Kathryn Gaye believes that diversity in practice is the key to enhanced movement, longevity and joy in life - mind, body and spirit! Her common sense approach allows her to integrate new ideas and movement patterns, enabling students of all levels to experience growth, with exploration and opportunities for healing.
About
From teaching Iyengar yoga for 25 years, to then certifying as a "Restore Your Core" teacher, Kathryn’s journey and evolution encompass a fresh take on mindful movements for health, increased awareness and functional strength and flexibility.
Before yoga, Kathryn started teaching fitness in 1990 as an Aerobic and Aquafit instructor, not long after, she added personal training to her repertoire.
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In 1994 She became a student of yoga (Iyengar and Kripalu) then chose to train in the Iyengar approach. Over the following years, she travelled and studied in India 6 times, received 4 levels of certification including intensive training in Therapeutic.
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After being diagnosed with glaucoma in 2015, she was strongly advised to discontinue the intense practice of inversions, deep back and forward bends. Back on the mat, Kathryn needed to find an approach to fitness that honoured her yoga lineage, but also respected her limitations. Her new direction became a more holistic practice of postures, meditation and mindfulness. Her focus is on the spine and joint movement, pelvic health and core stability for healthy aging. From here ‘Movement and Mindfulness yoga’ was born.
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Kathryn continues her studies, recognizing that lifestyle and habits play into the quality of our lives from both a mental and physical place. In our day to day life, repetitive patterns, diet, sleep, stress management and outlook all contribute to our wellbeing. As a curious movement explorer and health geek, Kathryn hopes to help her students find ways to manage and optimize functional movement with life’s on-going changes and challenges, to happily enjoy the privilege of healthy aging.
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Kathryn’s yoga journey has taken her to India many times, each for a month-long study trip to Pune at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI). She has also attended numerous conferences and workshops throughout Canada and the United States.
Kathryn served several years on the board of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada (IYAC) as the Ontario representative, and was an assessor for National certification. Training to become an Iyengar Yoga teacher generally takes between 3-5 years and attracts only deeply dedicated practitioners. This training, in combination with a certification process has been standardized across the globe. The result is consistency with developing exceptionally high caliber teachings.
Kathryn has immense gratitude for her teachers that contributed to her journey - BKS Iyengar, Geeta and Prashant Iyengar, Abhijata Iyengar, Raya, Marlene Mawhinney, Mahyar Raz, Shirley Daventry French, Patricia Walden, Francois Raoult, Father Joe Pereira, Gloria Goldberg, Ramanan Patel, Lois Steinberg, Faeq Biria, and Stephanie Quirk.
In addition to her general teaching certifications, she received the Intensive Yoga therapeutics certification
Certified as an RYC (Restore your Core) teacher, Kathryn can hone in on an approach that focuses not only on creating a strong functional spine and core, but on correcting issues such as postpartum concerns, bladder and prostate issues, and alleviating back/hip pain. Great thanks to Lauren O’Hayon the creator of RYC, for sharing her knowledge and insights.
Kathryn enjoys an active lifestyle. She loves hiking and the outdoors, traveling, meeting people (and dogs!), singing in a community choir and studying nutrition and cooking. Kathryn volunteered as a St John’s Ambulance therapy dog handler and also volunteered teaching chair yoga to patients at a spinal rehab hospital. She is committed to continuous learning, reflection and self-study, and sharing her wellness journey with her students.