Caitlyn (also known as Cat in her Yoga circle), has been practicing Yoga since she was about 14 years old, although she remembers being in elementary school and watching kid’s Yoga videos at home with her younger brother. She found the practice in high school, when she needed something to combat the anxiety and low self-esteem she experienced. Being the introvert she was, that practice came in the form of Kathryn Budig’s Aim True Yoga DVD. She was obsessed with it – so much so that after the millionth time of renting it from the library, she was eventually cut off from borrowing it at all (she was pretty stoked to get to meet Kathryn and tell her this in 2016 – talk about full circle!). What followed were years of practicing asana in her bedroom on a cheap Target yoga mat and, more interestingly: LOVE! Love for herself, others, and the Yoga. It was this love that would lead her to take a detour from college to wait tables and attend her first 200 hour YTT at Laughing Lotus’ Love Skool in Manhattan.
Known for its bright colors, funky playlists, and “glitter bar”, Laughing Lotus was the place she needed after finishing high school; she found that the only rules here were “move, breathe, and be yourself”. Caitlyn started her YTT in October 2015 at 18 years old, and graduated in December of the same year. After her training, she had the privilege of teaching regular gigs around the Island, subbing for other teachers at various gyms, studios, and spas, and has also led classes at day retreats.
At 20 years old, she returned to Lotus for her Hands-On and Super Sequencing trainings, which put her at 300 hours towards her 500 hour YTT certification. She plans on taking new trainings soon, hopefully in Restorative Yoga and Ayurveda. She continues to take classes at Lotus, around Manhattan, and online – anywhere she can – as she’s always searching for fun new ways to teach and move her body.
• Favorite Yoga Pose:
Mermaid (one-legged king pigeon) – If you asked her what her favorite yoga pose was at 14, she’d tell you it was mermaid pose because she couldn’t do it and wanted to be able to do it very, VERY badly. If you asked her what her favorite pose is currently, she’ll still tell you that it’s mermaid pose, because she still has days where she can’t get her body into that shape, but when she can, she loves it for this reminder: that THAT’S the practice – it grows with you, it ebbs and flows, and it’ll always look different today than it did yesterday. With dedication and patience, both you and your practice will change over and over again, and if that isn’t the point, then she doesn’t know what is.
