Kate’s first ever yoga class was as a teenager with a friend’s mum. She recalls thinking at the time how nice it felt to move her body in this way, yet surprisingly challenging. Kate didn’t practice yoga again until she was in her late twenties, when it literally found her at her office! She worked in the City at the time doing a somewhat different practice, that of a lawyer. Needless to say, she was no stranger to stress in such a role! Connecting her with her breath, the yoga practice calmed her mind and grounded her … helping her to tune out of work’s challenges and be in the moment. After over 20 years of practice, Kate still feels those benefits and, together with the strength, flexibility and balance it has granted her are the reasons she shows up on her mat …

Kate always leaned towards a dynamic form of yoga and discovered Ashtanga in 2011. She wasn’t in great shape after the birth of her second child and the practice soon helped her regain her strength. She was drawn to how she could work deeper in each pose while bringing the focus inwards. When Kate transitioned to the Mysore room, her practice transformed and she developed in so many ways, by virtue of the great teachers that she has been lucky enough to practice with: Sarai Harvey-Smith, Melanie Cooper, Joey Miles, Gingi Lee and Scott Johnson. Kate realised the pull of a slower, nurturing practice was calling her to establish more balance in her life and now relishes the practices of Yin and Restorative yoga.

Since qualifying, Kate has invested in her professional development to build on her yoga knowledge and, more recently has completed her Level 2 teacher training at the beginning of this year at the Shala, which comprised modules in Pranayama, Yoga Nidra, Yoga Philosophy, Aerial Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Anatomy and Asana in Depth. Kate has also explored the Traditional Chinese Medicine origins of Yin Yoga with Norman Blair and Kate Henley (a TCM practitioner), studying the 5 Element Theory of TCM and how they relate to the  main meridian pairs and the seasons and how to work with them effectively in the Yin Yoga practice. Kate has also completed her Advanced Yin Training with Norman Blair. Having studied many methods of yoga, she enjoys offering a diverse range of practises to her students, tailoring the practice to their needs. She favours function over form and prioritises accessibility when teaching yoga and loves nothing more than facilitating her student’s understanding of their fascinating bodies @yogiclimberkate