Karen Rigsby
Biography:
Specialties: I enjoy teaching Hot Yoga, both the original hot/Bikram Yoga (with 26 asanas and two breathing exercises), and the hot Vinyasa style that offers a little more movement and latitude with asana choice. I have pursued ways to teach this style of yoga safely. I have studied the anatomy and physiology of the body for over two decades. I teach a strong practice that doesn’t overextend the body, and my intention is to hold a space that is both safe and challenging in the right direction and for the right reasons.
My “Train for Life” philosophy: I believe our yoga mats can be a microcosm of our lives – a small space where we can practice slowing down, pausing when necessary, and choosing with intention our mindset to continue. Sometimes the parallels between yoga and life are obvious, and sometimes they are much more nuanced, so the slowing down AND the intentional attention can really help us “train for life” on our mat.
If I had 30 extra minutes in my day, I would journal. I have done so off and on throughout my life, and I’ve always found it cathartic and clarifying, but these days, my bandwidth is thin, and I do it infrequently.
Certifications: I have both a 200 hour teacher certification and a 500 hour teacher training certification, and I keep my certification up to date with CE units each quarter, most of them on physiological tenets and/or mindfulness tools.
Education: I have a bachelor of architecture, and I pursued a masters in exercise physiology, and a PhD in bio-mechanics. While I did not finish the latter, my interest is still in the engineering of the human body, PT, and modalities to heal our supremely miraculously sensitive human body.
As a natural introvert, I pursued teaching as a way to make connections with people. I feel we are hardwired, in our DNA, to be in fellowship with one another, and I strive to create a safe place where we can all pursue that with each other.