How did you first get into yoga Kate?
I had a Yogic/Christian Mystic meditating hatha yoga teacher for a mother! (you might know her... she runs a very hip yoga center!).....as you may imagine she must have had some small influence on me. She taught me how to meditate at the age of five and proceeded to get me initiated in Transcendental Meditation as well. Growing up, I would step in and out of meditation practice but for the most part was too consumed with my love of dance where the focus was perfection, not acceptance.

In college I started experiencing a separateness within myself that scared me. I moved the feelings into my choreography in dance which was very successful for those watching in the audience but still left me feeling outside myself.

Having read a few books on the subject of spirituality and doing a few precarious illegal substances... I knew what I needed wasn’t outside myself. I needed to look within and be with myself. Long sittings were way too big a task at this point in my sadhana so I started to incorporate some hatha yoga into my practice. I experienced the centeredness I needed and was still able to be active. I loved it!

Do you still dance?
Yes, but mostly in my living room.

What’s your favorite movie?
The Black Stallion or The Color Purple.

How long have you been teaching yoga?
I received my first certification in 1996 but didn’t feel like my feet were big enough to step into the shoes of a teacher until 1998. I’m glad I didn’t rush into it too fast. I think people are taking teaching Yoga a bit too lightly these days. It’s a big responsibility.

Who are the most important people in your life?
Everyone. There hasn’t been any one who has walked into my life that hasn’t had something to offer or to teach me.

What was the best cup of tea you ever had?
A cup of yak butter tea on a mountain side in Tibet. I didn’t care for the tea as much as I enjoyed sitting with the little Tibetan Nun who offered it to me. Not having a common language we spent our time together just smiling and laughing.

What is your intention as a yoga teacher?
My intention as a yoga teacher is to guide my students into a deeper trust and understanding of themselves... to open to their own hearts.

What has been the hardest thing to learn in your yoga practice?
My teacher John Friend will often say the more we can soften the more we can move into the current of Grace. This is a hard one. To soften means we have to be vulnerable, take off our armor and completely trust in something greater than ourselves — hard to do if you’ve been hurt or experienced betrayal of any kind. I know from my own experience the more defenses I build up around myself the more distance I create between me and the people around me. I wouldn’t say I‘ve mastered this one.
....As for an asana.. I think Shoulder-stand is an absolute *#!^+* to practice!