Kate grew up on her family’s farm in rural Iowa. After college in Missouri, Kate served with the Peace Corp for three years in the African countries of Chad and Mauritania. It was during that time, while living in Mauritania, that Kate started meditating. She discovered the writing of Thích Nhất Hạnh and was inspired to do walking meditations and sitting practices as a way of coping with the challenges of life in a new culture.
After her father’s suicide in 2008, Kate grappled the impacts of growing up with a father who was both a Christian pastor and depressed and abusive. In response, she moved away from spiritual practice altogether—both the Christianity in which she had been raised and the mediation she had discovered in the Peace Corps. Instead, she threw herself into work, activism, and bicycling. In her career as an educator and in her advocacy with the REDforED movement for public school funding, Kate often put her commitment to serve others before self-care. Although long bike rides were meditative and grounding for Kate, they were also a source of pain and stress as she sought ever-elusive perfection and self-acceptance.
One year ago, in a moment of personal turmoil and grief, Kate joined a friend who regularly attended Sant Saroop’s Sunday class. Right away, Kate felt the practice moving energy and emotions that had previously felt stuck. Unlike in any other yoga class, she felt there was no wrong way to practice and was quickly able to get out of her head. She knew Kundalini would be a supportive element in the transformative life changes she was facing.
What Kate’s discovered through Kundalini counters the Christian teachings she had recoiled from. While the church focused on the idea that humans are inherently flawed and sinful, Kundalini offered the concept that we are divine and can act from a place of neutrality to shed conditioning, patterns, and reactions.
Chanting, especially Sat Nam, has helped her find and trust her voice. Hearing and feeling the vibration of her voice has been liberating for Kate. For her, Sat Nam is an antidote to the harmful church doctrines she was imbued with early in life. Sat Nam reminds Kate “I’m truth; I’m not bad. How could I possibly be bad? I just am.” Kundalini has given Kate comfort in knowing “not being OK is OK.” Through the practice, she has found the ability to stay present in her neutral mind and allow the unfolding, even when it’s painful and scary.
The Divine Light Invocation is Kate’s favorite mantra. She wrote it down after the first time she heard it in class and it comes back to her when she’s in a bad spot, reminding her that she is inherently good. Her favorite classes are when dancing is part of the kriya. “The dancing around crazy has been transformative. I do that on my own now,” she said. The practice has given her the knowledge that movement and comfort in her body are her birthright. Instead of pushing so hard and enduring pain in the name of athletic performance, Kate now approaches her adventurous bike rides from a place of fun and joy.
Kate notices that going to Sunday class sets her up for being better able to serve her community and self throughout the week. Kate’s intention for her second year of practice with Yoga4AllTucson is attending one class per week. While she trusts the practice works for her—even when she doesn’t consciously feel it working—she understands part of her growth is going easy and taking things slow. The practice has tempered her fierce go-hard attitude and settled her into going with the flow and not overextending herself. Kate’s presence in our sangha and willingness to share her insights and breakthroughs is a true service.
Thank you for showing up with such openness and depth, Kate!
