Kasey Barbey Sallurday

My second yogi for the Geneva adventure was Kasey Barbey Sallurday, a month before we met she had given birth to her first child yet even on the basic of postures you can feel the awareness of the now.
Thanks to her I got to meet two other yogis, so my deepest gratitude for the kindness, the time she spared in meeting up and answering my questions, Thank you Kasey!

Q: How did you find out about yoga?
My first yoga class was one being offered at my school when I was 14 and the only thing I remember was that the woman demonstrated using a neti pot and finding that quite interesting and odd. Once I was in college, I began taking classes at my university and trying out classes at various yoga studios in Philadelphia (USA).

Q: How long have you been practicing yoga?
I began taking classes on a regular basis in 2008.

Q: Why did you decide to start teaching yoga?
I had a particular opportunity to attend a weekend teaching training course through my university and to offer classes at the recreational center there. We covered only the asana aspect of yoga and I felt comfortable guiding this aspect of yoga quite early thanks to my 13 years experience in ballet.

Q: Where did you study teaching yoga?
I practiced with various teachers in Philadelphia during my last year of university and continued when I moved to Geneva, Switzerland. As I traveled throughout the US and Latin America from 2011-2012 I deeply developed my personal practice. And once I settled back in Geneva, it became time to cultivate more stability and to work and teaching seemed like the most evident choice. I continued my self-study on another level as it inspired my full time teaching from 2013 until the end of my pregnancy in 2014. I searched for a teacher training passively for a while and then actively during about 6 months and eventually found one, however after finding out I was pregnant, I decided it wasn’t the time to compete a one-month intensive training and took that as a sign that it wasn’t what I was meant to do at this time.

Q: how long have you been teaching?
Both formal classes at my university and informal practices with friends and family since 2009.

Q: Was there anything that was hard for you to your own personal practice? How did you overcome it?
It was difficult to cultivate a daily self-practice on my own until I was traveling and my practice served as an anchor and a deep source of grounding and connection for me during that period of movement and change. Once I finished traveling, it took me some time to recognize that my needs were different and that in order to respect my self, I had to allow my practice to adapt as necessary, even if that meant not practicing on my mat in the same way. This brought my focus to my practice of yoga which occurs off the mat in daily life.

Q: How did your yoga changed since you become aware of your pregnancy? And what advice would you give to the pregnant yogi?
My practice has gone through changes and phases since I began practicing, being affected by things like traveling, work, teaching yoga and of course pregnancy. I’ve learned it’s important to allow one’s practice the space and freedom to change and this may mean being more focused on daily experiences and whatever helps to find one’s personal balance and connection with our source whether it be through taking walks in nature, painting or appreciating quiet moments with loved ones. Pregnancy is when we’re most grounded and attuned with our intution and so I encourage all women to follow that and to acknowledge the sacred-ness of this miraculous process of pregnancy and birth !

Q: Personal motto?
My personal mantras change depending on my current situation, but some general ones I appreciate are ; All is well. I surrender to my deeper knowing. Going with the flow, being the flow.

Q: how did yoga improve your life?
Yoga has influenced how I perceive my journey through life and how it’s interconnected to everything surrounding me. It’s given me tools and inspiration for cultivating positive, high vibrational thoughts and feelings and ways to cope with challenging situations that are inevitably part of life. This has been my motivation for sharing yoga with others, hoping to inspire and increase overall well-being.

Kasey Barbey Sallurday Ananda Yoga website:
ksallurday.wix.com/yoga