Palm Harbor Local
Welcome to Palm Harbor Local—where we celebrate the heart and soul of our community by sharing the stories of the incredible small businesses that make Palm Harbor thrive.
Hosted by Donnie Hathaway, a Florida native, real estate expert, and passionate community builder, this podcast is all about Building Community—connecting people, businesses, and ideas that shape our town.
Each episode, we sit down with local entrepreneurs, business owners, and changemakers to dive into their journeys—the dreams that sparked their businesses, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the impact they’re making. From brand-new startups to long-standing local favorites, we uncover what makes these businesses special and why they matter to the community.
Whether you're a fellow entrepreneur, a proud Palm Harbor resident, or someone who just loves supporting local, this podcast is your inside look at the passion, dedication, and creativity fueling our local economy.
Because strong businesses build strong communities.
Join us as we shine a light on the people behind the businesses, share valuable insights, and inspire you to engage, support, and grow alongside your community.
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Palm Harbor Local
Journey to Wellness Through Resilience and Yoga
Katrin Elia joins us for a heartfelt conversation about her transformative journey in moving Katrin Elia Yoga from bustling Philadelphia to the serene community of Palm Harbor, Florida. Grappling with the challenges posed by the pandemic, she made a bold leap guided by her intuition and a deep connection to her late mother. This episode promises to enlighten you on her specialized yoga offerings like yin yoga, alignment yoga, and Ayurvedic consultations, each designed to foster personal health and well-being. Katrine’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and the power of trusting one's instincts.
Get ready to expand your understanding of yoga therapy with insights into the pioneering work of B.K.S. Iyengar, whose innovative use of props has helped countless individuals manage physical and mental challenges. We also delve into the origins of Yin yoga with Paulie Zink and explore its unique benefits for flexibility and connective tissue health. Katrin shares her personal journey from skepticism to appreciation for Yin yoga, emphasizing the importance of regular practice to maintain overall well-being and enhance your yoga experience regardless of age.
Finally, we dive into the rich world of Ayurveda and its integration into yoga practice as Katrin recounts her transformative experiences in Mexico. Her insights into personalized yoga instruction advocate for a tailored approach that meets the needs of every individual, from children to adults. Discover how Katrine’s innovative teaching methods, including hybrid classes and community collaborations, make yoga accessible and engaging for everyone. This episode is a testament to Katrin's dedication to fostering wellness and her unwavering commitment to bringing the benefits of yoga to all ages.
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Welcome to Palm Harbor Local, where we bring you inspiring stories from the heart of our community. I'm your host, donnie Hathaway, and today we are joined by Katrine Elia. She is the owner and founder of Katrine Elia Yoga, right here in beautiful Palm Harbor. Now our show is all about celebrating those who have put in the sweats, overcome the hurdles and still find time to give back to the community. If you want to be inspired by how they got started, what keeps them going and what they're doing to make Palm Harbor even more awesome, you're in the right place. In today's episode, you'll learn how Katrin was introduced to yoga, how she survived COVID and moved her business and life to Florida, and then the benefits of yoga for your personal health. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at palmharborlocal for behind the scenes content and join our weekly newsletter at palmharborlocalcom for all things happening in Palm Harbor. Let's get started, katrine. Welcome to the podcast. Welcome to Palm Harbor Local.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I'm very glad to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm excited to chat with you and kind of learn more about your business and kind of you know what brought you here too. I think that that's an interesting conversation we had previously talked about, but let's start with your business now. You have a yoga studio in Palm Harbor, but you also do stuff online, so tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:So I took my studio in 2022 from Philadelphia to Palm Harbor, so I opened this studio here in January 2023. And I had a studio in Philadelphia for over 10 years before over 10 years before and so my studio has two parts. It's yoga to certain styles I teach these days. One is yin yoga and the other one is alignment yoga, slash ayanga yoga, and the other part is offering Ayurvedic consultations. So Ayurveda is a five-year-old, probably the oldest healing system in the world, 5,000 years old and I would call it the mother of yoga. The mother of yoga, the mother of meditation, the mother of breathing exercises. So it's all a part, it's all a package of that, right? So that's what I offer. So the reason why I came here is Philadelphia through the COVID time got a little difficult for me, sure.
