rooted in that.
Christina said she finds daily inspiration in the instructors who work alongside her: she makes a habit of reflecting on being a student first.
In fact, she shared a quote from one of her teachers, one she said she’ll carry with her always: “I teach not so that others remember who I am, I teach so that they remember who they are.”
Christina moved to Arizona with her daughters after they came here to visit colleges for her oldest. They all fell in love and decided to stay. She met her husband, Brandon, at a fundraising event, and since then he has remained a huge support, and also teaches classes at the studio.
“The universe guided me to this, and the community contributed to it and decorated it with their energy,” she said. “Reflecting on everything, I think I’m the luckiest person I know.”
And, most importantly, she said, “Yoga is my favorite 4-letter word!”