Our Story
I’m Kristine Valentine-Miller, founder of Ocala Yoga Center and creator of TrueForm® Yoga Teacher Training. My journey with yoga didn’t start with a grand awakening—it began casually, as just another form of exercise. But when life fell apart around me, yoga emerged as something far more profound: a lifeline. What started as a platonic interest blossomed into a lifelong devotion that continues to shape me every day.
Long before I opened Ocala Yoga Center or created TrueForm® YTT, I was more at home in the water than on a yoga mat. As a teenager, I swam competitively and later performed as a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs. This extraordinary job gave me a sisterhood and the joy of literally immersing myself in another world. But beneath all the fun was an undercurrent of something missing—an internal void.
I filled that void with my relentless drive to achieve, as well as alcohol. While at Weeki Wachee, I took on additional jobs and earned my associate’s degree. I went on to complete both a bachelor’s and a Juris Doctorate while juggling multiple jobs. I became a lawyer, met my husband, had twins, and started my own law practice.
From the outside, my life looked successful. But inside, I was drowning. My drinking, once recreational, became my primary coping mechanism. Years of unprocessed trauma, low self-worth, and the pressure to hold it all together slowly hollowed me out. Then came a perfect storm: my mother’s sudden death, a malignant melanoma diagnosis, embezzlement by a close friend at my new law firm, and the daily demands of raising children while running a business. Alcohol became my refuge—until it couldn’t be anymore. On June 12, 2006, with my career and family on the line, I entered rehab.
Recovery wasn’t linear or easy, but it was honest. Through therapy, 12-step work, spiritual inquiry, and finally yoga—this time with intention and reverence—I began to fill the internal emptiness with a sense of purpose. In treatment, I rediscovered yoga not just as a form of movement but as a path to wholeness, and it became a cornerstone of my healing journey. Teaching began almost by accident—others noticed my light returning, and I was eager to share what was working for me.
When I returned to Ocala, I threw myself into both 12-step work and a deeper study of yoga. My sponsor, who also happened to be the director of the Amrit Yoga Institute, helped me explore the profound connections between yogic philosophy and recovery. It lit a fire in me. I trained extensively at Amrit, studying subtle energy work, integrative healing, and yoga as a spiritual discipline. Over time, I began teaching and mentoring others, weaving trauma-informed sensitivity and a commitment to conscious, deliberate intention into every class I offered, helping students to move beyond their heads and into their bodies.
After several years of practice, I realized I had been relying on my flexibility rather than my strength in many postures. My yoga practice might have looked impressive from the outside, but I was overusing my joints, and my body began to let me know.
As a lifelong student, I started taking alignment-based classes and gradually built more strength in my body. That’s when my focus began to shift from simply flowing through vinyasa to paying careful attention to my posture, shapes, and transitions.
I also learned the importance of backing out of poses when my body signaled discomfort, and I embraced the use of props, shedding any lingering “block snob” mentality. This shift brought me a new sense of humility, along with a keen eye for spotting others who might be caught in the same flexibility trap I once fell into.
I teach the way I like to be taught: with clarity, compassion, and presence. Whether guiding a senior in chair yoga or leading advanced students through a challenging vinyasa flow, my intention is always the same—to help people reconnect with their body, their breath, and their truth. Safe alignment is a cornerstone of my teaching: I believe that the proper alignment unlocks not just the physical benefits of the poses, but also a deeper trust in your body’s wisdom and resilience.
In 2015, I founded Ocala Yoga Center—a welcoming, alignment-focused studio where yoga is practical, inclusive, and transformative. My teacher training program, TrueForm YTT, combines deep personal inquiry through yoga philosophy with physical postures and practice. As of April 2025, we’ve graduated seven cohorts, empowering others to share the depth of yoga that fueled my transformation and saved my life. For me, yoga isn’t just a practice; it’s the way home to my higher self, my True Form. I’m honored to share it with you.
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