Speaker 1:As a business owner.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as a business owner, there were a lot I mean a lot of restrictions compared to Florida. I know people here in Florida they're kind of, oh, we have a lot of restrictions, no, no, no, no. So the East Coast higher up, like New York, philadelphia, they had, through the COVID time, a long, you know kind of restriction time, yeah, and so what happened was, when it all started, that you know, students didn't want to come anymore and even though I wanted to stick it through, but they didn't, so and that actually, you know, was a big problem for many of my competitors. So they're many, many close, you know, one after another.
Speaker 2:It was hard to watch, and so I, you know, shortened certain things. I, you know, didn't have the cleaning lady and didn't have this, and I didn't have the swiping machine, and so I made it work just also using my own money, and yeah, and it got. This whole situation got too much for me. So I decided you know also, the sunshine in Florida is great. Sun is one of our biggest healers. A lot of people don't know that Doesn't mean sunburn, but protected, not meaning using a lot of sun protection, that's a different story. But you know, I thought it was also time to do something else, and start it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what made you choose this, this part of ford?
Speaker 2:well, I was here many, many times before I'm in this area, so I I was familiar and I'm also, um, love golf and um, so, playing golf, um, at the dunedin golf club. You know, one day, you know, I saw a sign and my mom just died, actually right before, and I thought she's guiding me. Somehow sounds very weird, but it's kind of that's how I felt. And then, um, you know, one step was going, you know, after another, and so we, we bought that house and so we're, you know, combining now golf and living, and you know the yoga is also a big part.
Speaker 1:You know, yoga for golf is always good for all sport, you know, so, um, so, and that's kind of what brought us here so you, you mentioned this, um, we talked about this before, right, but something you just said brought it up again you're like following your intuition, like that's something that you, you are, you know, like you said, we talked about it, you brought that before. Like that's something that you are, you know, like you said, we talked about it, you brought that up before. Like that's something you feel strongly about. How do you, how do you follow your intuition? Because I think it's hard sometimes to you know, you kind of get caught up in the rat race or the busyness of life and you have a family and kids and work and that sort of stuff, and how do you take time to like recognize those, those moments when you're like, oh, this is a sign it's really not that hard.
Speaker 2:People think it's harder. It's, first of all, it's your gut feeling. People you know sometimes say gut feeling, my gut feeling said, and that's actually your intuition. So you, you feel it um, like like the story with the house. You, I knew this is where I'm supposed to go and it's just. You just have to be open. You're open-minded, you people you know, and sometimes people want to talk themselves out of things or this is doesn't make any sense, so that when you just say that you know, you already know this, this is actually where you go.
Speaker 2:Or my good example is you know, when you apply for something right and you're trying it, and you're trying it, trying it doesn't work, it means you know that's not for you, right. Or my old story was when I started to get into the yoga, because I had the worst boss in my life in New York City as a curator for visual arts, contemporary art, and so she actually I have to thank her these days, but when I was in this situation I wasn't, so I got kind of pushed into yoga through her because I was instable. And afterwards when I decided to leave, and afterwards when I decided to leave, and so you know, after my first yoga teacher training in Vinyasa, which I'm not really teaching these days I could, but I'm not, and so I applied and applied, you know, like for a yoga class somewhere in a fitness club or in the church you know they did that or in Philadelphia was like rowing is big there, you know, yoga class somewhere in a fitness club or in the church, you know they did that.
Speaker 2:Or in Philadelphia was like rowing is big there, you know, and all the doors opened. So for me that is a clear sign right, just go right. So it's really not that hard. You know people. I think put all these reasons why oh, I'm too old, right. Or yeah, or I'm, you know, I don't have enough money or whatever, so it's always like I can't do this, and the moment you say that, you're already closing the door, so it's, it's just um.
