Hi There! I’m Kathleen, the yogi and hiker behind Kathleen Loves Yoga, a yoga and hiking blog. Are you thinking about becoming a yoga teacher and are wondering:
“What is yoga teacher training like?”
“Can I make a living teaching yoga?”
What This Blog Can Do For You:
- Show you what it’s like to go through yoga teacher training through my own process of becoming a certified yoga teacher in multiple formats including Hot Power Fusion (CPY), Yoga Sculpt (CPY), BIkram Yoga and Standup Paddleboard Yoga
- Give you insight on how to teach yoga for a living
Why Follow Me?
Get inspired to dive deeper into your own yoga practice or start your journey as a yoga teacher. Read my journey of how I followed my own dreams, from working as a full-time Digital Marketer to becoming a yoga teacher and then leaving it all to go hike over 2,400 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Story Behind My Blog, Kathleen Loves Yoga…
I wrote a blog post back in February 2016 talking about what yoga meant to me. At the time I had just enrolled in my first yoga teacher training, the Hot Power Fusion 200-hour TT at Corepower Yoga. Our first assignment was to sit down and write what yoga meant to us and talk about why we practice.
When I first started practicing yoga, I defined yoga in my life as being a very physical thing. Yoga was a challenge to get good at and overcome. After a few injuries and some healing, my definition of yoga changed. Yoga became a gift I could give to myself. Yoga was my reset button. A way to relieve stress. My “me” time. Yoga helped me make some important decisions in my life. Yoga helped me become a better person.
Fast forward almost two years, my definition of yoga has evolved. Back in 2016, I was still defining yoga in my life as being a physical activity, even though the act of practicing yoga brought me a lot of mental benefits. At the time, I thought the more yoga classes I took, the happier, more well-rounded and spiritual person I’d become, but it wasn’t true. At least for me it wasn’t true. It took hiking over 1,800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail this year for me to become the best version of myself. Hiking the trail made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life. I definitely finished the trail a more well-rounded person. I had gotten in touch with my spirituality on trail like I’d never done before. So many times, I felt synched up mentally and physically with nature – my vibes, my instincts and even my moon cycle. I felt more comfortable just being on trail than I’ve ever felt in any town or city. No yoga class could ever have done the things hiking the PCT has done for me.
Over the last two years, I’ve learned the goal of yoga isn’t to take as many yoga classes or yoga teacher trainings as I can. It’s not about doing the postures perfectly. It’s not about standing on my head. Yoga isn’t even about becoming flexible. One of my favorite quotes says, “Yoga isn’t about learning how to stand on your head. It’s about learning how to stand on your own two feet.” For me, yoga is about creating space where I was once stuck. It’s about learning how to get out of my own way. Yoga is about breaking down the barriers I’ve built around my heart from years of self-hate, being in unhealthy relationships and having to live in survival mode. Yoga is also about learning how to appreciate and love my body. Yoga is about loving myself for the person I am, not the person I want to be.
For the technical types, yoga is defined in the dictionary as being, “A school of Hindu philosophy advocating and prescribing a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining liberation from the material world and union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.”
Facing my fears is my yoga. Setting and achieving goals is my yoga. Living outside of my comfort zone is my yoga. Allowing myself to follow my passions and giving myself permission to fall in love is my yoga. Taking a Bikram Yoga class is my yoga. Hiking is my yoga. Loving my friends and family is my yoga. Taking an Epsom Salt bath is my yoga. Anything I do mentally or physically to help get my head on straight is my yoga. This is why my blog continues to be Kathleen Loves Yoga and not Kathleen Loves Hiking or Camping or Wakeboarding or Stand-Up Paddleboarding or Traveling. To me, Yoga.Is.Everything.
*I’m not currently teaching yoga at this time. I’ve decided to focus on my own practice for awhile. For those of you who are interested, here’s a list of yoga training certifications I’ve earned.
CorePower Yoga – Hot Power Fusion | 200 Hours
Completed April 2016
Certified Yoga Instructor (RYT-200) with Yoga Alliance
Registered May 2016
CorePower Yoga – Extensions Program
Completed June 2016
WASUP Yoga – SUP Yoga Teacher Training | 25 Hours
Completed May 2016
Sealevel Hot Yoga – Bikram Yoga | 200 Hours
Completed November 2016
CorePower Yoga – Yoga Sculpt | 50 Hours
Completed April 2017
For business inquires, send me an email at: Kathleen@KathleenLovesYoga.com