In this conversation, Kari and I had the opportunity to discuss my favorite things: better understanding our breath, body, mind, and soul! Topics teased out include Kari’s search for the “why”, breathing easier, Kari’s decade-long observation of the breath, viewing time as a non-renewable resource, yoga therapy, the layers of being between the psycho- and physical, causes of mental dis-ease (anxiety, depression), the family tree of the whole body connection, breath as the key to health, small subtle changes, the open source of Google as a learning tool, being home in yourself, maître de soi, Ayurveda – the sister science of yoga, learning to care for the self, Kari’s radical self-care approach, the five elements of Ayurveda (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) and their three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha), finding your internal strength and resilience, what being in control of your breath actually means, breath awareness and conscious manipulation, Ayurveda for infertility, and replacing “deep” with “easy” when thinking about efficient breathing.
ABOUT KARI:
Kari Harendorf is an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist and an E-RYT 500 Yoga Educator, and Reiki Master. She merges spiritual practice with asana and health science to help people feel and be their best.
A teacher of teachers, Kari was on faculty for the 200-Hour and 1000-Hour Teacher Trainings at The Kripalu Schools of Yoga and Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. She is also a Master Trainer of Urban Zen’s Integrative Therapy Program, and spent over a decade leading trainings and anatomy in Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee’s 200 hour and 300 hour Teacher Trainings.
Kari playfully focuses her teaching on helping students and teachers achieve precise anatomical alignment, to awaken the body’s innate intelligence, and foster a sense of awareness and healing through yoga, nutrition, and healthy living.
For the past several years, Kari has devoted herself to studying the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and is currently working on attaining her Ayurvedic Practitioner license. She loves and teaches about the body’s inherent perfect design and its innate ability and desire to be healthy and harmonious. Kari believes, as the yoga scriptures tell us, that there is no separation of the body and mind, and the breath is the bridging aspect between them.
Today Kari lives in the mountains of Great Barrington, MA on a farm with her partner, three children, rescue dogs, cats, goats, horses, chickens, rooster and a rabbit. She grew up in Toronto, Canada and holds a B.F.A. from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
FOLLOW KARI:
VIRTUAL STUDIO: (teaches 2-way livestream via Zoom)
WEBSITE: www.kariharendorf.com
INSTAGRAM: @kariharendorf
YOUTUBE: kariharendorf6924