Speaker 1:The gut feeling is actually the intuition yeah, and so to me it sounds like it's like really the key is like having an open mind and being able to accept like whatever comes your way. Almost Right.
Speaker 2:And not being afraid, right, right. So I think that's where people say, oh, I can't do that. Oh, you did that, I could never do this. That's another saying yeah and it's like, yes, you could, right. So you just have to put your mind to it and just don't be afraid, just do it. And so most of the time it's, you know, you have to. When you look back right then you see, oh, yeah, I was right.
Speaker 2:When you're in something you probably don't, there's too many other things and, yes, there's a lot of stress, even moving. You know, doing that big step. I came from Europe, as people probably can hear, you know, for 26 years ago, from Germany, and, yeah, that was a big step. You know, you would never think that because, culturally, you know, I thought it was a big step. I never thought that, but it was, yeah, would I do it again? Sure, I'd do it again. I think I want to go somewhere where I really don't understand, like Asia, and we'll live there, because this is like a big then you know because, you don't know the language, you don't the culture, so all that so, but it's, it's a it's, it's a chance to do something else with your life.
Speaker 1:You know, just you know doing the same thing and talking yourself out well, I think, I think too like we get caught up, maybe here in america too, more so so than other parts of the world, but you get caught up in like this is the way it's supposed to be. I, you know, I go to school, I get a degree, I get a job, work my job and, you know, live in one place, whatever. Don't move around, don't try new things and and like to take a step back and be like you can do whatever you want, right?
Speaker 2:It doesn't have't have to be, but just it doesn't have to be like what society believes it should be right, create your own path good practice also to find your intuition is just close your eyes right and then ask the question like, shall I go to palm harbor, florida? Then, whatever comes to your mind first, that's what you do. There's your intuition. So it's a very simple thing. You just have to, you know, ask that question and you know, and not talking yourself up yeah, it's something I've been like more aware of the last couple years.
Speaker 1:But, you know, if I have an idea that comes up or um, you know, maybe there's an opportunity to talk to somebody or I should reach out to somebody, like, I'll, I'll do that, even if I don't know, like where it's going to lead or what what it's going to be. I'm like, hey, I just wanted to reach out, say hello, whatever whatever it is, you know. So, all right, let's, let's, let's talk about your, the yoga that you teach, right in yoga. And then what was the other one you teach?
Speaker 2:um, I call it alignment yoga. Well, it's a yenga yoga. A yenga yoga is, I would call it, the queen of yoga.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, so, people who don't know that, so Mr Iyengar, who I think made it to 95 years old and still did his heavy duty practice every morning, he is the inventor of the yoga blocks, of the straps, of the blankets, so all the yoga tools, not the yoga mat, that's a different story. But so I think the yoga mat was invented by a German guy and then somebody took the pattern away, stole the pattern to something. Something was rubber, it was a rubber thing, and he was like producing rubber or something like that Interesting story. And then somebody else took the you know the idea away. But in India they normally use a, a blanket.
Speaker 2:I don't know if they do it these days, but you know, okay, yeah, several years ago, so, um, so, and mr yanga is actually more yoga therapy, I would say so he was able to, um, you know people with a lot of issues, physically, but mentally too, you know, to help, not to fix it, but to make it so, maybe also sometimes to fix things but to make it so that they can live with that. So yoga can heal certain things. So yoga is not just a fitness exercise. It can be, but it's a half-off event, right? So yoga can help with stress and depression and with high blood pressure and with circulation issues. And recently I had a woman terrible stories. I helped her a little bit with her issue of a prolapsed pelvis. So I mean there's so many things. If you want to look at yoga as a lifestyle and yoga therapy, so that's what I really do. You know, I like to think about myself as yoga therapy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and yin yoga? What is that practice like?
