Kathryn Budig is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher and author known for her unparalleled expertise and yoga knowledge. With over a decade of experience in her field, Budig is one of the greats of the yoga world. In this episode, we discuss the hidden side of yoga– especially in regards to the social media world.

Kathryn pulls back the veil on how social media can cheapen the true practice of yoga, and how yoga is so much more than “pretty poses”. If you’re wondering how to gain more followers, this episode may have you think again. Kathryn reminds us all to slow down, meditate (her tips for mediation and hacks for breathing are perfect!), and find our own path!

Yoga in 2018:

I absolutely loved talking to Kathryn about yoga because her journey because it was so pure and so intentional. She ventured into yoga before the social media world, and truly committed to the practice of yoga. She trained with some of the best teachers in the world and fully entrenched herself in the art, science, and truth of yoga. We talked about how in recent years social media has done both bad things and good things for the yoga world. On a positive note, people sharing their yoga practice has extended its reach and invited more people to the yoga table. But on a negative side, a lot of the people sharing yoga online don’t have the full training and aren’t able to fully capable to teach viewers properly.

She wanted to listeners to know yoga is not only about “pretty poses” and gaining a large following. It is a practice that allows you to come home to yourself and be present. She emphasizes that you don’t do yoga- you practice yoga. There is no winner, it’s not measurable, there are no points scored… if practiced correctly, it’s a no judgement zone.”

Bringing Yoga Into Your Own Life:

You can bring yoga principles into your life everyday life without even noticing. It doesn’t have to be a formal meditation session or a 2-hour long yoga practice. Kathryn teaches us easy, approachable ways to tune in to yourself. She mentions that meditation can be daunting and intimidating because you will think a lot of thoughts, but that is a GOOD thing. It is a good thing to sit down with yourself and be present, it doesn’t have to be scary.

In this episode, you’ll hear breathing practices and mindfulness exercises that immediate shaving away stress. (Side note: I feel zen just talking about this)  To summarize with one short, beautiful statement: “Breathe to tune in to get here.” 

Embracing Your Body:

Wow, this part of the conversation was not planned, but it quickly became my favorite part of the whole talk. Kathryn and I had an incredibly candid conversation on body positivity, what radicial “self love” actually is, and how we can build a better future. We both spoke to the fact that negative comments breed negative comments, and gets you absolutely nowhere.

We talked about how hating on your body is a generation to generation thing… if your parents saw it, then they did it, then you were taught it, and then you become it. We asked ourselves: How do you want the next generation to be raised? What type of magazine headlines do you want them to read? Why am I considered so “brave” for posting photos? That’s not radical self-love, it’s just self-love. If you have ever struggled with how you look in the mirror (cough, cough, every woman ever), please, please, please listen to this converstaion. It will make you feel a little less alone, and a lot more hopeful for the future.

Kathryn is one of the most invested, genuine, and authentic people in the world, and today she is telling us allllllll about the ebbs and flows of her career path and how YOU can transition with your work. If you are feeling complacent or trapped in a box in your career, yoga might help you come back to the present. You CAN dream big dreams and evolve– you are not “one thing”– you are limitless. Let’s dig in, shall we?

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Photo: Cheyenne Ellis