Kate has served as the Director of Shelburne Falls Yoga since 2011. Drawing from over twenty-five years of experience as an instructor of movement, including 12 years as a full-time teacher of yoga, Kate seamlessly weaves together elements from the tradition of Kripalu Yoga with somatic exercises, movement training & conditioning, and meditation & pranayama techniques to create a rich and evolving yoga experience enjoyed by both long-time practitioners and brand-new beginners.
Kate values a straightforward and consent-based approach to yoga teaching, where students are offered a number of choices in the classroom and the freedom to execute them. This fosters a learning environment where students have the ability to grow and evolve at their own pace and in their own direction. She favors the sometimes messy process of embodying integrated movement skills rather than merely replicating shapes in the classroom, a process which both research and experience has shown to lead to more favorable and longer lasting results.
Kate completed her initial professional trainings at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, where she also returned several times to assist in the advanced yoga teacher training program. Following a years-long, intensive period of asana, pranayama, and meditation practices in the Kripalu tradition, she began an in-depth study of anatomy and kinesiology, and also began to incorporate evolving, evidence-based, and trauma-informed practices into her teaching with the aim of helping each to student work toward clarity, health, and vitality in ways that are as applicable in day-to-day life as they are on the yoga mat. Kate has been influenced by the teachings of Swami Kripalu, T.K.V. Desikachar, Amy Matthews, Jonathan Foust, Dr. Fritz Smith, and many others.
Kate was certified as a practitioner of Zero Balancing, a bodywork modality that draws from the wisdom of osteopathy, acupuncture, and yoga as it works to cultivate a harmonious balance of structure and energy in the human body. She incorporates this wisdom into her yoga classes.
Kate values accessibility, and strives to create an inclusive and welcoming environment at the studio, where work-study & sliding scale options are available for those with financial need. She regularly offers yoga and mindfulness in settings beyond the studio and has been actively engaged in economic & social justice work as an outward expression of the principles of non-harming, truth, and the interconnection of all beings. Kate also serves at the Agency Recruitment & Onboarding Coordinator at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
*A note from Kate- I’ve been teaching movement since the early 1990’s, when I was asked as an older teen to instuct younger students as a part of a dance scholarship program. The environment was intense, but I felt intuitively from my first moments in that classroom that my highest objective was to convey movement in a way that supported the overall health and well being of those young students. I continued to teach dance throughoughout my twenties while earning a degree in dance, and in my early thirties while performing regionally. During that time, I focused on developing curricula and methods that supported healthy technique, long-term well-being, individualized learning, and joy in movement. My personal yoga practice helped guide and support me during that time.
I became a teacher of yoga in 2009 and have been directing Shelburne Falls Yoga since 2011. Fifteen years and over 8,000 hours of yoga instruction later, I’ve learned many techniques and strategies since those early days as a new yoga teacher. But the heart of my teaching- offering a healthy and supportive space to explore new skills that help sustain long-term health- remains unchanged. I look forward to working with you and exploring the varied and wonderful practice of yoga!