Speaker 2:Yin yoga is a practice. It's not that old. It's from, I think, in 1974 or something, from a guy, paulie Zink. He started out or one of the jobs he had was an auto mechanic and he's this very tiny guy who is very bendy. He's almost like he could actually, if he would be younger, work in a Chinese circus because he's really flexible, and so he was working as an auto mechanic in these big trucks and he was sitting, you know, sometimes in these certain poses and then became later, in some of the yin poses you know, to work on this wrench and you know working on things. So just very interesting.
Speaker 2:So also there was an issue later on who has the right, you know, to call themselves? You know I'm the father of yin yoga, but he's the father of yin yoga and yin yoga is the opposite of all the yogas we know. So in Florida most of the people know only hot yoga in hot Florida, which I always have to smile about, but ayurvedically thinking. But it is the opposite of all the yogas because it's mostly on the floor. Yin yoga poses. We have, like I maybe teach, not more than 34 poses in total. That's not a lot, working the stretching and stressing the connective tissue.
Speaker 2:So the reason why we should do this is to stay flexible and become flexible. So this is really great for people that you know work out crazily, you know on bikes and running and I don't know what I you know I taught yin yoga a lot, you know like athletes, you know you're at basketball, you know they got a big scholarship at universities, so stuff like that. But it's for everybody, it's for all ages, you know. But it's important in all the yogas you do. It's the regular practice, right. So it's kind of the anti-aging, you know. So that's what we all want. We want to be flexible, we want to walk around when we're 85, right, we don't want to sit in a wheelchair. The life is half over. So that's kind of where this goes. So it's it's. It's an interesting practice. Like I said, it's mostly on the floor, um, and be holding poses for quite some time how long?
Speaker 2:um between three and five minutes um regularly, but I had a class that always begged me. Let's do seven, seven, seven, so um, I think it's also drink, right, 7-7 whatever, and the old folks know that, and so it's like between 3 and 5 minutes, not always comfortable yeah so that's also interesting, not always comfortable yeah, what.
Speaker 1:What made you decide on on those two styles of yoga? Is that way, kind of you were taught or you kind of just tried a bunch of them and you're like, oh, that's what resonates with me, I have many um yoga teacher um certificates.
Speaker 2:I started on vinyasa and that teacher I picked was very difficult, which I like, because he always pushed me to my edge, which is also good for me, otherwise I get bored and so he always taught yin yoga. And I think and that's not true there was another woman before that, before I did my first teacher training. She actually put the seed in my mind about yin yoga and um so over the years, for some reason, it was always, you know, on my side and um when I was done with my first teacher training um the bigger one, 200 hours or something um, I was offered um two classes, and one was a yin class, y yin yoga class, and I'm like okay.
Speaker 2:So I teach that that studio. So when I started yin yoga, I hated it, but what I always noticed afterwards I felt great. So when you're in these poses, as I said earlier, it's not always so comfortable because also your mind gets very agitated and it depends what kind of element your dosha is, ayurvedically speaking. So you know, a person who has high fire is probably very annoyed, right. So high fire people are very often these very good sports people, right, and so you're very annoyed, your mind goes like crazy. So what do you do, right? So that's very difficult sometimes, you know. So that's why I think I kind of got again. It was the past, you know, and you know, I know over the years. You know I think yin yoga is not an easy sell. People really get into it, yes, and people stay with it, but for some reason it worked the way I was teaching, uh, people liked it.
Speaker 2:so you know, so I have a, even on online these days a lot of people from pennsylvania or um in covid. We have to switch over if you want to survive. Right zoom came along yeah and so, um, I still have, uh, hybrid classes where I have, um, you know, people from pennsylvania or omaha, I have somebody. Or from europe, um, some from more southern florida. I mean, this is great. So in a way, we kind of all connect. It's like keep my yoga crew.
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Speaker 2:So when I started Zoom, right when we had all this COVID stuff and restrictions, and my husband said you have to go online to save your studio, and I'm like I hate it, I don't want to do online. So in a week I got this going. Um, you know, I come from the visual arts, so I, you know, in terms of setting it up with lights and and sound and all that, um, because it makes a difference that you can be seen online. And, yes, zoom was brand new. You know, a student recommended it.
