by Katherine Brown
Simply stated, I love what I do and it shows. It sustains the motivation for my students to
take my classes and stay to the end. My enthusiasm for their progress helps them learn, improve,
and come back for more.
“Movement is the root of all psychological functioning,” a quotation by Ruella Frank,
expresses my philosophy about yoga and its importance in mental and physical wellness. Yoga is
a practice that teaches us to honor Self and Other, as well as the world around us.
Beyond asana and the immediate physical “feel good” outcomes innate to yoga, my students learn
and practice the relational and more subtle elements of yoga. My classes are taught with prompts
and contemplation on all things social justice, civics, and what it means to ‘do the right thing.’
Students take their yoga “off the mat,” and put yoga’s philosophical underpinnings into action out
in the world. Students report not only healing their lower back and autoimmune issues, but also
eating more mindfully, enrolling in their own 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, and healing
childhood trauma. My approach is advantageous because it is comprehensive, providing students
with both hard and soft skills for real world relations, choices, and solutions.
When yoga is positioned to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of the diversity and
dignity of each student, it becomes a social justice catalyst — an opportunity for students, through
the explorations of yoga’s life skills and tools for personal well-being — to experience themselves
as belonging, worthy of their own advocacy and empowerment, and capable of making
contributions to the betterment of the whole.
My colorful experience and instinct toward fun facilitates an engaging approach to
yoga that fosters an authentic community with depth and character. My Dharma discussions often
reference issues of social justice, mental health, and our environment in the wake of climate change.
Because these topics are so relatable in 2022, they help students identify with others, and
then reach out of their comfort zones to make lasting relationships and needed changes in the
world around them.
My yoga philosophy, inspired by Sri Swami Satchidananda, the Woodstock Guru, is simple:
happiness is a byproduct of a quiet mind, an easeful body, and a sense of purpose. An ancient
approach to mental and physical wellness, yoga functions as the quintessential discipline for
college students. Yoga inspires students to practice and embody active wellness within themselves,
overwriting stress and producing something more profound like good grades, a strong, regulated
body, and the drive and resilience to meet their goals. The balance of the yogic pillars – mind, body,
and soul – becomes an ideal foundation for college students, particularly first-generation college
students.
My entire career has been an effort to help students meet their education and career goals.
My teaching philosophy, rooted in the Humanities, explores yoga as a holistic investigation into how to live well and cultivate self-care as the means not just to survive the stresses of modern life, but to thrive and flourish. I enthusiastically embrace my students’ wellbeing in a pragmatic yet passionate way, seeing them as their true self, filled with innate potential, vitality, and possibilities. Most importantly, I create a yoga experience where all students can practice together regardless of age, size, ability, or experience level.
My teaching goal for my yoga students is to help them live mindfully with wisdom and
compassion. I want them to flourish, and remind them to dialogue with their body, mind, and soul
and to recognize themselves as the guru. Whether practicing mindfulness, or learning to let go of
what no longer serves, my students are encouraged to tap into the “equanimity” of yoga, hopefully
realizing that equanimity is yoga. I hope they experience surrender and release, feel harmonized
and revitalized, practice ahimsa, and gain confidence and acceptance of their body, exactly as it is,
and exactly as it is not.
In addition to yoga, I have an array of fitness certifications including Silver Sneakers,
Personal Training, and various Group Exercise formats that will help round out your Fitness
Specialist and Physical Education program. Integrating my certifications into the department will
widen the scope of offerings to the community, as well as lay the groundwork for new curriculum
and greater collaboration.
My passion for the principles integral to yoga, and my enthusiasm for fitness, health and
wellness will guide my dedication for training others to teach yoga and will help me enlist the
support of colleagues to further these positive results.
