29 Jun Telluride Yoga Festival: Cat McCarthy Returns
“Be the pose you want to see in the world,” yoga instructor Cat McCarthy
Please scroll down to the bottom of the story to listen to an interview returning Yoga Fest presenter Cat McCarthy.
In their best-selling book, “Yoga Anatomy,” Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews, internationally recognized experts and teachers of anatomy, breath and body work, draw a metaphor between cellular metabolism and a balanced life:
“In a cell, as in all living things, the principle that balances permeability is stability. The yogic terms that reflect these polarities are sthira and sukha. In Sanskrit, sthira can mean firm, hard, solid, compact, strong, unfluctuating, durable, lasting, or permanent. Sukha is a compound of two roots: su meaning good and kha meaning space. It means easy, pleasant, agreeable, gentle, and mild. It also refers to a state of well-being, free of obstacles.
“All successful living things must balance containment and permeability, rigidity and plasticity, persistence and adaptability, and space and boundaries…”
On and off the mat.
These principles are taught at The Breathing Project, (TBP), founded by Kaminoff in 2001 as an educational organization and school dedicated to teaching the individualized, breath-centered principles of Yoga in the tradition of Krishnamacharya and his son Desikachar.
Following her visit to Telluride last year as a presenter at the 7th annual Telluride Yoga Festival, innovative yoga instructor and trainer (and award-winning filmmaker) Cat McCarthy became a student at The Breathing Project, studying with Kaminoff and Matthews.
She also deepened her relationship with the rogue local (meaning New York) faction of the Center for Non-Violent Communication (NVC) group, a global matrix of off-the-mat yogis who are changing the complexion of conscious communication.
“Both of these modalities are helping me to shift perspectives on a cellular level, so that change isn’t some cool outfit to wear, but rather a fundamental embodied experience that allows me or you to feel an adjustment in real-time…”
Armed with life-changing principles from both TBP and NVC, Cat returns to teach at the 8th annual Telluride Yoga Festival, Thursday, July 9 – Sunday, July 12.
“My exposure to The Breathing Project has been particularly helpful in learning to assume concurrent points of view. I now focus on the body by looking at breath, muscles, bones, joints, to name a few of the new ways I approach a practice and teaching. At TBP, I am constantly encouraged to deconstruct many of my previous assumptions about yoga. And I find that I enjoy not knowing while approaching embodiment from various different perspectives. A shift in outlook expands understanding. How refreshing it is to do handstand from the vantage point of my glandular system.”
Cat McCarthy is scheduled to teach four classes at Yoga Fest. Though very different, all will be a mashup of storytelling with dynamic alignment, playful awareness, and soulful self-expression.
Friday, July 10, All levels: The Upside of Down Dog, 8-9:30 a.m.
Downward Facing Dog is a one-stop shopping pose: a forward fold, a prep for inversions, a crucial transition in sun salutations, and an ever-expanding posture in its own right. Explore the foundation of having both feet and hands as support, as you fortify your base of shape shifting upon which to build confidence for any inversion.
Saturday July 11, 8:00am – 10:00am, All levels: Ascend the Depths of Flight
Juicy joints breed happy hips. Balance comes from stabilizing your moving parts while mobilizing where you get stuck. The more you cultivate a feeling of grounded space within, the more you can take fluid flight within the twists and turns of life.
Saturday July 11, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.- Intermediate/Advanced: Descend the Breadth of HeartMind
Excavate inner terrain of full body backbends. When you broaden your mind and lower back, you can safely open and deepen your heart. Reorganize and integrate your heart-mind-body and begin to unfurl your courageous potential.
Sunday July 12, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Liquid Bones, Mellifluous Muscles
Bones be and muscles move. By letting your dynamic bones hold your weight, the more quiet and effective your muscles will function. In a variety of standing and balance poses, you will find the symbiotic relationship between being and doing.
Yoga is all about being awake, being mindful of your every action, on and off the mat. Any action done with a high level of awareness is essentially yoga.
Like making a movie.
Or leading conflict-resolution training in Non-Violent Communication.
Biking too.
And therapy on a pet.
Or harmonizing with fellow singers in studios or on stage.
And travel.
All those activities are part and parcel of Cat McCarthy’s remarkably rich life.
More about Cat McCarthy- ERYT-500
What do “The Three Stooges,” four-leaf clover hunting, and wine tasting have in common? Yoga, according to Cat McCarthy. Whether telling a story on the silver screen or during class, Cat makes connections between everyday details and the big picture, weaving it all into a fun, poignant narrative. A dedicated yoga practitioner since 1993 and innovative teacher/trainer since 2002, Cat holds teaching certifications in Anusara Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, and The Barnes Method Prenatal Yoga and has studied extensively within the philosophical tradition of Rajanaka Yoga. She is the founder of registered yoga school NOLA YOGA, which she created to connect the Gulf Coast yoga community matrix. Cat’s training in NVC (Non-Violent Communication) has helped bridge her conflict resolution skills to her yoga practice on and off the mat. Mixing dynamic alignment and healing therapeutics with a playful approach, Cat’s guidance is informative and entertaining. When not traversing the globe to teach yoga, this Emmy-nominated filmmaker directs/produces non-fiction projects.
For further information about Cat, visit here.
And to learn still more, click the “play” button and listen to our conversation:
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