Speaker 2:Um, I had something else conference call or something you really didn't work out. You know it, a student recommended it. I had something else conference call or something it really didn't work out. You know, it broke in the middle of the class and everything was like black. And so, anyway, yeah, because I was somebody who was always believing, like you know, if you're not in class with somebody, you can't learn yoga, right, and I I disagree with that these days because if, if you go to a yoga teacher who, um, actually tells you and gives you corrections, um, yes, you can do it online.
Speaker 1:So I think I'm a good proof for that so you're actually um, it's not just like I mean, I've seen a lot of stuff on with youtube, right like you can get yoga classes and stuff on YouTube, but they're just walking you through, they're not like actually coaching you or whatever, but in this scenario you are, you see them as well and you're correcting them. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I give corrections, like somebody I know maybe has a replacement in the knee or something. They say, no, don't do this pose and do this pose because of your knee. So or something say no, don't do this pose and do this pose because of your knee. So it is really pretty alive, you know. So it depends also on the teacher. If you never correct it, well, you do your thing like you know, like a tape, yeah. So you start and you close up, but you never give corrections. But I think it is possible on Zoom.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's not a bad tool. I had to change my you know, you know opinion about this yeah, accept the technology or embrace the technology, yeah, yeah so it's, it works yeah.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about like the like, a little bit more about the ayurveda. I say that are you? Are you a veda? Are you a veda are? You veda um, that is an old medicine, is that how you would describe it?
Speaker 2:It's a 5,000-year-old healing system. Healing system. It's probably the oldest in the world. The Western medicine never talks about it. I don't think they have a lot of understanding. They should. We should partner, particularly after cancer treatments. Great Ayurveda, the translation, is the knowledge of life. So we're using nature to heal ourselves. I think it's the healer. It's fantastic. I heal my husband and myself for many years, so we hardly go to a physician. It really works.
Speaker 1:How did you get into that and why did you bring that into your business as well?
Speaker 2:So, again, pass right, intuition. So I had my first really yoga teacher, my first teacher training. That guy who taught me vinyasa taught me many, many other things, and it was also Ayurveda, little things, okay. So, like you know, like mama points, which is like the acupressure point, what we maybe know from the Chinese, traditional Chinese medicine, so we have also a system like that. It's called Mama Point. So he integrated that in the teaching and I always thought, hmm, that's interesting, or there's a certain color of the day. You know, if you really get into this whole thing I'm not doing this, today would be purple, I think, but Friday. But you can use color therapy. You know, you can wear T-shirts or you can wear a certain gem. All that makes a difference.
Speaker 1:Changes your energy and you wear a color for each day of the week to the planets, yeah Right.
Speaker 2:So he had that always involved in his classes and so I found that fantastic and I think, look, I believe in you know past life Okay, not because I do yoga, because for me there's a lot of you know things there that kind of make me understand there was something else. So we believe, then, that the reason why certain things are easy to you, that come to you easily, right, that there was maybe something in your past life in a certain way. So for me, when I learned a little bit more Ayurveda you know, I think my first Ayurvedic healing and I was not even trained was on myself, when I went on a trip to Mexico and I was in a super hotel and I ate only there and, you know, was very careful not to eat stuff on the street because you can get Montezuma's revenge very fast. And so I came back and I didn't have Montezuma's revenge or all that, but I had like too much acid in my system. So I don't, I wasn't sure if that was from the trip, maybe, yes, I don't know. So I went to my physician and he didn't listen and he gave me only seven minutes anyway, and so he gave me acid reflex pills. So I had one and two and I had side effects and I threw them out. So I'm like this is not acid reflex, I have too much acid in my system. I don't know what that is. I know what it is these days.
