[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome to Deep in your yoga practice. I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today I am joined by one of our true love yoga teacher training graduates and member of the True Love family, Kayla Hauer. Kayla's journey with yoga began in high school with workout DVDs in her small hometown. And over time it evolved into a deeply supportive and meaningful practice. She creates spaces where students can feel strong and grounded and like they truly belong. And she's now offering a really beautiful upcoming workshop centered around creativity and self connection. Kayla, I'm so excited to have you here. [00:00:48] Speaker B: Thanks so much for having me, Lauren. [00:00:50] Speaker A: Yes, of course. I love to ask everyone this when they come on, but how did you fall in love with yoga? [00:00:56] Speaker B: Well, kind of like you said. So I started doing some like yoga DVDs in high school or so. Kind of tried yoga here and there throughout college, but I was never very consistent with it. And. But it was something I always came back to throughout time. When, when life got hard, when I needed something grounding, I needed something to move in my body. Yoga was always something I came back to. And then I always felt this, like, call in my head, like, hey, like, maybe you should teach yoga. And I was like, you don't do yoga enough to teach yoga. So then I started increasing my practice. I really felt called to do it, especially after having my two children. And so here I am. [00:01:41] Speaker A: What do you think yoga gave you during those early years that maybe you weren't getting from other activities? [00:01:47] Speaker B: I think there was a different variety of movement. And I also thought that I didn't understand like the yoga philosophy at the time, but I came to it initially, like, as a workout, but I felt like there was something more to it. And it felt really good in my body. I felt relaxed and not exhausted afterwards. So it just felt really nice. And then the more I learned about yoga, I'm like, okay. The spiritual component also really resonates with me and the philosophy really resonates with me. So I think having both that mind body connection really, really helped. And it was something more than, you know, going and running on a treadmill or lifting weights or something like that. It really is that, like, full body practice. [00:02:32] Speaker A: Kayla, will you talk about some of the other work that you do and how yoga fits into that? [00:02:36] Speaker B: Yeah. So most of my work has been in community based social services. So working with people typically what, you know, our industry would say, like vulnerable populations, people with disabilities, older adults, typically lower financial income. And so we're trying to. To serve people. And that can be really taxing if you've ever, ever worked in a helping profession or a, you know, honestly, any position or profession dealing with people, you need a way to bring yourself back to, like, a grounded space to reduce stress, to ease tension. So yoga's been that for me from like, pranayama techniques, even like breathing five minutes in my car before a meeting, taking a moment to have maybe a silent meditation, or even incorporating, you know, asana practice after work. It's been really helpful. I also feel like it allows me to be more present and mindful when I'm talking with people. A lot of times people are sharing their story with me and it can be vulnerable. I mean, most of the time I don't have a relationship with them and I'm meeting them for the first time, being able to be present and hear their story and what's going on and how best I can help them. I think yoga really does allow me to have that presence of mind as well. [00:03:59] Speaker A: Yeah, you definitely are in a profession where you are serving others. And I know you're a mom too, and I'm sure most of your life is being spent really being of service to other people. So, you know, not only is it a beautiful thing that you have your yoga practice to give you back some of your own energy and kind of to call self back in, I would say, but you're also choosing to share it with others, which of course you are, because you're somebody. I think that is a helper. And I'd love to know what led you to choosing yoga teacher training and maybe yoga teacher training at True Love as well. [00:04:35] Speaker B: Sure. So with yoga teacher training, like I was saying, it was kind of this call in the back of my head for a while, and I had seen the yoga teacher training at True Love for a few years now, and I. I look at it every year and I was like, no, no, that's not for me. That's not for me. And finally this year I was like, you know what? Or this past year I was like, you know what? Let's just do it. Let's just see what happens. So it was kind of just like jumping off the bridge and feeling like maybe not jumping off the bridge, but jumping and maybe building the plane as you fly. It is the right analogy and having faith and hope that it is the right path. And I was really pleasantly surprised with how everything went, how my own personal growth was with the practice and with True Love. I've been to a lot of different yoga studios in the Kansas City area. And I always keep coming back to true Love. It feels very homey. It feels very welcoming. I really like that it's a. Centered on all aspects of yoga. I never heard any, like, body talk really, when I'm there either. And