An Interview with Cat Haayen, Director of Athletics
For anyone interested in deepening their YogAthletics experience beyond the regular class hours, there will be a 40 class module opportunity in July.”
By Catherine Helen Swanson, Green Monkey Athletics Assistant & Intern
I’d seen her standing on her head, followed her fast paced classes geared towards athletes and been thrilled every time I’d reached a well deserved shavasana at the end her class every week. Still, that was a very different Cat than the one who walked into a tiny local coffee shop to sit an interview with me. She seemed smaller outside the classroom, dressed casually in jean shorts and a green pla id button-down. She greeted me with an enthusiastic smile and ordered a double cappuccino from the waitress. I complimented her new short hair and she shrugged about it before shaking a sugar packet into her drink and saying:
“I just needed a change, I guess.”
As I pulled out my pad of paper with questions scrawled haphazardly across the pages she became more serious, however, and as the discussion turned to yoga it became immediately evident how seriously she takes her job as an instructor at Green Monkey.
How do you define your yoga lifestyle?
“I find yoga not to be just on the mat but off the mat. Yoga the practice is the foundation, but the true yoga starts off the mat. It helps me Balance my life in general, not just as an athlete or yogi, but in every aspect. It definitely enhances every experience and setback life brings and helps me see the possibilities within the hurdles.”
How does yoga define you?
“I don’t feel that yoga defines me. I feel that it fortifies and strengthens who I am.”
How do you see yoga throughout your life? What stages do you predict your relationship with yoga will go through?
“I feel that I will probably remain committed to practice, but as time goes by and because I am an instructor, it will be less about me and more about helping people find what I have found throughout time. As my body changes and I embrace my limitations as they come, it will be more about giving than my own personal practice.”
What changes has yoga lead you through?
“I feel a strengthening and Balance within my body, soul, and mind. Physically it has made me stronger, more energetic, more powerful, made my muscles more powerful. Yoga has cleansed me physically. It physically makes me want to eat healthy; I crave healthier foods and an overall healthier lifestyle. It has enhanced my outlook on life. It’s helped me persevere through the hard times. Yoga has helped me broaden my thoughts and helped me think with a clear, focused mind and also helped me think with a clear, calm mind.”
How does YogAthletics® cater to an athlete?
"I wanted to create a (yoga) practice that was friendly for athletes. Not only did I create something that was easy for them to understand, but at the same time I created something for someone who would never have tried yoga. Surprisingly, YogAthletics happened to become something that was sought out by people who weren’t even athletes…just people who had the curiosity, who had somewhat of an athletic background. The class was developed in such a way that it wasn’t just talking about ‘oming’, chanting, sutras and chakras, but more so helping these people understand it from a language that was friendly for them. By taking the language of yoga and translating it into a language that anyone could understand, especially an athlete.”
Where can we get more YogAthletics®?
“You can find more info on YogAthletics in the Athletic Monkey, our online newsletter that has articles that are athlete specific and have information that can help athletes, specifically with straightforward information. It doesn’t dive too deep spiritually. You can understand the benefits of yoga from an athlete’s standpoint.
I will be at the Miami international Triathlon on the 13th and 14th of March presenting two YogAthletics clinics.
I also encourage all YogAthletes to attend the Stretch Resistance workshops lead by Terrance Murphy on the first and second Saturdays of every month from 2-3pm at the South Miami Tree House. These stretching classes enhance yoga practice and deepen your knowledge regarding flexibility.
For anyone interested in deepening their YogAthletics experience beyond the regular class hours, there will be a 40 class module opportunity in July.”
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