Speaker 2:So I started to look online and with my little Ayurvedic knowledge I figured out certain things I just have to eliminate out of my food plan, so like not few oranges or tomatoes or tart apples, or, you know, there's a vinegar. So I did that for a while and went, went away so, and that kind of was a little bit the first key. And then I went to an Ayurvedic practitioner myself and you know, everybody has something. I maybe had some skin issues or whatever, and I was curious to see how, what they do. And so I came with a few things and so I was like miss, what, what that is like, and I think that was kind of, you know, for me already a set stone. And then the next thing was that another person I knew, another yoga teacher, who was also an Ayurvedic practitioner. He says, hey, there's a course, are you interested in it? And that's how it went and I thought, okay, you know, so I go along with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you had some exposure to it. Yeah, had some positive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and when I started studying it, it was so easy for me to understand. I'm like I mean, it wasn't a lot of effort for me to understand. I'm like I mean, it didn't wasn't a lot of effort for me, and I'm like, okay, well, this was probably meant to be so and I think that's how it went, and this influenced my yoga teaching a lot. So I was teaching in the beginning, you know, really big classes way before covid, um, in studio classes, um, I think my biggest class was once which is ridiculous, like 35 people. You know you don't get anything out of it if you go to a class like this. Okay, as a student, I think, yeah, and so you know, for me that kind of changed the whole outlook on. You know, not, first of all, not everything body one fits all doesn't work, also in yoga, right? So? And so that got me also a little bit more to um, not uh, more to quality than quantity. You cannot work with somebody really on something if you have like 35 people there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, and that was my concept also in Philadelphia, so you know, I had smaller classes. I think my biggest class there was 14 people. Okay, which was fine. It's almost too much. I like eight people. That's a good, good group. Okay, because then everybody gets something out of this.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right. So, and that's how Ayurveda influenced me a lot, and the way I teach and the way I approach things in my classes is often like eye yoga. I could never have heard about this. It's yoga for eyes. There is breathing exercises.
Speaker 1:How many different types of yoga are there?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a good question. I mean, there is ayanga yoga, there is ashtanga yoga, there is yin yoga, which is, you know, the non, almost like the not yoga. There is anusara yoga, which had a problem recently, a few years ago, with a guy who was like the head guy you know abuse.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, yeah, yeah. Then also Bikram Yoga had a big problem. I don't know if you ever heard about it. He had to leave the country. Big problems with abuse, student abuse, got what else is there? Good question, probably, like I would say. Then there's Hatha Yoga is also like, yeah well, gentle yoga. There is Bhakti yoga, which is a totally different direction. Then there's Kundalini yoga. I mean maybe eight, nine, ten things. I mean there's a lot.
Speaker 1:And can anyone like? Can you just create your own yoga style, right?
Speaker 2:And if it catches on like that, is that how these, these new, like yin yoga was created, or whatever you know, I mean, I probably do my own style, because even my yin yoga has, um you know, elements of alignment, yeah, which a lot of people imagine like all teachers kind of have like well, if you're serious, yeah, right, I mean you have if you, if, if you do it for a long time, you know what you teach has a lot to do with you.
Speaker 2:So I'm pretty good with lower back stuff, for instance, because you know I have a low doses, like you know, like you could put a tray when I was a kid on my back Right. So that's why I went into classical dance for 30 years. My mother thought I need more posture. However, you know this is a very weak area for me. Okay, so that's why I learned so much about how can yoga help with lower back issues. Now, there's many lower back reasons I mean issues why people have that. So I think I know a lot about this because of myself. And I'm really good with standing stuff because I'm coming from classical dance.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So I mean, everybody has like a preference. You know, some people are good in I don't know inversions. I mean I can teach the classical inversions. But there are people that are fantastic. You know they're really good, but they're maybe terrible with standing stuff or forward extensions. You know so. So I think you can form your own style. But you know there's also, as my first teacher said, don't try to invent the wheel. So you know, it's only so much you know. You know, but you teach what you teach, is you Right? You know. So I think that's you know, it's your style.
Speaker 1:Sure Sure. What about like for children? Like is there a certain age where they shouldn't be doing yoga? Or like if they can do it, you know, go for it.