so that's. That's a big thing for me. We're not, we're not doing this to like, change our bodies or anything like that. And. And there was never any, like, hey, let's get our summer bodies ready kind of thing. I really, I really appreciated that. And I never felt like I didn't belong, so there was just like this natural pull that. I really love the classes there. I was like, I want to learn from people that teach classes like this. [00:06:13] Speaker A: Yeah, well, thanks for saying that. And I know for me, being really conscious of body neutrality or body positivity even are really important aspects of my yoga practice. And there's something that I'm really conscious about with the True Love Space. We'll talk about the body, but it'll be like, love your body. Make choices that work for your body today. [00:06:33] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:06:35] Speaker A: No bikini body talk. [00:06:37] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:06:38] Speaker A: Well, thanks for noticing that. And I'm so glad you vibe with it too. And it's been a healing space for you. I'd love to know a little bit more about what your experience was like going through the program just in a really honest way from a student side. [00:06:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So, of course, I was very scared when I first started. I didn't know what to expect. There was a lot of, like, imposter syndrome feelings. Like, why am I even here? Why am I even doing this? Like, I. Like, the, like, not good enough in your head kind of spirals around, but you realize, like, everybody has to start somewhere. And everybody that was there was in a similar place. Like, we were all there because we wanted to learn. We were all there because we were new to this and didn't know what we were doing. And I think the program really builds on your knowledge and skills at a nice pace. And like, as you build those knowledge and skills in practicing, it also allows for building that confidence. And so the feedback that we get from our classmates as well as you and the other teachers that you brought in, I think is really helpful. It's very scary at first when we're like, okay, give each other feedback or we're going to get feedback from the other teachers. But. And you, you warned us this. You're like, we're not going to be mean about it. I'm like, okay, sure, sure. You're sure you're not gonna be mean about it, but no, it was always from a very loving and very kind place where you're like, this is. This is how I would want somebody to provide me feedback and only to make, you know, your teaching stronger. And so I really appreciated that. [00:08:16] Speaker A: Well, thanks for reflecting on that experience. I'd love to know how it changed your personal practice and maybe how you relate to yourself. [00:08:26] Speaker B: Yeah, it's changed my personal practice in a lot of ways. I feel like I am more consistent in my practice, partially because part of the program was doing that, but also I realized that beforehand I would be like, I haven't done an asana practice in the week. Okay. I guess they don't do yoga anymore. But that's not really how it goes. You know, you might miss a week or you might go a few weeks without doing, like, the physical practice. But yoga is so much more than that. Maybe, maybe we're incorporating breathing techniques. Maybe we're incorporating mindfulness and just really weaving the different teachings and the different aspects of yoga into my everyday life. So, no, maybe I'm not doing an asana practice every single day. I feel like I am doing and living yoga every single day. And I think being mindful of that and having those skills and that knowledge has really helped me become more grounded as a person and becoming more knowledgeable and grounded in the practice of yoga. [00:09:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I really like how you put that because it really does, like, expand your idea and awareness of what yoga is and allows you to practice yoga really in most moments of your life. So I think that's a beautiful transition. Sometimes it can be hard, I think, for people because they might have gotten into a comfortable routine with their asana practice and fallen in love with that. When your mind becomes open to the history of yoga and the philosophy and really the expansiveness of what yoga even is, it can feel a little bit disorienting, I think, at first. But then I think most people recalibrate at some point where they feel that steadiness within their practice again with a much greater depth and also with a path where their curiosity can flow and continue learning over a lifetime. I know that you are a very creative and curious person. You have your hands in a lot of different things all the time. And I'm really excited that you're going to be leading your first workshop with us here in June. Can you please tell us about your upcoming workshop, a Creative Practice? [00:10:47] Speaker B: Sure. So I really wanted to bring creativity into yoga somehow, and I had been kind of like thinking about this for a while and how do I do it? What am I doing here? And I wanted both the yoga and the creativity to be very accessible for folks, people who maybe haven't done either or either in a long time. And I know both can be intimidating to people. They think that there's a right way to know, create or there's a right way to, you know, my yoga has to be perfect, but I wanted to approach it from a really