 Scene 1: Phoenix
Scene 2: New heights Scene 3: Nuevos horizontes Scene 4: Legacy Act II has begun! Lorenzen Studios will open February 1, 2025 in Mount Joy, PA It will truly be a Lorenzen family effort, with Justin & Ava helping me with all the preparations . Spring 2025 will be a time of transition in which all of my yoga classes & Spanish classes will move from other places to Lorenzen Studios as soon as my current commitments are complete. By May, the full Lorenzen Studios yoga & Spanish class schedule will be offered. There will also be some pop-up fitness classes & additions in other formats, so stay tuned! The end of June will bring the Horizons yoga & wellness retreat in Spain, which promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime, transformational experience that combines all of my passions & expertise. If you’re thinking about joining us, sign up before it fills up! In Fall 2025 I will offer my first Yoga Teacher Training (one weekend per month for 10 months). I look forward to training future yoga teachers in both English and Spanish, and I will be hiring instructors from this pool to teach for my studio. Lorenzen Studios will be a joyful, welcoming space of learning and growth where I can continue my vocation as a teacher, mentor, and lifelong learner. Please join me on this adventure! More information on all of these initiatives can be found at my current website: www.bewellwithcharlita.com/
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 18 years ago I left one of the coolest cities in the U.S. - where my artist husband had a job that he loved in the art field, I was being actively headhunted to stay and work as a bilingual kindergarten teacher, we lived near my sister & her family, and we had a ton of friends - to move across the country to take a tenure-track position as a Spanish professor at a school I had never heard of. We moved away from family and friends and started a new life that has been fabulous in so many ways, but right now I am mourning the loss of what could have been in Austin.
My husband would almost certainly still be the Art Director at Strong Events, an event planning company, we would still be landlords of a duplex, and he would likely be showing his fine art in local galleries in Austin. He would not have become a stay-at-home dad for our daughter or started his own business, and he wouldn’t have relied on my job for healthcare benefits. Our daughter would be bilingual in Spanish & English and would have much more than 3 short years of memories with her aunt & her family. My parents would have only had to travel to one place to visit all of us, and we would have all traveled together to go see them. While I might have ended up teaching Spanish at Austin Community College, possibly as an adjunct instructor, I would likely still be there - at an institution recently highlighted in a Chronicle of Higher Education webinar as a place where the Humanities are thriving today, despite a dire situation nationally. Instead, I moved to central Pennsylvania for Elizabethtown College, where I developed the Spanish Education major & was tenured and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor after 6 years, and then promoted to full Professor after 6 more years. I never once had a poor performance evaluation, and I taught in 3 programs: Spanish, Education, and - more recently - Physical Education (I have taught fitness classes since high school, and yoga since college). I dedicated myself wholeheartedly to the institution and - based on the flood of messages I have recently received from students, staff, and faculty - I have been an integral and beloved member of “the flock”. But I can no longer be a Blue Jay because my position was one of the casualties in the recent “reduction” process where 13 full-time faculty were laid off. This is 12% of the total full-time faculty body, which should cause immediate concern among anyone associated with Elizabethtown College. Students will still be able to minor in Spanish, but only by taking classes from adjunct instructors (who are underpaid, overworked, and unavailable for all the extra hours that full-time faculty dedicate to their students). I was so devastated that I could barely breathe, let along talk, during the meeting at which I was told the news. Having known for 2 weeks that some people would be cut had already caused me anxiety and fear, which quickly turned to grief and sorrow. I knew that people would be cut for what they teach, not how they teach, and therefore I was not surprised that Spanish & Spanish Education were among the “under-enrolled” (read: undervalued) programs affected. I was assured that my impact on the college has been greatly appreciated and that I will be missed, but thise reassurances in no way reduced my pain. I am annoyed that no one worked with me to find an alternative to just letting me go. My undergrad degree is in Psychology so I can teach that, and what about First Year Seminar? And more Education courses? My doctorate is in EDUCATION. I could also teach Exercise Science, as well as Yogic Studies (I am certified as a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider and I have enough credentials to open a yoga teacher training school, for goodness’ sake ). But I don't want to stay with an institution that wasn't willing to fight for me 🥹😫 Ironically enough, I had scheduled a wellness retreat for the first weekend in October a full year ago, when the college had listed this weekend as Fall Break on the academic calendar (they subsequently moved it back a week, but I already had people signed up for the retreat, so I didn’t change my plans). I wasn’t sure I’d be able to lead it competently, but I wasn’t about to back out on my fitness family, so we proceeded as planned and, as always, the retreat was absolutely magical and transformative, with 10 lovely souls enriching their own and each other’s lives while enjoying beautiful Rehoboth Beach. As one does on a retreat, I spent time reflecting in peace and quiet about my life and how to move forward after this huge and unexpected setback. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me well that I am already creating a new vision for my professional life and taking steps toward making that dream a reality. This dream was already kindled inside me, but now I can ignite that flame and move forward. If you are asking yourself how you can show me some support, please sign up for my upcoming retreat in Spain in June 2025 and/or refer your friends to me for language lessons, fitness &/or yoga classes, and transformative wellness retreats at home & abroad. You can find both my Facebook group and website under the name Be well with Charlita 🤗 After 3 decades of teaching, I have learned that time truly does fly when you’re having fun and that following your heart always pays off. Over the past few years I have made it my goal to make my Spanish classes as fun & rewarding (for both my students and me) as my fitness classes, which is no small feat given the vast differences from one group to the other in terms of the students and their motivations for being in class (or not). Over time, I will be sharing some of the insights I have gleaned. Today I will focus on “the group effect”.
