The practice of yoga is so special, personal and intimate. We thought it was about time for you, our beautiful students to get to know our teachers at Kula (through more than just a one paragraph bio!). First up is Haydn. Below he shares with us his journey to the mat, and what yoga means to him…
The practice of yoga is a wonderful experience. I truly mean this in the most literal sense of the word, as the practice of yoga is FULL of wonder. I was first introduced to yoga when I was studying dance. Yoga was known in the dance industry as a great complement to our vigorous training, and a great way for a dancer to exercise while still being really in tune with the body. None of this really occurred to me at the time however I did see yoga as a great way to keep my body supple and flexible which helped to keep me injury free.
I spent many years travelling the world as a professional dancer/acrobat, and yoga always seemed to travel with me in the background, in one way or another. Whether it be through yoga DVDs to warm up for shows on a cruise ship, or 30-minute express classes to keep our bodies warm led by one of the Japanese dancers in between shows at Tokyo Disney resort. It was not until I finished up travelling the world performing that yoga really came into the foreground of my life.
I started working for lululemon athletica in October of 2011. I was delighted that a perk of working for this global athletic brad meant that I was encouraged to practice yoga at least twice per week and lululemon would pick up the tab. This was where I was really able to dive head first into all of the different styles of yoga and come to understand them so that I could pass this information on to the guests at lululemon- if they were looking for a place to try out their new stretchy pants.
The style of yoga that really resonated with me is power vinyasa. I think this has to do with my background in gymnastics and dance. This style feels so natural to me and the flow of a class really made me feel like I was almost dancing on my own personal stage (the yoga mat).
Late in 2013 I decided it was time to take my love of yoga further and I enrolled in a 200-hour power yoga course. By April 2014 my love for yoga was only growing stronger and stronger as I came to understand the deep historical culture of yoga and how it can be more than just an experience of the body. I learned about how it can be real challenge for the mind and our “ego” and that it can also be a very spiritual experience. To some this can mean religious, for me it is about the spirit of ones self and the experience of yoga. Knowing your body and how it likes to move and how it doesn’t, and of understanding your mind. What it likes to choose and what it doesn’t. Meaningfully practicing and making choices about our life is what we learn on the yoga mat.
The wonderful thing about the journey of yoga is that it is limitless. Yoga continues to evolve, so there is no limit to the amount of study, practice and understanding of yoga. A great example of the “journey is the destination” as it is always continuing and always WONDERFUL!
About the instructor: Haydn has always had extremely active lifestyle. He comes from a background in gymnastics and spent 10 years as a professional dancer and acrobat touring all over the world. Haydn has always practiced yoga as a way to keep his body in tip top shape and injury free. Haydn completed his 200 hour Power Yoga Teacher training and is extremely honoured to be part of the team at Kula.
