EMILY HAGER

WHAT DREW YOU TO KATONAH YOGA?

The real magnetism of the practice was how immediately and dramatically it impacted my emotional well-being. I knew instantly that this was a practice that could profoundly change the quality of my life in a powerfully positive way. 

HOW HAS KATONAH CHANGED YOUR PRACTICE & TEACHING?

It has changed everything in my practice and teaching. It has changed me physically, emotionally and spiritually. For years I had been trying to organize and find myself with harmful, unsustainable techniques. My home practice has given me access to my interior in the most generative way I’ve ever experienced. I find myself moving forward rather than feeling like I’m struggling to tread water. I have more fun and confidence in my teaching as I’ve found it become more subtle, strategic and conversational with good contact.

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN KATONAH CHANGE STUDENTS?

My favorite thing is to see students begin to question the way they’ve been understanding their stories, circumstances and selves. It starts physically, often with an adjustment — I associate it with the slight turn to two o’clock, the shift in perspective where students can really start to see what they haven’t been seeing, the feeling of space that’s never been there before. It is both an unsettling and exciting moment, where nothing and everything makes sense, but change is definitely occurring.