“There’s 7 billion different people in the world, so there’s 7 billion different paths. It doesn’t really matter how you do it, as long as you figure out what your way is.”
What is yoga? Is the answer a simple one about exercise or is it a complex one about philosophy and awareness? After today’s interview I have a feeling that if you asked 10 different people you may get 10 different answers. Christie Rafanan is an amazing yoga teacher in San Francisco, and a good friend of mine. We’ll dive into that many layered question trying to define yoga and hear about how it transformed Christie’s life.
“As my body changed, so did my mentality about things. I started to feel stronger physically and there was also this mental strength.”
“Anything we do can be ‘yoga’. It can be gardening, or reading, or painting, or riding your bike. But I think what helps about doing [the physical practice of] yoga is that it emphasizes having awareness. ”
Interview Contents
2:00 - Christie’s background and why she started doing yoga
7:00 - ‘Ashtanga’ series
12:30 - Metaphysical and mental aspect of yoga
14:30 - Physical vs. spiritual and the changes that transpire
19:00 - Yoga vs. other forms of exercise
30:00 - Experiencing daily life after yoga
34:30 - Different types of yoga
40:00 - Asanas
42:030 - Teaching yoga
44:30 - Improving as a teacher
46:00 - Yoga teacher training, is it necessary?
48:45 - Getting a job teaching yoga
53:00 - Structuring a class
58:00 - Things to think about while teaching a class
1:02:00 - Memorable experience from teaching
1:04:00 - Pay
1:06:30 - Advice for becoming a yoga teacher
Links
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Kevin Cole
Marcus Batson
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