This phenomenon in group fitness classes has been well documented and I have witnessed it over & over throughout my career. If a group of people can bond over a shared activity that they know they need to do but sometimes lack motivation to tackle, it can be much more pleasant to approach it with a supportive & friendly group than trying to complete it on your own. The teacher has to work to make the activity something that the participants anticipate with more pleasure than anxiety or distress. In my experience, it is important to offer several different ways to engage within the group. For example, in all of my classes I try to recognize the introverts’ need for space and quiet time, the extroverts’ need for interaction, and the ambiverts’ need for all of the above in different amounts and at different times - all while fostering a sense of belonging to the group. A large part of this, for me, is emphasizing how we are all imperfect human beings who are still learning, growing, and improving. I love to see the bonds that form once people start asking others for support, and that is one of the keys to the group effect. As a language teacher, I require all of the students in the room to interact with one another and to communicate not just with me, but also with their classmates, and I mix up their pairs, groups, and teams on a regular basis so they can both support others and be supported by them. Therefore, the “group effect” in the language classroom goes beyond the motivating factors of engaging with others in a task to being a necessary factor in the learning experience. In my language classes, I have learned that setting the class up to maximize the group effect takes time. Before the students can engage in learning a language & cultures that are “foreign” to them, they need to feel accepted & supported so they can be less inhibited and anxious. Knowing that the other people in the room are on the same journey is very helpful. While I have my college students in class for an entire semester at a time, my fitness participants either take it one class at a time or they register for one session at a time. Over time, my participants and I have built up a large fitness family that fosters the group effect, and I’ve been able to see it in my wellness retreats. Fostering a sense of belonging, acceptance, mutual respect, and friendship has become a priority in all of my classes and is one way that I’ve been able to make my Spanish classes more similar to my fitness classes.  “Better in balance” is the slogan on the brand of stand-up paddle board that I ride. Riding that board is therapy for me and does indeed help not just my physical balance but also my life balance: when I’m cruising through the water in a meditative state, all of the daily stresses just melt away, and when I am back on dry land I feel centered, calm, and collected - ready to take on daily life again.
My yoga practice brings me the same sort of balance, teaching me about important aspects of my natural energetic constitution (my dosha) and what takes it out of or back into balance. I love learning about & observing my dosha and how to use diet & exercise to feel my best. As a yoga teacher I also get to share my learning with the people in my wellness family, which is rewarding in so many ways - in large part because I learn so much from them. Some of the most recent manifestations of this happened at an event we hosted over the past two nights called “New Year’s Evolution”. While my preferred method of physical (hatha) yoga practice is usually a flowing (vinyasa) style, taking the time to practice Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra the first night and Yin Yoga the second night reminded me of the power of recharging my batteries and also of mixing up my practice. Restorative Yoga embraces the use of props (pillows, bolsters, blankets, etc) to support the body as it melts into the long-held poses, with the goal of little to no sensation of being stretched, twisted, or otherwise rearranged in space, and a sloth-like approach to transitions between poses (the less movement, the better). Yoga Nidra is known as “yogic nap”; it uses progressive relaxation to calm the self. Yin Yoga uses the same props in a very different way: to hold deep stretches that provoke intense sensations, tax the hard tissues of the body (joints, fascia, etc) and require the practitioner to breathe & be ever aware of the fine line between discomfort and pain. Discomfort usually accompanies growth, but pain is the red light signal that warns us of danger; I love watching my breath and looking for the space between the yellow light (proceed with caution) & the red light (stop!!). I love that these two practices use the same tools in different ways for similar results. Restorative Yoga provides all the benefits of twists, forward bends, back bends, and inversions with very little physical effort, while Yin Yoga requires a steady, initially uncomfortable effort that moves toward ease with the use of the breath and adherence to the body’s inner wisdom. For people with my energy constitution (70% Pitta, 15% Vata, 15% Kapha) - and many others - the idea of being still for so long is not appealing, but oftentimes it is exactly what we need to do to regain balance. There are innumerable benefits to practicing yoga in community with like-minded others who bring their unique life experiences and energies to the group. We had people from many life stages at the event, all with profound stories of the trials & tribulations of the human experience. The conversations and connections that occurred were inspiring and perhaps even life-changing. No matter how many trainings I attend, philosophy books I read, or hours that I practice yoga & meditation on my own, the time