ABOUT KATHLEEN ALLING
Movement is an integral part of my life. At my insistence and whining, I started taking dance lessons when I was about four years old. Those continued through young adulthood, and as dance started to conflict with my schedule, I added gym workouts, group fitness, weight training and running. After having children, consistent exercise became my biggest challenge. Running seemed to be the easiest to incorporate into an unpredictable day, but it wasn’t.
After years of aching joints, injuries, and general frustrations, I finally realized it was time for a change. I needed a good workout and something to lose the baby weight, not to mention my baby was five years old. I knew a small, very small, amount about yoga. As a child, a family friend taught yoga at the YMCA and I fondly remember her teaching my brother and me how to sit in lotus and Om. I had seen a few videos of yoga workouts, so I knew it was more than lotus and oms.
I decided to take a class at my gym, and I vividly remember my heart pounding, thoughts of trepidation and a nervousness I hadn’t felt in a long time before I walked into the studio. At the end of that class, I knew yoga would be with me for life. Yoga gives me a larger appreciation for the important things and clarity of mind in my daily life.
After starting a consistent yoga practice, not only did my physical body begin to evolve, but mentally, I began to feel less stress, and my days were clearer. And I have learned a very important lesson: it takes practice. Continued practice. And then more practice, because the universe constantly provides challenges and opportunities that push me to find my edge physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It is a great honor and gift to be able to share this practice, to teach and to learn from so many. I am beyond grateful for this beauty of movement, breath, and awareness and look forward to practicing together.
