Kate Baldwin is one of our teacher training mentors in O’ahu. Her recent group of trainees just graduated and are slowly infecting the world with wonderful Wanderlust yoga teaching goodness. We caught Kate for a few minutes and to pick her brain about the little things.
Interested in our teaching training? We’ve got a bunch of options coming up.
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Wanderlust: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Kate Baldwin: Happy.
WL: What did your child self want to be when you grew up?
KB: An FBI or Secret Service Agent. I grew up in a family of FBI agents, law enforcement and politics, so civil service seems to be in my blood. I strayed somewhat off track, although I am still in service… just without the gun.
WL: What is your personal theme song?
KB: Hmmm…I definitely have more than one, but what comes to mind is:
It takes me back to my youth, but I also really love the meaning. And it has great energy. Back when I was a long distance runner, this song was the first one on my playlist.
WL: What is your favorite yoga pose?
KB: Utkatasana…because it is hard.
WL: What is your least favorite yoga pose?
KB: Utkatasana…because it is hard.
WL: What has been your most embarrassing moment as a yoga teacher?
KB: Ha. It still cracks me up when I think about it. I was teaching class in a brand new yoga top which turned out to be more fashionable than functional. I was leading a group of 20 or so through a basic breathing exercise at the beginning of class, and as I made my way up from uttanasana to urdhva hastasana my top slipped down and I flashed the class. I was mortified.
WL: What do you love about what you do?
KB: The opportunity to facilitate and witness change. I rarely find something as fulfilling and poignant as being able to assist someone on their path of Self discovery. Yoga has been so deeply transformational for me, as it is for most of us, and being able to deliver that possibility to people brings me an immense amount of joy.
WL: What challenges you about what you do?
KB: I don’t get to do enough of it.