Authenticity is everything when it comes to Yoga and nobody lives her Yoga more than one of BodyMindLife’s fabulous Teacher Trainers, Kat Clayton.
Kat teaches with her ‘heart wide open’. She nurtures, supports and inspires her students to experience true Yoga, both on and off the mat.
Here Kat reflects on the connections she’s made during her own yoga journey…& reveals why hanging with your parents is the true path to transformation!
Many people know the definition of yoga as “union” or to “yoke” together. Indeed, it brings together so many aspects, the yin and the yang, effort and ease, striving and acceptance, attention of the mind to the breath, present moment and happenings of the body, mind and spirit, union of the the individual and the collective.
There is something truly unique and blissful that happens in that state of union.
We all connect in a different way. To me it feels like joining in the flow of something greater than yourself, greater clarity in mind and body, meeting of the soul, connecting with my people, coming home.
Every single yoga retreat, teacher training or workshop I’ve ever done has not only taught me more about my yoga practice, but what has most blown me away has been the incredible souls I’ve met.
After sweating together your hearts and minds are wide open. Yoga somehow puts us in a more open receptive space, and when we meet ourselves and the world from this space, a different kind of connection happens.
According to Yogapedia…
“Kula is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as “community,” “clan” or “tribe. This kula, or community, of yogis is considered sacred because it is a group of people who come together freely, with intention and a shared sense of purpose.”
It’s a unique place where more than just bodies come together (as in a group of people standing together in the lift with the same common purpose – going up!), also hearts come together to help heal, support, encourage, inspire one another.
Considering how we connect to each other as innately social beings in order to thrive and survive, it’s no wonder that in Patanjali’s classic 8 Limbs of Yoga, the first two limbs are how we act towards ourselves and others.
During the Teacher Training we often joke with students and say, if you really want to practice yoga… try spending time at the relatives house for the holidays!
In this way, the traditional idea of yoga as a personal and individual practice can be expanded to include more social aspects and experiences of connection with others as well as the self. In many ways, studying on a Yoga Teacher Training course is one of the greatest life changing experiences you will ever embark upon.
The bond you share with the people who will go on that journey with you is quite remarkable! Not only as a social network, but you also join with the “Tribe” of Yogis that transcends studio, practice style, and country who have all gone through similar journeys on their path of yoga.
I’m eternally grateful for stumbling into this practice, for the many doors and opportunities it’s given me. When I packed my bags and flew over to Australia to dive deeper into teacher training and learn more about this incredible practice, I never expected it would become not only my career but my “place in the world”.
Now here I am….10 years later, practicing and teaching at BodyMindLife. I still feel so connected to my purpose being a part of this community, this industry, this studio, Australia, Sydney…Yoga.
I realise yoga has always been instrumental in calling me “home”. It’s also inspiring to know when you have the courage, dedication, and energy to follow your true calling, it also lights the way for others to do the same.
Kat Clayton is a Yoga Teacher and Teacher Trainer at BodyMindLife.
To learn more about their life changing qualifications and professional development opportunities, visit the Yoga Teacher Training page.