About Kathy
Photo credit: The Advertiser, for Independent Lifestyle magazine
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My teaching style
I teach gentle yoga with a focus on stress management and relaxation. My classes also include a ‘building strength’ component so that students can develop and broaden their practice. Most sessions I also introduce what I call a ‘challenging pose’ which adds an enjoyable aspect to the class. For example, my students love the Eagle Pose (I teach it like an eagle taking flight) - they can also take this pose home to share with their kids or grandchildren. I offer several options within each pose, so they're not too hard for new students, and at the same time this ensures that more experienced students don’t grow bored. My personal yoga and meditation journey I first came to yoga when I was a stressed PhD student, struggling with a constant stream of anxiety-provoking mental chatter. I turned to yoga as a therapy and found that the best part of the yoga class for me was actually the guided relaxation at the end. This provided a much-needed rest for my mind, a calm space at last, where anxieties about my PhD quietened and my stress dissolved. I was soon hooked on yoga and my life hummed along (I also finished the work). Ten years later, I wanted to deepen my practice and learn more about yoga philosophy, so I decided to become a yoga teacher. I trained at Gita International in Melbourne in 1999, which was the first full-time yoga school established in Australia, opening its doors in Melbourne in 1954. I was introduced to meditation as part of my Yoga Teacher training course at Gita. Later I decided to learn more, and completed a Mindfulness Meditation Course at the Gawler Centre in Victoria. About Dru meditation Nine years ago, when I moved back to Adelaide from Melbourne, I was searching for a yoga class to attend and found a Dru meditation class. From the first class it felt extra special, so I undertook the Dru Meditation Teacher Training. Like several other forms of meditation, Dru meditation incorporates breath and body awareness. However, the rest of a Dru meditation class is quite different, beginning with preparatory work to relax the body and mind before meditation. Activations (limbering and warming up exercises) are followed by gentle yoga with special sequences designed to release blocked energy from the body. Next comes a guided relaxation and finally, meditation. The whole of idea of Dru meditation is to be comfortable – you don’t have to sit in a cross-legged position on the floor if it is uncomfortable – sitting in a chair is absolutely fine. |
Qualifications
- Gita Gold Diploma of Teaching Hatha Yoga (over 900 hours)
- Registered Level 2 Yoga Teacher with Yoga Australia
- Gita Yoga Progressive Relaxation Teacher
- YogaEd Children’s Yoga Teacher
- Mindfulness Meditation Teacher – Gawler Centre
- Restorative Yoga Teacher – Judith Hanson Lasater, Relax and Renew Teacher Training
- Pelvic Revolution, Yoga Teacher Training
- Shine – Pelvic Health Training
- Dru Meditation Teacher Training
- IYTA, Yin Yoga
- First Aid and Mental Health First Aid
- Svastha Yoga Therapy Program – Yoga psychology for Well-being, Management of Stress, Anxiety.
- Associate Professor at Flinders University (Full Academic Status) College of Medicine and Public Health
- Mindfulness Life Skills Tutor for the Paramedic Course at Flinders University.
