My Name Is: Brittany Hopkins - #lakewoodnews

About me

I'm from Texas, and my husband Russ is from Wisconsin. We met while he was in art school and I was dancing professionally in Chicago. We fell in love with Colorado before moving to Utah for eight years to teach at an international school.

While in Utah we built, with our own hands, a straw bale home and converted our car to run on waste vegetable oil before moving to Beijing, China, to teach dance and art.

We finally made it back to the city we've always wanted to live in and are proud to share our passions with the Lakewood community and beyond through The Container Collective.

Teaching yoga

As a certified Baptiste Yoga instructor, I strive to creates space for my students to feel comfortable and confident to stretch and move beyond their imagination, on and off their yoga mats. With a background as a professional dancer and dance instructor I try to make my yoga classes fun, fluid and challenging.

I get to watch a student walk through the door with the weight of their day on their shoulders. As they practice yoga they put their body into physically challenging positions that strengthen and stretch all parts of their bodies while being asked to breathe calmly. It is so rewarding to see each student transform over the course of an hour.

The yoga and biking lifestyle

For my husband, Russ, riding bikes isn't just a hobby -- it's a lifestyle. While he was teaching in China for two years he apprenticed with David Wang of Bamboo Bikes Beijing to learn the bamboo bike-building process.

I moved to Lakewood from Beijing in August of 2014 and started Container Collective Yoga with free Yoga in the Park. I offered classes all around the Denver metro area to see which area had the greatest need for yoga. I was drawn to West Colfax because of the character of the people and the commitment to the arts and wanted to be a part of what made this area thrive again.

Russ moved back from China in August of 2015 to get Container Collective Bikes started by leading bamboo bike frame-building workshops, as well as doing bike repair and service.

What makes West Colfax special

We are excited about all that is happening with West Colfax and the 40 West Arts District. We love the character of the community and its commitment to growth. We've hosted several Mural Tour Bike Rides around West Colfax to celebrate all of the public art on display in the area.

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from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/My-Name-Is-Brittany-Hopkins,235373