CHASE CONNOLLY

WHAT DREW YOU TO KATONAH YOGA?

When I went to my first Katonah class I knew to expect a lot of specificity in the way of measure and how to execute poses. What I didn't fully expect was the depth of the theory. I already had a substantial interest in Chinese Medicine and Taoist philosophy, but it always stayed fairly separate from my yoga practice. Seeing all of these things merge together was a poetic and enlivening experience and all I knew was that I wanted more.

HOW HAS KATONAH CHANGED YOUR PRACTICE & TEACHING?

The most notable change within my practice is that I've learned how to use the theory to work with injuries that I sustained from a decade of vinyasa practice. Now, I am pain free almost everyday and days that I'm not, I am equipped with an approach that allows me to explore what is happening to reframe whatever is popping out of place. I also see how my practice relates to my life in a completely different way. My asana practice simply feels more poignant to my daily life. My teaching has completely changed. Instead of feeling like I have to create something uniquely choreographed, emotionally moving, or seemingly profound, my goal is to help people reorient and to see how practical this practice can be. To me the practicality and pragmatic nature of Katonah Yoga is a huge part of its magic. 

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN KATONAH CHANGE STUDENTS?

At least once a week someone walks up to me and tells me about how they left class with no pain or were pain free for a number of days after class. This stuff works and students feel changed when they leave. My regular students tell me all the time about how they take the measuring techniques and other parts of the theory and apply them in all of their yoga classes to set themselves up better. Additionally, I see how the theory really starts to permeate their lives and how they use it to see things about themselves and the world differently.