WHITNEY TUCKER

WHAT DREW YOU TO KATONAH YOGA?

I was drawn to Katonah because I wanted answers and a client of mine said, "This is very different yoga, but I think you will like it."  Looking back, I wanted accountability and mothering. I wanted boundaries. I wanted disarming truth. I didn't want the spirituality that many yoga asana practices purport to offer. Abbie was the perfect conduit for me to receive information from. It was clear to me that she knew how to set conditions up for people on an individual basis. I knew that if I showed up, I would be met by a powerful witness who had the tools to make me more self-possessed.

HOW HAS KATONAH CHANGED YOUR PRACTICE & TEACHING?

When I found Katonah I was still dancing professionally and looking for a practice that could support the demands of very physically arduous and anatomically un-sound art-making. As well, I had been teaching Pilates for about 8 years and was somewhat bored by how I was looking at the body and movement. The information seemed to apply to all the movement I was investigating as a mover and my clients started to change in ways they hadn't before. It was like the Rosetta Stone! I became much more efficient in my movement and able to address physical and emotional trauma, accepting that trauma can be integrated into a lived experience. Abbie was a very compassionate listener as well; I felt like she saw me, accepted where I was and called forth the diminished aspects of my personality. The practice taught me to measure and not guess or assume. It taught me to play within a community and to be seen and help support others to play well in an "orchestra".  

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN KATONAH CHANGE STUDENTS?

People become well-adjusted to being around others. They become less personal in a vulnerable space. They often stop hiding. They become more community-oriented. These are phrases that Abbie uses from times to time, but they are accurate in my experience. I have seen people receive information that they have been missing for years. If they hear it and integrate it, they start to become more well-rounded; their conversations become easier, they start to help more in class, they start to reach out more to others. It is beautiful to watch.