gentle and loving space where it's open to everybody. With the yoga, I want it to be very like cozy and grounding. We'll do some hatha practice, also incorporate some yin, taking a moment to really drop in and settle into your body. And then after that we're planning on doing some meditation to help get our mind working, creativity flowing, really feel into what's on your heart that day. And then I found I wanted the creativity to be something that even if people are like, I don't know how to draw or I don't know how to paint or I don't know how to do these things, I'm like, well, I don't really know how to do that either. I'm not a trained artist or anything like that. But I found this technique called neurographic drawing. And it's really kind of a free flowing technique where you draw a variety of intersecting lines and it's just kind of free flowing across your page. And then you use your pen or a marker to kind of round out any sharp edges or corners, creating these really interesting lines. And then from there you can start to fill in the, the circles or the shapes that your lines have made with patterns or colors or leave them blank. And so it's just really individualized. There's no way to mess it up. It's something that is very. It's one of those things that is very mindful. You can kind of let everything go else go and drop into almost like this flow state of just creating. So you'll leave with your own little drawing. I'll have some supplies, but of course folks are welcome to bring their own supplies too if they have something special in mind. [00:13:05] Speaker A: That is really cool. I was very curious to know what neurographic drawing is. And I've seen it before and it seems like something very accessible but always different and intricate and individualized. So that sounds like a really nice offering, especially for those, I mean for experienced artists or for people who don't even know where to start, it can be nice having that guidance. So that sounds like a really lovely workshop. I love the idea of creativity as a form of self care. What does that mean to you? [00:13:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it can mean so many things. But I was thinking about this earlier today. My kids have destroyed our kitchen table with craft supplies this morning and they were just playing and having fun and they were cutting up our recycling and like gluing it together. And I think of creativity as, as a sense of play, as a sense of wander, a sense of experimentation. A lot of times as an adult, we kind of come out of our ability to play or lose our sense of playfulness. And I think there's so many ways you can incorporate that. But for me, creating is one of those ways that can be through a variety of things. I painted, I do sewing, I do jewelry making, I bake. Just anything that I use my hands for is really fun. And if your hands are busy, then you don't have time to scroll. So like doom scrolling prevention. So that is one thing I love. [00:14:43] Speaker A: The idea of creativity is just play and it really takes a lot of the pressure off and just brings it back to a space of exploration and awareness. I'll let our listeners know that this workshop is coming up June 20th from 12 to 1:30 is $20, but it's $5 off for our members with the code workshop. And you can sign up on the True Love yoga app or website. And anything else you want us to know about the workshop? [00:15:11] Speaker B: Yes. So I was thinking about when I've talked to my friends or other people, they're like, how do you know how to do all of these things? When I like show up with a craft or show up with something else. And the thing is, I don't, I don't know how to do most of the things it's being willing to try. And I think that's so applicable to creativity or yoga or so many different things is just the willingness to kind of put your ego maybe aside for a moment and give it a try. You know, you don't know what you don't know and you don't know if you like something until you do it. So I think part of it is just to try. I think if you're curious about it, I'd invite you to come. If you're nervous about creativity or yoga or both, I'd invite you to come. It's going to be so cozy and so loving and so warm even though it's in the middle of June. So it'll probably be warm but like warm your soul. So I would just love to see you there. And if folks have questions, I'd be happy to answer those. [00:16:12] Speaker A: Thanks, Kayla. I have one last question, which is how can our listeners deepen their yoga practices? [00:16:19] Speaker B: That's a great question. I think I'll go back to kind of what I was just saying a little bit ago. Be willing to try. Be willing to try something new. Be willing to explore your practice in new ways. And I think you'll find more depth there if you just buy. [00:16:35] Speaker A: I love that answer. And I kind of lied because I have another question for you, which is how can our listeners connect with you? [00:16:43] Speaker B: Sure. So I have an Instagram page that's kind of yoga. Mindfulness, creativity in one, all my things, Mind, body, Kayla. And yeah, that's where you can find me. [00:16:56] Speaker A: So much, Kayla, for being here and sharing your story and your work. And for those who are listening, if this workshop speaks to you, you can find all the details in the show notes. And we'd love to have you here at Trul Love Yoga. Well, thank you so much, Kayla. Thank you, everyone, for listening. Om Shanti Om. Peace.