by Kara-Leah Grant
It’s such a pleasure to introduce our first Auckland yoga teacher, Katy Carter.
1. What style of yoga do you practice and where do you teach?
I practice both astanga (mysore style) and dynamic hatha. Primarily I teach dynamic hatha (open level). You can find out more about the classes I teach on my website here.
2. How did you come to yoga?
I’ve always been a keen gym-goer, but I had always wanted to try yoga, and one day, a work colleague and I got up the courage to go to a class.
I thought you had to be flexible to do it, which I always believed I wasn’t!. From the first class I was hooked.
It made me feel incredible – mentally, physically, emotionally. Being able to do a headstand in the first week made me let go of so much fear – after that I felt I could try anything!
It has taken me literally years to undo the tight hips and hamstrings that years of gym and cycling work created, but slowly, slowly….
3. When did the yoga bug really get you?
I’ve been practicing now for almost 13 years, but it has really been in the last five or so years that I have been totally devoted to practicing Yoga.
I have practiced Astanga, Iyengar, Hatha, Shadow and Yin Yoga.
When I got to going 5 or 6 times a week to classes, and doing wonderful inspiring workshops with internationally renowned teachers, I realised I wanted to take my yoga further. So I applied for teacher training, both to deepen my own practice and see how I could share this wonderful gift and teach yoga.
4. How has yoga transformed your life?
In so many ways…. yoga has taught me many lessons, and so many ways to deal with what life throws at you. It has been my rock. My way to get back to myself. To just be.
5. What is your home practice like?
I vary my home practice depending on what my body (or my soul) needs. I usually do at least 1.5 hr asana practice, which will be quite dynamic, sometimes I will vary it with a yin practice, and I like to include pranayama and meditation. I’d love to make the time to meditate more often!
6. When people ask you, “What is Yoga?”, what do you say?
I say that yoga is the art and science of living.
7. What can people expect from one of your classes?
My teaching draws on different styles, focusing on the synchronisation of breath and movement, emphasizing correct alignment, to create a strong, dynamic, flowing class.
I offer different options throughout, catering for all levels, but especially for beginners, emphasizing a non-competitive approach, with a sense of humour and fun. I encourages students to honour their own level, fostering an attitude of acceptance and compassion towards themselves, and building an awareness of their own unique body.
8. What do you love most about teaching yoga?
Bringing a sense of peace and space to people’s lives.
We throw ourselves from pillar to post in our daily life, punishing ourselves that we haven’t done enough, worked out enough, are not good enough…
I love at the end of a class to see students’ faces and know that they feel wholly better within and without.
9. What do you wish everybody knew about yoga?
That anyone can do it.
10. What role do you see yoga playing in our world?
It interests me enormously, having lived in London for the past 15 years, to see how the more stressful, time poor, and technologically advanced our lives become, the more people turn to yoga and meditation.
I see it as a grounding and deeply humanising force, which connects us back to the rest of the universe.
We can only hope to teach by example: the more people practicing yoga, the better this world will be for all beings.
11. Anything else you’d like to say?
I’d like to see the yoga community in NZ grow and connect with each other and flourish. We need to put aside our judgments and differences and accept the many and various forms of yoga practices that exist. That can only benefit us all.
12.And finally, how do people find you?
You can check out my website here.
Hi –
I was in Auckland over the holidays and went into the We’ar Shop in Cross St. IT WAS SO COOL! I did one circuit of the shop and announced to my partner “I think I’ll try on one of everything” and then proceeded to do just that! I love this brand. I could actually find things to fit me which is a struggle in NZ when you’re size 6-8. And not only did they fit me, they were flattering!! The woman working in the shop (alas, not Katy herself that day) was so helpful and friendly. The only difficult part of the experience was choosing what to buy and what to leave behind. My budget could have been seriously stretched and all thoughts of non-hoarding banished if I had bought everything I wanted to.
A big thanks to Katy for her range of fantastic yoga-to-street gear! Maybe next time I’m in Auckland hopefully I can experience a class with Katy. They sound fantastic! 🙂
Namaste,
K
Hey Kelly,
I’m jealous! It is always nicer buying from a real store… might be worth a trip to Auckland just to hit We’ar 🙂
Blessings,
KL
Hey Kelly,
that was me – Katy – in the shop when you came in! I don’t actually design the clothes – they are the genius of Jyoti Morningstar, who runs We’ar, but I take great pleasure in working with such a great product, in a gorgeous store, and within the yoga community. Come on all you Welling-yoga-tonians, come up, check us out and stock up! We’d love to see you.
Namaste
Katy