Kathryn Budig wanted to be an actress but ended up becoming a yoga teacher instead – and we’re so glad she did. She’s a young fresh face with an equally fresh outlook on life, yoga and spirituality. If you’re someone who feels that yoga is too serious or boring, take a class from Kathryn and you’ll never look back. She is not only a fabulous yoga teacher with a best-selling yoga DVD, she is also an accomplished writer. Check out her contributions to The Huffington Post, Yoga Journal, MindBodyGreen and Women’s Health Magazine. We are very much looking forward to practicing with her at this summer’s San Diego Yoga Journal Conference. yourBuddhi sat down with Kathryn to talk yoga, spirituality and good food:
How did yoga make it’s way into your life and what made you want to start teaching?
I found yoga in college. It started out with a few classes at the school gym and then evolved into taking classes at the Ashtanga studio downtown, where I fell madly in love with it. I had been in theatre since I was a little girl, so I knew I wanted to graduate and move to NYC or LA to give a go at acting. I chose LA after talking to my teacher about doing a yoga teacher training and she told me I had to go to Santa Monica to train at Yogaworks with Maty Ezraty. Next thing you know, I love teaching yoga and am not so hot on the acting scene. It was a bit of an accidental career but I am so grateful it panned out that way!
You have a very light-hearted approach to teaching yoga, yet you still integrate deep and rich concepts into your teaching. What are your thoughts on how yoga doesn’t have to be serious to be spiritual or life-changing?
I think yoga can be incredibly spiritual, but that spirituality doesn’t always need to be so serious. Many teachers treat spirituality as an untouchable and sacred thing. I view spirituality as a strong connection to love and joy. I want to make people remember the power of smiling and choosing to live life full of love and adventure.
You write a lot about healthy eating and your love of delicious food. Do you feel healthy eating and consistent yoga practice can have a positive and powerful impact on our health?
I am quite the foodie and love experiencing different cuisines and restaurants around the world. But what it boils down to is eating organic, non-processed food. A regular yoga practice makes us feel stronger and lighter which directly affects how we choose to fuel our bodies. It also sharpens our awareness which hopefully leads us to want local, organic food.
The power of intention is a concept you often weave into your teaching. How did this become an integral part of your practice and what is one of the intentions to which you consistently return?
I focus on the power of intention because it IS powerful. My life always flourishes when I focus on what I want and love versus what scares me and holds me back. I constantly ask myself for patience, trust and the ability to break past my limitations. It allows me to see the world and step out of my comfort zone to love and live big.
We are really looking forward to your workshops at the San Diego Yoga Journal Conference in July. Give us a rundown of the topics you’ll be covering and when you are teaching.
I’ll be teaching Aim True which is my favorite workshop at the moment. I open the class with an hour talk breaking down what Aim True is to me and how it can help us find our path. We then dive into a flow practice tackling our fears and feeling empowered.
Spice Up Your Practice is exactly that—we’re having fun! This is geared towards all who wants to bring joy and excitement back into their practice.
Find A Comfortable Seat focuses on the hips so we can release emotional and physical build up through yin and yang postures. This workshop is delicious and I always feel better after.
Check out Kathryn at the San Diego Yoga Journal Conference on July 12-16. She also has a retreat coming up in Santorini, Greece and her book The Big Book of Yoga through Women’s Health Magazine comes out on October 30th.
The awesome photo of Kathryn was taken by the great Robert Sturman. Check out his website for more of his amazing work.
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