Embrace Activism-Karen Whittier

“I was out on a long training walk for the 2009 Seattle 3 Day when the phrase Embrace Activism came into my consciousness.  I liked the feeling of empowerment it gave me and that it was a call to action.  At that point, I’d already done many breast cancer events to raise awareness and funds.  Early detection is vitally important, but I wanted to do something that could help prevent breast cancer from starting in the first place.

One of the best ways to reduce the risk for all kinds of disease is by including exercise into your lifestyle.  Through my own experience with yoga as a teacher and student, I knew it would be an ideal way for people to take more control of their own health and wellness.  I might have walked only a few blocks further when the idea of creating yoga products in awareness color lines materialized.  Embrace Activism would provide yoga products in awareness color lines as a way for yoga students to improve not only their health but contribute towards better health for others.”

“I was originally educated and trained in engineering.  But it’s funny how past experiences combine to form just the exact skills set needed for where you are right now.  Right now I’m a registered yoga teacher and business owner of Embrace Activism.  The style of yoga I teach has aspects of  Iyengar, Ashtanga and Viniyoga which corresponds perfectly to different periods of my life.

The engineering curriculum gave me an understanding of how loads are transmitted throughout a structure and using the appropriate materials to support  a structure’s purpose.  This could also describe key factors in the Iyengar school of yoga.  Alignment is paramount in this style of yoga; taking advantage of the inherent strength of bones (the right material choice for this structure, the body) rather than overloading soft tissue (ligaments, tendons, muscles) which can lead to injuries, or worse catastrophic failure…a blown ACL for example.

“I have a love of learning and wanted to share that with others.  I went back to school for early childhood education and co-founded/taught at a preschool located on a farm.  Interestingly, I learned the most about myself and others from my experience with young children.   The preschool years are filled with kidlets learning about themselves; yoga is often described as a journey of self-discovery. Preschoolers are learning about the give-and-take of living in a social community; yoga fosters acceptance and understanding.

There are developmental milestones all children go through, but each child’s progression through various stages is unique.  Accepting the uniqueness of each of us comes into play with Viniyoga.  A Viniyoga practice will, through adaptation of the tools of yoga, will be individualized and tailored for a specific student’s needs.
I’ve combined aspects of Iyengar, Ashtanga and Viniyoga to formed my own style of teaching yoga.  I describe it as Equilibria yoga.”

“The imagery that comes to mind is of an equilateral triangle: a unique form of triangle with a specific alignment and inherently strong.  Additionally, an equilateral triangle highlights the ‘balanced’ nature of yoga where body, mind and spirit are brought into harmony.I am passionate about improving health and wellness through yoga and committed to making a difference.  Engineering gave me a problem-solving outlook; my family supports a can-do attitude; BKS Iyengar said, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”  I want Embrace Activism to empower people to take more responsibility for their own health and contribute to finding those cures.”