spent practicing yoga in community still adds insightful dimension to my ongoing learning. Everyone brought their own energy to the group, and melded it together with the others’ to create a calm but invigorating group energy; this is possibly my favorite benefit of in-person group classes. Another benefit of in-person gatherings is that our collective wisdom & ideas combine to make us “better together”. Here are two examples: Over the two nights, we engaged in journaling about 2023, the present moment, and our hopes & aspirations for the new year. In our sharing circle after journaling, the idea of “seek the rest” was shared in the context of making time to rest and recharge. However, the phrase also made me think of finding “the rest” of the people who are seeking what you seek (comfort, contentment, enlightenment, you name it) and also “the rest” of your unique self - all the unrecognized or undervalued aspects of your being that make you YOU. Another participant hit home the idea of needing to “be still”, even when (especially when) we don’t want to, by sharing her hard-earned wisdom on grieving. Only by being still and paying attention to the messages of our mindbody can we know how we are doing, let alone how to eventually move forward. Our personal evolution is happening, but we can’t force the pace or the results, and we must practice our yoga on & off the mat, “finding ease in the pose”, whether the pose is a yoga asana or any other situation in which we find ourselves needing to: ground & center ourselves in the present moment, simultaneously find strength & surrender tension, and use the breath to make it through, all the while knowing that the effort will reap amazing rewards I was touched by all that I witnessed at this special event and I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings for our wellness family! If anyone had told me as a teenager (1) where I’d be living now, (2) what my job would be, (3) the profession of my future spouse, or (4) that I would be leading wellness retreats, only the last one would not have been a surprise; however, the idea was definitely co-constructed with participants in my fitness classes, and I was (at least at first) a reluctant retreat leader.
Now that I have led 3 retreats, I know for certain that I have found a passion project that seamlessly unites my career as a Spanish professor (who loves teaching & learning about language & culture) and yoga / fitness instructor (who is always striving to make her college classes as fulfilling for the students as her wellness classes are). My next retreat is a natural next step - it will be in Costa Rica in July 2024! 🧘🏻♀️🏝️🇨🇷🚴♀️💪🤗🦥🤩 ¡Pura Vida! Contact me for more info! Innovation - Travel - Pushing the boundaries of what people know & expect. These are what help me avoid burnout & approach each fitness class, each Spanish class, each day of a wellness retreat, with renewed energy!
Meet Ashley, a Spanish & Social Work alum, who is doing great things! Here is one recent example: “I had the opportunity to represent the School District of Lancaster on Lancaster’s local Spanish radio station to talk about mental health in young adults. I’m a school social worker at Washington Elementary, which comprised mostly of the Hispanic population and Spanish speakers. I’m continually grateful I chose to have a double major of Social Work and Spanish when I was a student at Etown. Sometimes I spend more of my day speaking Spanish than English! My job as a bilingual school social worker is the most perfect combination of what I studied, and I love continuing Etown’s motto of Educate for Service every single day.” Ashley we are so proud of you! #bluejaysalways
 The best classes are the ones where the end of class sneaks up on everyone because we were all in the flow of our work and we lost all track of time. I judge the success of my classes by the number of students NOT starting to pack up their backpacks early and NOT rushing to roll up their yoga mats at the end of class. When we want to stay longer in our space, I know the class was a success!
My first job was working at a gym & teaching fitness classes, which sparked a love for teaching and led me to my future career as a college professor. I plan to teach fitness classes until the day I take my last breath, and I believe it is my dharma, or life purpose, to share my enthusiasm for wellness in all of its forms with everyone I meet - but especially with those who enjoy being on a wellness journey as part of my fitness family. Over the past decade or so I have cultivated the growth of a large group of fitness enthusiasts who enjoy each other’s company and my ways of teaching. This group encouraged me to lead a wellness retreat this summer, and it was everything I dreamed! Our 4-person planning committee worked together to create an amazing and rejuvenating experience for all who attended and we grew in our wellness journey and friendships as we practiced yoga, laughed our way through Water Aerobics, sweat out our frustrations in Pound class, learned in workshops and a book club, cooked fun meals, and enjoyed some great scenery, seafood, and shopping together. This experience was good for my soul and it will hopefully be the first in a series of annual retreats. Acabo de aprender esta frase - un cacao mental, sinónimo de confusión o niebla mental - y no hay otra frase que describiría mejor cómo me siento después de 2 años de planear y replanear vez y otra vez todas mis clases universitarias durante este “purgatorio pandémico” del cual no podemos escapar. Estoy cansada y casi no puedo más. Si no fuera por mis estudiantes tan excepcionales no podría salir adelante, pero me dan ánimo así que ahorita vuelvo a trabajar.
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