Portrait of Chrissy Lefavour, founder and owner of Grateful Yoga

Who am I?

Chrissy Lefavour is a writer, a lover and a yogini. Writing, journaling and sharing have been passions for Chrissy her whole life. Going on an adventure is always more fun when it can be remembered or shared, or both! She is a lover of the natural world; animals, the ocean, mountains, snow, surf, sun, clouds, thunderstorms and the way they play each day creating beauty in the world around us. If any of the above qualifies as yoga, then she has been practicing as long as she can remember with the support and encouragement from her amazing family and friends to follow her heart. Almost five years ago she started practicing Ashtanga yoga daily. Since then she has dabbled in kid’s yoga, SUP yoga, yoga with horses, restorative yoga, acro-yoga, aerial yoga and handstanding on the beach. Currently you can find her at her yoga studio, Grateful Yoga, in Vermont, hosting retreats and trainings in the Dominican Republic or traveling anywhere else the universe offers.

What am I doing here?

I am here because I love yoga and I love sharing it with other people. When I opened the studio in 2014 I knew someday I wanted to host teacher trainings. Within the first year people were asking for it, so after getting my own credentials in order, generating a syllabus and creating a training manual. This program continues to evolve just like any other practice but rests on some core yoga values and the traditional Ashtanga teachings. It is accessible to all humans at all ages and levels of practice. Our youngest trainee is 13 and I believe our eldest is 65 to date. The intensive trainings I like to think of as a choose-your-own-adventure…

Pairing with the Yoga Loft at eXtreme Hotel in Caberete has blown the roof off of what students can learn beyond the studio walls. First of all, the Yoga Loft only has one “wall” so we’re off to a great start. The studio setting is divine with the beachfront location, ocean breezes and amazing view. While the surroundings are more visually stimulating I find students are quieter, slower and naturally at ease here. We spend most of our training hours (30/week) in the Yoga Loft and I could honestly be up there 24 hours/day and be happy. Meals are served by locals in the onsite restaurant La Mesa Taina. Here you will be blessed with some English speakers but welcomed to try out your Spanish speaking skills with laughter and smiles. The food is served farm to table from Taino Organic Farm where we have a farm tour and river tube as a part of the trip. Learn about Yoga + Farming through concepts of energy management, sustainability and compassion. Accommodations are shared or private in the eco-friendly hotel and each room has a balcony.

So what am I doing here? I am sharing this beautiful place with people I love and teaching them yoga. This is where the adventure starts… Student who stay for three weeks accumulate 90+ hours of yoga teacher training, the rest is up to you. Learn how to kitesurf, take long walks on the beach, nap in the comfort of your room, sip a happy hour cocktail, hike to some waterfalls, go horseback riding, meditate, breathe, enjoy. Before an arrow is launched from the bow it must be drawn back, held still, aimed mindfully in the direction of it’s target and then PING! It takes flight, a journey, freedom. Here are my favorite definitions of the word “retreat”:

(noun) withdrawal, pulling back, flight

(verb) change one’s mind, change one’s attitude

Join us on retreat for any or all of the above. I can’t tell you exactly how this training will change your life but it inevitably will. My goal in training is to create happy, healthy yogis with sustainable lifelong yoga practices. Your days will be filled with asana, pranayama, mantra and best of all, adventure!