teacher interviews

Name: Courtney McGuiness

Website: www.joyfulpose.com

Where do you teach?: Namaste of Metairie

What wellness services do you offer?: Kripalu Yoga, Yoga Booty Ballet, Teen Yoga, Yoga and Dance for Kids

Courtney is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher at the 200 hour level and is currently working toward her 500 hour professional certification. In addition to yoga classes, Courtney also leads dance classes for children and adults, as well as Yoga Booty Ballet and Yoga Trance Dance. A certified Complementary Healthcare Practitioner, Courtney draws on over 10 years of personal yoga practice, 25 years of dance training, and extensive personal study in the areas of nutrition, energy healing, and other therapeutic modalities. Her intention is to let the “true teacher” teach, allowing each individual to find his or her own connection to self and spirit on the yoga mat and beyond.

Courtney and Namaste of Metaire are offering YL readers some great lagniappe: a 10% discount on all Kids’ and Teens’ Yoga summer camp programs when registering during the month of April. Use code: 619456887749  Expires May 1, 2013

How did you come to love yoga and why do you teach it?  I actually began studying yoga with a Rodney Yee DVD at home. I came for the physical practice and over time noticed the change it was having on my mind and spirit as well; I felt calmer, more positive, and more at peace. The more I explored other teachers, classes, and styles of yoga, the more I wanted to know.

Several years into my personal study, I took a summer off from my “real job” and went to summer camp. I found myself teaching lots of yoga classes there and it was so joyful and fulfilling; seeing those campers – the teens especially – soaking up the physical and the deeper aspects of yoga really opened my eyes to the value of this work. By the end of the summer, I knew without a doubt that this was what I should be doing.

Some of our readers haven’t heard of the unique fusion class you teach called Yoga Booty Ballet. Can you explain what a typical class would be like and if beginners are welcome to join?  Yes and yes! Yoga Booty Ballet is so much fun. One of the great things about it is that it’s designed for all experience levels, and absolute beginners are encouraged to join in without worrying about making a mistake. The moves are easy to follow and there’s always room for personal expression. A typical class begins with centering and some kundalini yoga kriyas to prepare the body and mind for practice. Then we get up and groove! The dance portion of class is uplifting, energizing and full of good vibes. It’s a fun way to burn a few calories and warm up the muscles to prepare for what comes next – sculpt. This part of class uses ballet technique to tone and strengthen the core muscles and the booty! After the hard work, we stretch out body and mind with some blissful hatha yoga and rest in savasana. It’s my one-stop workout for when I need to sweat, laugh, work hard, and relax all in one.

You specialize in teaching yoga to children and teens. What do your younger students teach you about wellness and life in general?  It was a 14 year old student at summer camp who first taught me “yoga off-the-mat.” I was supervising a rock-wall activity but was too anxious to climb it myself. This particular camper had been attending my yoga classes almost daily and had learned more than I even realized I was teaching at the time. At the rock wall, she turned to me and said “You can do this. Focus on your breath. It’s just like yoga; all you have to do is breathe.” It was a pretty incredible moment.

And kids are so great for reminding me to have fun, to look at things with fresh eyes, and to be fully in the moment. I love working with kids.

What type of impact do you hope the practice of yoga will have on New Orleans and our future?  One thing I really hope for this city is that we can reduce the senseless violence. I do believe that teaching yoga and meditation to kids at an early age helps teach them about honoring themselves and that other people are worthy of that same respect; that we are not separate, we are one. It might sound like a naïve or “new-agey” sentiment, but I believe it. I’ve seen the power of teaching yoga to young people and how their views on things change with the tools they acquire on the mat. There are charter schools in other cities where the entire curriculum is yoga-based, or mindfulness-based. They serve quality, whole foods and incorporate centering, meditation, and awareness into everything they do. It’s having a hugely positive impact on their communities. I would love to see programs like that here in New Orleans. We’ve got to help these kids heal and we’ve got to stop this violence. Yoga may not be the only way, but I do believe it is a very viable option.