Meet Gretchen. An American expat living in France. She joined us last season as a community member and this season as part of the MLPC team. Gretchen teaches Mindful Let Go (kundalini) and she’s taking the Sober Curious Yoga Teacher Trainning with Alex. Gretchen and Alex met on a sober Facebook group and she also taught a free Kundalini class as part of the Sober Curious Yoga Week 2021. Kundalini yoga can be quite challenging at times but Gretchen’s style of teaching is so inviting and inclusive for all. I caught up with Gretchen and interviewed her for our blog. Her’s her answers…
Where in the world are you? Tell us more about yourself?
Gretchen: I live in the Savoie countryside, in France, and my playground is our mountains. I was born in the US, grew up in Maine (a state to which I'm still very attached), and went to school in Boston. I've been living in France since 1996 and am a dual citizen.
How long have you been teaching yoga and what pushed you to become an instructor?
Gretchen: I did my first YTT online with Yoga Farm Ithaca during lockdown in 2020 [due to Covid-19], and started teaching early on as part of that program. I'd been thinking about doing teacher training for a while, and before Covid my plan was to do a YTT in India as my 50th birthday present to myself in 2021. When we were locked down in March 2020, I knew it would be hard for me psychologically, and a little voice inside me said I needed a project that would lift me up. I looked around online and found a program that felt like the right fit. I loved it so much that in 2021 I completed their 300-hour YTT in kundalini.
When did you start practicing yoga (before you started teaching) and how did yoga change your life?
Gretchen: The first yoga class I remember taking was when I was in college, 30 years ago. It felt too slow. I took yoga classes every now and then over the years, but really got hooked when I took a vinyasa class with Anna Sologub @anikoyoga in Grenoble, France in 2015. She was so generous with her time and energy, and there was a mystical feel in all her classes where I lost track of time and space and felt a real sense of connection to the universe. I was really sad when she moved away. I kept doing yoga on my own, tried a few more classes, and then decided to do a YTT myself. Doing yoga made my life better, but studying yoga and practicing yoga on and off the mat is what has changed my life; I have developed a greater sense of self through the study of kundalini, Ayurveda, lunar wisdom and the Enneagram.
If you had to describe your teaching style, how would you?
Gretchen: Inclusive and spiritual. I really feel that yoga is for everyone, and give modifications so that my students can find the right thing for them. For me, yoga isn't about making a pose look a certain way; it's about developing a deeper connection to your body and listening to your body, tapping into your own spirituality through meditation, movement and mantra. Social justice is part of my practice; I follow Susanna Barkataki, and am inspired at how she lives yoga, and demonstrates that you don't need a yoga mat or any special clothes to do yoga. Thanks to her, I've made efforts to not culturally appropriate yoga. For example, although I used to end classes with "Namastay," I no longer do that because I learned that this word is used as a greeting in India.
What is the intention you try to instill in your students?
Gretchen: You are beautiful and perfect just the way you are. Find your light, and shine it out into the universe.
What is your favorite posture? Your least favorite posture?
Gretchen: In vinyasa yoga, I'd say my favorite posture right now is Goddess because it's such a powerfully feminine pose, and I feel fierce when I do it. I wouldn't say I have a least favorite posture, but some are harder for me to do than others. For example, I always find eagle pose a challenge. My jam these days though is kundalini yoga. I don't have a favorite or least favorite kriya (set of exercises), because each kriya is for a specific purpose and I can choose the kriya for whatever issue I'm facing. Stretch pose can be horrible when I'm doing it, but has so many benefits.
What is your favorite Mat? And why?
Gretchen: I'm really not fussy about a mat as long as it has good grip, particularly in vinyasa. I'm thinking of getting a traditional sheep rug to put over my mat for kundalini (just wool, not the skin as I love animals!)
Set the scene for your perfect practice - paint us a picture!
Gretchen: I love doing yoga outside... I often say that nature is my drug of choice. In the forest, in the mountains, on the beach, or in my own garden, I find practicing yoga and meditation outside is really special.
What’s the biggest myth about yoga instructors? Set the record straight!
Gretchen: That we are zen. I think most yoga teachers get into yoga because we are NOT zen. I suffered from and self-medicated for anxiety most of my life (you can imagine how well that worked) until I found yoga. I still get anxious (I am predominately vata dosha so it's not really a surprise), but I know what to do now to find release from those feelings without turning to mind-altering substances.
What was one of your most heartfelt moments in teaching?
Gretchen: It's really whenever I'm made aware that the practice I lead made a difference to my students. Sometimes after class, a student says something like, "That's just what I needed," or "I so look forward to Thursday nights," and I'm just so happy to be sharing the medicine of yoga. I also am filled with joy when I lead mantra chanting, and I look at the screen and see my students chanting and swaying and I know how deeply personal the experience is, but we're all doing it together.
Any advice to newbies teachers/students? (And oldies?)
Gretchen: For teachers: If you want to teach yoga, teach yoga. You don't need to be able to do every pose, and you can teach poses you don't know how to do. You won't be the right teacher for everyone, and that's ok. You will be the right teacher for your students; you will find each other. For students: be kind and accepting of your body and yourself. Stay on your mat, which means don't compare the way your pose looks to other people in the room. Find what feels right for your body. Use props if it feels good.
Where do you see yoga in the next five years?
Gretchen: Even more popular than it is today. The world is crazy, and more and more people are suffering psychologically and spiritually. There are so many different kinds of yoga and they all have different benefits. There really is something for everyone in yoga, both on and off the mat. I feel so lucky to be part of this.
Thank you Gretchen for answering our questions. If you have any questions or comments for Gretchen make sure to leave them in the comment section below. Join Gretchen Mindful Let Go (Kundalini) every Thursday