Enter Educator: Julian Gregory

Meeting ourselves right where we are. Being curious about it, so we can enjoy the process of yoga, we can enjoy who we are in the moment. Listening to the body, letting it take the lead. I want people to have fun in yoga, to smile and maybe even laugh a little. Because it’s not what we do, but how we do it. I want yoga to be a loving, exciting, enriching experience for myself and others. With a little sense of playfulness, not taking it all so seriously. I have spent a lot of time on my mat, so I share my depth of experience. This does not mean I’m super bendy (never have been). This just means I like the wholeness of what yoga brings. Every person can experience this, no matter what their level of yoga, or body shape or size. Yoga is not a destination, it is a way of being.

Julian Gregoiry demonstrating Apanasana, the knees to chest pose.

WHY YOGA

It’s always been there for me, to help me through difficult times, to remind me of my wholeness, to calm and soothe me.

 HOW I LIVE MY PRACTICE

I try to slow down. In everything. I’m not on social media, I cook all my own food, I tend to myself carefully. I’ve lived a lot, and too fast. My body needs me to be more aware of it, to slow down, and that’s how I take my practice off my mat. Because when I practice yoga, my focus is on slowing down, and being mindful.

WHERE I AM MOST CHALLENGED BY MY PRACTICE

It’s about letting my body lead. Not my mind or ego, or what I ‘think’ I should be doing. I’m getting to the point where this is coming more naturally, I’m not striving so much during practice. However, this remains my achilles heel – the desire to strive to be something more than what I am already. It’s a process :).

THE ONE THING I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

I’m pretty minimalist, so I can’t think of an ‘object’ that I couldn’t live without. I love taking naps on my couch, so I wouldn’t want to live without my couch, but it seems a bit silly to say my couch is the one thing I can’t live without, but maybe it is 😉

THE BOOK I KEEP ON MY BED SIDE TABLE

I read a lot, so this always changes. Right now I’m reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Craft Rubin.

HOW I HAVE FUN OFF MY MAT

I love to dance, to be outdoors, hang with friends and family.

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE

Life has seasons, and it works best when we respect them.

WHAT I AM COMMITTED TO

Trying my best.

WHAT I SHARE IN MY TEACHING

Meeting ourselves right where we are. Being curious about it, so we can enjoy the process of yoga, we can enjoy who we are in the moment. Listening to the body, letting it take the lead. I want people to have fun in yoga, to smile and maybe even laugh a little. Because it’s not what we do, but how we do it. I want yoga to be a loving, exciting, enriching experience for myself and others. With a little sense of playfulness, not taking it all so seriously. I have spent a lot of time on my mat, so I share my depth of experience. This does not mean I’m super bendy (never have been). This just means I like the wholeness of what yoga brings. Every person can experience this, no matter what their level of yoga, or body shape or size. Yoga is not a destination, it is a way of being.

HOMETOWN

Rural Kanata, Ontario, which is in the Ottawa Valley, part of the Canadian Shield.

EDUCATION / OTHER CERTIFICATIONS

200-hr Yoga Teacher Training certified in 2015 (Janati Yoga School, Kingston, Ontario). Honours Bachelor of Arts in Global Development Studies & Gender Studies (Queen’s University, Kingston, ON). Certified Terrain & Water Resources Technician (Sir Sandford Fleming College, Lindsay, Ontario).

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD:…(EG. OTHER CAREERS, SCHOOLING HOBBIES ETC.)

I learned about yoga from a book on the ABC’s of yoga that my mom had when I was sixteen. My most consistent practice began nine years ago right here at Samatva! I’ve worked here and at other studios, and come home to teach where I began.

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Peace, Love + Grooviness,

Samatva Yoga

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Detox, Peace Out, (em)Power, Restore and Live Free. With studio locations in both Kingston West End and Downtown we guarantee that you will find a practice right for you. Experience over 70 drop-in Hot and Room Temperature classes per week. Sweat, move, and open, relax, restore, cleanse and invigorate. Explore and deepen your yoga practice with one of our 25+ YogaAlliance Certified Educators as they guide you on the inner journey of self-inquiry. We have now been inspiring happy, healthy, peaceful lives in our Kingston community for almost 15 years and continue to grow and thrive, and bring calm and joy to people in our ever-growing city. Be alive. Be strong. Be fit. Be Happy. Just be.

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