Speaker 2:You know, I mean it should be a toddler. I think that's the problem, even though it it's. Sometimes, you know, there's um baby and mom yoga or something yeah, and then but laying there.
Speaker 2:You know, it's kind of the mom does something in the baby. I saw that once. I thought okay, well, um, but yeah, no, I think you know when they're I. I had to teach you once um a child a children's class, for somebody had to kind of jump in. She was stuck in california and she asked me oh, I'm you, you know, start my class now. You know, can you help me on? I said okay, but I'm really I don't have any background. It was fun to see. I was thinking, all these different kids, you know age from six to 12, I think was in that particular they would be all flexible.
Speaker 1:You know, whatever I do, they're flexible.
Speaker 2:And they would be all flexible. You know, whatever I do, they're flexible and they're not. No, they're not. And I thought, wow that's interesting, oh really.
Speaker 2:No, some were, some weren't, and so it was just an interesting experience to see, you know, and the energies you know. So it's like they're bouncy. And I had to teach once I gave a free class in in school. I was asked yeah, in a not very good neighborhood in Philadelphia, and I was more afraid that my wheels are still on the car that they were, and you saw the metal bars on the school. Yeah, I mean it was ugh, this is, but it was. It was an interesting class. So, you know, every time I put the, you know there were kids like they were very hyper, hyper, and every time I said downward facing dog, oh, and downward facing dog, they were all calm and that was great, it was great to see it. For me, a good experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, so we, we did. We've started with our kids. So I have two daughters, almost five and three now, so they're young, okay, but our oldest is, I mean, they're both pretty flexible, um, so maybe it like as they get a little older, I think that's when, like the, when things start to tighten up a little bit.
Speaker 2:Five is a great age. Five, six is good. I think it's a good start. It depends on the kid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the youngest one. She doesn't do much.
Speaker 2:But six, six is a good age, yeah.
Speaker 1:We started doing it at night to like let's get ready for bed, kind of calm down a little bit, sort of thing. And sometimes they'll ask for it, Like can we do yoga tonight, you know?
Speaker 2:before bed Nice.
Speaker 1:So it's just like a way to try to relax and, you know, kind of set the tone for bedtime and stuff. But yeah, but the oldest she's into it a little bit more, the youngest not so much. She'll do it Not yet.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah the youngest not so much. So do not get. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's good, I mean it, it helps, for yoga helps with so many things, as I said earlier. I mean, you just mentioned it, you know it calms them down, all right. So it depends on your energy, right? So, if you? And also for older people you know people can't sleep, well, you know they can learn something there. Um, ayurvedically for sure, but there are certain poses that might help. I'm not so sure. Once a student I had to smile. The student came in and said teach me a pose. Did I tell you that before? I'm not sure. Teach me a pose, I want to lose weight. It's a yoga pose. I can lose weight. But I'm like, no, this doesn't work that way. Yeah, so you want to have one pose and I'm losing weight?
Speaker 1:and I said, no, it doesn't look yeah, how often are you like doing yoga yourself? Is this like a daily habit for you?
Speaker 2:unfortunately, I don't have always the time for it. Sure, um, I make, um, I do my practice, sometimes before I teach a class, like a short practice, but I for sure, every week I do two one and a half hour sessions with two teachers of mine. One is these days in Albuquerque and the other one in Philadelphia, and so I'm not running around anymore and do classes here and there. I'm beyond that. It doesn't do it for me these days.
Speaker 2:I did in the past. But that's kind of my assignment also to stay a little fresh, you know, to see what other people do. I think sometimes it's like a post they teach and I didn't teach this post for a long time and it's like, oh wow, this is good. So it's a little bit staying fresh. Um, I take um, uh, you know, ayurvedic um courses still, um, I'm doing right now my cleanse, my one of my ayurvedic cleanse, for almost three weeks and um, it's not totally three weeks yet, but it will be three weeks. Um, but you know I you also have to stay fresh as a teacher, otherwise you get see, I get bored, yeah, fast. And so all my classes I teach they're always different, even though it's maybe I have a sunday yin class and I have a monday night one, they're always different. So I'm for me also to to not get kind of like boring with myself, but also I don't want to bore the students.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, if they're doing the same thing, like over and over again. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. How long is like should a yoga session be?
