With love and friendship, Kimberly would like to respectfully acknowledge the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc peoples, whose beautiful unceded lands she was raised on and where she lives, works, and paints. Kimberly feels it an honour to learn and grow together through listening and engagement and hopes to support a bright future that is radiant with love and respect to all Beings.
Yoga
Why practice Yoga?
Yoga is a practice of observation, awareness, action and in-action.
In Hatha yoga (physical postures), outside of the clear physiological and psychological benefits, the postures can act as practice for and provide insight into how we approach life, what we resist, what we crave, and what we feel disconnected or neutral about. How compassionate and kind are we to ourselves in our practice, in our daily life? The practice helps us gain insight into patterns in our bodies, thoughts, and relationships with ourselves and our relationship with everything around us.
We can empower ourselves through self-knowledge and the simple awareness of how our thoughts, actions, and deeds affect everything as a whole. Over time, we better understand our influence to make positive changes in the quality of our life and how we effect the lives of others and the natural environment.
Yoga is a beautiful tool to gain skills and access moments of awe, pure love, freedom and liberation, alongside the ability to adapt and thrive under challenging moments with a sense of strength and resilience. Over time we become more efficient with our energy and less likely to waste it by participating in habits of drama (such as fear, anger, stress, worry, resentment, and jealousy - for prolonged periods) which are all aspects of and feed our ego (the me! me! me! part of us). Instead, we learn to conserve energy by cultivating a more balanced perspective based on wisdom, compassion, clear seeing, honesty, and trust in ourselves and our ability to handle what life sends us.
How we approach each posture will yield a particular result, very much the same way we choose to react or respond to a situation in our daily lives and relationships. With practice, we learn what leads to healthy, sustainable results, which can help nourish a deep sense of self-love, confidence, and healthy boundaries that allow us to move through the world more easily with grace and less drama.
Practicing these ancient teachings and sharing what I have learned through my experience with those curious is an honour. I aim to create an inviting and safe environment where the teachings can be used as practical tools to assist students in the classroom and daily life (on and off the mat, as we say)—wishing health and happiness to all. 🌷
Teaching Style
I am guided by the Eight-Limbed Path of Yoga and by the exquisite teachings of many devoted teachers I have had the pleasure of practicing with here in Canada and Ashrams in India. I take the knowledge and insight I have gained through my personal practice and render it into my teaching so the knowledge or truths I share are genuine through my own experience. The sequence of my class may vary per my students needs. My classes are accessible for beginners, but I leave the options open to advance the postures where I see fit for the individuals in the class. I believe in having a solid foundation and building slowly, which helps maintain high integrity in the postures. I incorporate breathing and meditation techniques at the start of class and end with relaxation techniques and a mantra.
A beautiful skunk cabbage at Lost Lake near Whistler (Not lotus, not a water lily, but it too thrives in muddy, marshy water!
In India and many East Asian cultures, the symbol of the lotus represents life, the beautiful bloom unstained by the muddy waters (life's harsh realities). No matter what happens to us in life, nothing can change our inherent worth. We can always return to our stable unchanging centre, our wisdom, even through difficult, unclear, and muddy circumstances.