About Kati
Kati Buckner, E-RYT 500
I have always marched to the beat of my own drum, and that has not always been easy. I dropped out of high school, and then went on to graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, the UNC-CH School of Law and to pass the North Carolina Bar exam. Despite my sometimes meandering life path, nobody can say that I lack discipline. In Yoga speak, I often have an overabundance of Tapas - zeal, discipline, fire - or, a highly energetic zest for life. Despite this energy, for much of my life, I lacked self-respect and a meaningful connection with my Spirit. With the help of Yoga, I went from searching for the meaning in life to finding the meaning in everything.
I completed my RYT 200 training in 2016 at the Asheville Yoga Center. I completed my RYT 300 training with Adam Whiting Yoga in 2020.
Yoga helped me to build a life where my insides match my outsides, and I built this magnificent life “brick by boring brick.” There is no easy way, but I have found many simple tools and combined them to make the hard things in life a little easier. This simple approach does not mean it is easy, and I find community helps to hold everyone, myself included, accountable.
It is my Dharma to share my high energy and method of moving and living with others. I like to share these tools and my own life lessons in the form of quippy one-liners and stories. I can be corny, but I mean what I say.
The eight(8)-limb path is simple, but not easy.
My own Yoga journey is a path of self-awareness, self-discovery and self-actualization. Awareness is not an easy journey. There has been disappointment, physical injury and general disenchantment with the Yoga world. Despite the countless obstacles in life, when I reach for the tools provided by the eight-limbed path of Yoga, I have everything I need to face the challenges of the present moment.
Life feels a bit like putting puzzle pieces together. The more I study Yoga and use these practices to manage my own challenges, the more pieces of my puzzle fit together. Suturing these practices together provides me with a clearer and clearer picture of my puzzle and my purpose. This clearer picture has provided me with a greater sense of confidence and self worth.
The first two limbs are our rules to live by: the (1) Yamas and the (2) Niyamas. There are five of each, totaling ten rules. Summed up most simply, these rules teach us to not be an A-hole. The Yamas relate more to how we interact with the world around us. The Niyamas are more about how we treat ourselves when nobody (including social media) is looking. Join our community to hear how I interpret these rules in my own life through my messaging. Spoiler alert: my perspective changes with the ever-changing depth of my own knowledge and experience.
It is hard to live by these virtuous rules. The next five limbs are the tools that help us to live in a challenging world. The tools help us avoid going crazy and making hard things harder on ourselves.
The tools include, (3) Asana - postures and movement done in a mindful way. Such mindful movement is meant to be sustainable for the lifetime. Truly, it is movement meant keep a healthy flow within our bodies, so that we may sit well in meditation. Overdoing it to the point of injury is not rewarded - we practice to balance effort and ease.
Perhaps the most important tool, (4) Prānāyāma, includes breath work of many varieties. Prānā is not just the breath, but the vital life force energy of the body. Controlling the breath helps us to restore our vital energy and heal our bodies. Breath work can both calm and energize the physical body, as well as, the energy of the mind. In my experience, this is the most quickly effective and magical tool in your toolbox.
The fifth limb, (5) Pratyāhāra, roughly translates to "withdrawal of the senses." You do not have to live as a monk in the woods to practice this. We begin by bringing our focus, awareness and energy back to the simple beauty of each present moment. The material world is overstimulating and distracting - we can lose our connection to our Spirit chasing insatiable materialism and sensory indulgences.
The sixth limb, (6) Dhāranā, concentration, rewards the mind for being quiet. Start by to focusing on one thing at a time, such as your breath. Notice how often your mind wanders off if you try to keep your attention your breath. Perhaps start with a few breaths and work your way up to a few minutes. There are many ways to practice Dhāranā, and all concentration practices will help to train your mind and prepare your mind for meditation
The seventh limb (7) Dhyāna, is meditation, or prolonged concentration. Holding our attention for a long time on a single point of interest is the hardest. Work your way up slowly, start with 12 minutes and work your way up to 20-30 minutes. There are many kinds of meditation. There is no right or wrong - find a method that you feel motivated to practice. If meditation becomes emotionally or mentally destabilizing, promptly seek the help of a mental health professional.
If you use all of these tools, you have a multi-faceted toolbox for dealing with life’s challenges and enjoying life’s many gifts. You will be rewarded from time to time for your efforts with moments of inner peace. The eighth limb, (8) Samadhi - bliss, Nirvana, “Heaven on Earth,” or inner peace - is the intermittent result of doing the work. Prolonged bliss is not promised - life can be quite challenging and out of our control. Yoga brings ease to the challenges of life and helps us to avoid many challenges of our own making. These moments of inner peace help us to find the meaning in it all.
“yoga is the journey of the Self, through the Self, to the Self.”
-Bagahavad Gita