WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF - STAFF SPOTLIGHT SARA FAIRCHILD KOELLER, DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT

How long have you been at the university?

I’ve been with UW-Platteville for the past 13 years. Officially, I’ve been with the Department of Humanities since January 2012, but I also did a stint in English for six months in 2006. However, because my dad was a music professor (Dr. G. Daniel Fairchild), I grew up on campus.

Tell us about your fitness journey. Who inspired you? What do you practice and teach?

Like so many kids, I took dance when I was young, but quit at some point before middle school. I also took dance classes in college as my physical education requirement and loved it. I ended up teaching ballet, tap, and jazz to children while managing a dance studio in the Milwaukee area in my 20s. After moving home to Platteville, I didn’t really have a place to take or teach class until I decided to get myself back in shape before my 40th birthday. Along the way, I discovered Zumba classes here in Platteville (being taught by UW-Platteville music alumna Amelia McConnell) as well as another cardiodance format called WERQ taught locally by Adelei Graffin. They are such dynamic instructors and I loved being back in dance! After Graffin opened a studio in town, I was certified and began teaching WERQ as well as a few other dancerelated formats, before deciding to get certified to teach yoga. Now, I teach five to seven classes a week, ranging from yoga to cardio dance.

How does your yoga practice positively affect your work and your overall well-being?

Yoga has taught me that it’s okay to slow down. My brain tends to run 1,000 miles per hour, and it can’t do that when I’m practicing or teaching yoga. Those lists, chores, and to-dos will still be there when I’m done with class. It has also taught me that it’s okay to not be perfect and how to better manage my stress levels. I’m often heard in yoga class saying “some days are balance days; some days are not, and that’s okay” - and yes, I’m usually falling over when I say it. That concept applies to my job in humanities as well—some days I’m going to get that entire to-do list done, and some days the department is buzzing and it’s not going to happen.

It’s been helpful to learn how to translate my meditations in yoga to work by closing my eyes for just a moment and breathing to ease the feeling of being overwhelmed. My goal when teaching yoga or dance is to always make it accessible to anyone who wants to try it, and that frequently involves finding new ways to demonstrate or explain what we’re doing. That also translates into my daily work life when working with staff and students who rely on me. Our goal at the studio and in the Department of Humanities is to make sure that we are creating a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for everyone. Anything I learn that helps create that warm environment at one location is always something I can apply at the other.

How has your involvement in yoga and fitness influenced others in terms of wellness?

I’ve been fortunate to have been asked twice by Dr. Elizabeth Gates to talk to health psychology classes about my fitness/ health journey. This spring, I was invited by Swati Kukreja to join a Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion meeting to teach chair/office yoga, some simple breathing exercises and demonstrate that yoga is really accessible to everyone—you don’t need special equipment or even a class. I work with Thomas Pitcher, an English Lecturer who owns Rooted Yoga Studio here in town, and we both enjoy encouraging our faculty and staff to try out a yoga class. One of our Spanish instructors, Catherine Van Paemel, started practicing yoga with me and we’re hoping to work together to offer occasional Spanish language yoga classes, with me teaching and her translating.

You are so inspiring! How can we take a class with you? Currently, I teach at a studio on Main Street in Platteville called Driftless Fitness and Yoga. We’re right next to Badger Brothers Coffee (an ideal location, if you ask me) and we teach a variety of cardio, strength, and yoga classes. We can be found online at driftlessfitnessandyoga.com or by emailing us at driftlessfitnessandyoga@gmail.com. People are welcome to stop in any time before or after classes, or just drop by for class and we’ll find a spot for you. We offer student, veteran, and senior discounts and the best part is that your first class is always free, so it’s risk-free to try out something.