Emily Katsuno

I have led a life guided by my passion for movement as a connection to spirit. I danced from a young age and during my degree in contemporary dance came to understand the body in movement from an experiential, embodied and anatomical perspective. Yoga then helped me to perceive and feel movement (as well as stillness, self-awareness and breath) as a healing modality and has become woven into my life's path. My journey with yoga has taken me many times to India and other parts of Asia where I have studied with teachers from the Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, Sivananda and Kundalini yoga traditions. I resonate deeply with aspects from all of these traditions and elements from them all can be present in my teaching. After my first yoga teacher training (traditional Hatha Yoga) in Dhramashala, India with Yoga Life eight years a go, I lived in Asia teaching at Inner Living Yoga in Malaysia and The Yoga Shack on Nusa Lembongan (Bali). During this time I was completely immersed in the practice and teaching of yoga and was able to keep studying with many wonderful international teachers at The Yoga Barn in Ubud, Bali. I have been settled in Ashburton, Devon for five years now where I now run all my classes and co-run retreats with New Moon Yoga. My own life experiences have meant my teaching has become ever more holistic and therapeutic over the years and I am now a trained yoga therapist and pregnancy yoga teacher with the Devon School of yoga. The desire to have children triggered a deep healing journey where I was awakened to a more feminine path within yoga and other healing modalities such as shamanic wisdom which continue to inspire me. Since having my beautiful son Kaio I have a special interest in women's health and I have trained with Uma Dinsmore Tuli a leading practitioner in women's health and womb yoga. I am also currently part of a woman's journeying group run by Fiona Shaw a midwife and shamanic practitioner. This work helps me bring my authentic, whole and full self to my work as a space holder. I am also very interested in the sacred space where dance and yoga meet and sometimes run yogic dance workshops and am constantly exploring the space where the form becomes the formless in our physical body and how the two energies hold each other and flow within us. Teaching Style My teaching style could be described as a psycho-somatic movement meditation as I am interested in the body, mind, heart and spirit connection and create a safe and sacred space where all of these parts of ourselves can be felt, seen, witnessed and welcomed. Moving our awareness from the space of the mind and into the space of the body and breath is a pathway that can connect us to the deeper layers of our true nature where we can rediscover our connection to a sense of wholeness, oneness and unity. Yoga means union and creating space to feel this in our bodies within my classes, is my intention. Often I feel I am simply holding a space for the voice of your body, mind, heart & spirit to be heard through yoga asana (poses) pranayama (breath work), meditation and deep relaxation. Creating balance in our bodies is at the center of what I offer and I teach from a holistic therapeutic perspective with sequences intended for healing, rejuvenation and lots of space for your own body wisdom to be felt.  My classes interweave dynamic, strengthening and energising sequences with complete surrender, softness, release and letting go, respecting the true balance needed within for well being and health. Creating balance is at the heart of a yoga practice and we see it reflected in nature all the time. There is a beauty in both movement and stillness, strength and softness, dynamic and gentle, masculine and feminine, night and day, sun and moon, our own inner light and darkness and each practice will provide opportunities to move through these states of being. Moving through these states creates a sense of equilibrium in our being and helps to integrate our body, mind, heart and spirit connection leading us towards the union that yoga speaks of. In this way each class is a journey designed to heal and connect us to all the layers of ourselves from the physical body all the way through to the spirit being. There is always a meditative approach as well as taking into account the cycles of the moon, the rhythm of the earth and how everyone feels on that day. In this way we approach our practice with the true present awareness for what is needed for us in that moment, which is ever changing. Connecting to both Earth and Sky both physically with our body and through breath and energy work is also a key aspect of what I share. Not only does it feed us on an energetic level and allow us to feel held and nourished, when we connect to ourselves as part of the Earth and the web of life we can invoke a remembering of our true nature as children of the Earth. Classes are also a musical voyage with devotional, awakening, inspiring music and mantra used to enhance the connection to the heart space and revitalise us on a cellular level.