Speaker 2:I teach these days one hour sessions. I think it's like you know, if you can't say in an hour or teach in an hour what you want, right? I don't know.
Speaker 1:Do you need to like work up to an hour long, like if you're new to yoga?
Speaker 2:Oh, you think that's a long, that's long. Yeah, oh, I thought that's tough. No, no, no In the old times. That's why I have to figure out.
Speaker 1:That's short.
Speaker 2:Okay, In the old times it was one and a half hour.
Speaker 1:Okay? Is that when you first started teaching, like it was one and a half hour or before you got into teaching?
Speaker 2:I'm thinking about this. I think, yeah, it was one and a half hour and then I switched it to 75. I mean, I do still do that. Sometimes I do give also workshops, and they're mostly longer. Yes, you, I mean I do still do that. Sometimes I do give also workshops, and they're mostly longer. Yes, you know you have more people ask questions and stuff, but yeah, no, you have to work up. Well, if it's a good class, you don't even notice it's an hour.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:So I think that said you know. If it's you know it depends on that. I don't think you have to work up to this. I don't think an hour is as long, yeah, you know, because you kind of prepare the student for whatever. Then you do the actual class and then there's all this like in my class, there's a long shavasana which is a resting pose on the back and um. So it's kind of you. The actual class is maybe not an hour.
Speaker 1:Sure, yeah, the actual like movements and stuff. Yeah, makes sense. Your business is in Palm Harbor. Where can people find you? And both in the physical location and then online.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I have a website, wwwkatrinilyayogacom, so you can find all the information, schedules, um, where I am. If you forget, um and um, you know, programs. A little bit about my background, um, about pricing. Um, I'm here in palm harbor at 10, 10 michigan avenue, so on alt 19, pretty visible. Now I have my second sign again. The first sign blew off. Was there two stores? And I have one hanging on the wall, you know, facing the major street there. So, yeah, and you know I do hybrid classes. Most of my classes are both, but you can come to the studio and have all the props and peace and quiet, the props and peace and quiet, if you. You know, sometimes that's another problem when you teach people at home. Um, they have their regular lives there, you know.
Speaker 2:And you know they can't really be totally there. Yeah, you know, or sometimes you know I have to go in and move furniture around and they don't have the right space. So it's it's it's easier sometimes to really go to a class and I also teach, because I teach different things than I normally do here in Florida. So I also teach yoga, beginners, yoga, privates Two sessions, they are 90 minutes long and you get I teach you their basic yoga basics, right. So class like poses, okay, and you get like a pamphlet at the end. You get I teach you the basic yoga basics, right. So class like poses, okay, you get like a pamphlet at the end. You know, can look at the pictures and what's the pose it's called.
Speaker 2:And so when you're a little older or maybe you want to do it right, you know sometimes people want to do things right away, right, that is a good idea to start. So I always feel like people tell me always that was great, you know. I feel like at least I know downward facing dog is not on the floor and so they have a little bit of feeling, um, that you know they can handle the class because there are sometimes people there they're doing that for ages, you know, and it's a little intimidating when you're a little older, um, so I think that's a good start yeah, I like that kind of introduce people to yeah, what's what?
Speaker 2:and you can always look back and say okay, what was that word one? Or you know what's the book like, and stuff like that that's a cool idea.
Speaker 1:I was just thinking when you were saying that, like we, we just did uh, I was trying to do more events and stuff this year at some of the businesses around town and and we just did our first one at a oh meditation and wellness in city harbor invited people out and come experience. You know this, this business we should do like a class or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, let's do it. Yeah, yeah, cool good awesome. Well, thanks for being here yeah, thank you for having me. I appreciate it and uh hope to see you in class yes, I'm gonna check one out.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna do the yoga stuff good all right, thanks.
