Feel the Vibration: Meet Kundalini Teacher Dev Shabad Kaur on this Teacher Talk Tuesday

How did you begin practicing and teaching yoga?

I went to my first Kundalini Yoga class having never tried any other form of yoga before and a little over a year later was living at an Ashram doing Kundalini Yoga teacher training! I guess I liked it! 

How has yoga been transformational in your life? 

Oh my. I love that person I was before yoga, and also, I can see all her programs and limiting beliefs and ways she held herself back because she didn’t know her own power. 

Finding that power, understanding my gifts, and turning my hobbies into my career have been just a small part of the transformation Kundalini Yoga has given me. 

What do you do to prepare for class?

As a Kundalini yoga teacher, I wear white for classes and there is a moment when changing and get my hair in a knot on my head that I feel the energy shift. I like to listen to lectures on YouTube on the way to classes, and much of time, they inform what I teach about that day. 

Do you have a favorite pose or movement?

Though Kundalini sometimes has poses that most people are used to, it actually is more a series of movements with breathing or chanting so it’s a little different! I have not seen this pose in a Kundalini Kriya, but my favorite one I do with my kids is Half Moon Pose. ☺️

If you were a yoga pose what would you be & why?

Star Pose because I am a big ball of energy!  😂😂😂 Also because my personal mantra is Be the Light ;) 

What’s your favorite type of music to play while practicing?

In Kundalini yoga we use specific music which is considered to be in the Naad. Snatam Kaur is probably one of the most popular and personal favorites include Gurunam Singh, Sada Sat Kaur, and Jai Jagdeesh. 

Does your personal practice differ from how you teach?

I love to teach active Kriyas; however, I find my personal practice to be more mantra and meditative based. Mantra is my favorite aspect of Kundalini Yoga for sure :) 

Recommended reading (yoga and/or non-yoga)

The most recent book I read is A Complaint Free World, by Will Bower. Though through my practice of Quantum Languaging, I have become much more aware of my words. I feel like this book simply sums up many of the concepts I have been learning, and I have been recommending it to a lot of people 💕

How would you describe yourself? What do you want people to know about you? 

I love to laugh, and I love to go deep into the whys of things. I am real and honest and love to surround myself with people who are passionate and loving and love to go deep with me into real Soul work. 

Outside of yoga what is your passion/Where can you be found?

Numerology! Which is awesome because I have been able to combine the two! In the type of Numerology I do, the numbers refer to different parts of us like our Soul or Aura or Negative Mind. Kundalini is great because it has meditations and Kriyas that help balance those things to it has been amazing to have this integrative approach to my classes and sessions. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I have twins! 3 boys total! I was in the Air Force and graduated from Wash U with a degree in Arabic and Political Science! I support progressive cannabis legislation and am working on upping my zero waste and sustainability game. I feel like I learn new ways every day to make small changes and I am a big advocate of baby steps. 

Anything else? 

I offer Massage, Vibrational Massage, Energywork, Numerology and Spiritual Guidance at the massage space connected to Blue Sky! To schedule a session check out divinewellness.as.me

Join Dev in the Studio: 

Thursdays 11am-12pm Kundalini Yoga; 12-1pm Gong Hour

Upcoming Dec. Events 

Sunday, December 1: Afternoon Gong Bath 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Friday, December 6: 3rd Annual Holiday Open House! 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday, December 7: Lil Yogis Family Yoga at Blue Sky 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Saturday, December 7: Transforming w/ Kundalini Yoga: An Intro Workshop 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Wednesday, December 11: Full Moon Meditation and Gong Bath 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Sunday, December 22: Sonic Massage Workshop with Mo Costello 2:00pm - 3:30pm 

Wednesday, December 25: Christmas New Moon Meditation and Gong Bath 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Tuesday, December 31: Afternoon Reset and Renew (NYE) with Sara Catlett, Mo Costello, and Brenda Anthony

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Wednesday, January 01, 2020: New Year’s Day Workshop with Dev 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Full Moon & New Moon Meditations & Gong Bath since 2017 at Blue Sky Yoga

(check the schedule for 2020 Gong Bath dates)

Other Locations:

Saturday, December 07, 2019: Sound Healing at the SIUE Dome sponsored by Studio Gaia 6:30 pm - 8:00pm

Fuller Dome at SIUE’s Campus - Edwardsville, IL 

Teacher Talk Tuesday: Meet Andrew Bayer

How did you begin practicing and teaching yoga?

I started a committed practice a year and a half ago. I had just moved back to St. Louis, in the middle of a break-up, was trying to finish my undergraduate degree, and had some serious anxiety and depression that went along with that. My therapist and doctor recommended yoga or exercise to help, and it did. As my practice grew, and the closer I got to graduation, the more I realized I didn’t want to figure out what to do with my communications degree. I realized I wanted to be a yoga instructor. 

So, I looked around at some different 200 hour yoga teacher trainings in St. Louis, but many of them take several months to complete. That’s fine if you already have a job, community, etc., but I was still working on obtaining all of that. One of my instructors told me I that traveling might be a good idea. So, I found a few trainings in India and ultimately decided on one in Rishikesh, on the sacred river Ganga. 

Before going, I participated in the January yoga challenge at Blue Sky, which happened to be my first studio experience, and I loved it. I then spent all of February in India, and started teaching at Blue Sky in March.

How has yoga been transformational in your life?

It has given me many tools to calm myself and live a more structured, happy life. There are so many tools within the yoga system that allow us to pull from during hardships. And to transform our life, we need the niyama of svadhyaya (self study or virtuous observance) as a guide to look at what we need in our life, what other parts of yoga to look to for transformation, like asana, pranayama, meditation or a yama or niyama — the tools are all there.

What do you do to prepare for class?

I have a theme for each month based around a part of yoga philosophy. Stacy Berry ERYT500, founder of Yoga Pipeline teacher trainings and public school yoga programs, recommended this practice to me when I was experiencing a period of overwhelm. I teach many classes, so it’s hard to prepare a new, fresh class for each class, every week. So, now I have a monthly theme where poses are based around that theme. Each week is based around a certain flow, peak asana, or sequence that I’m enjoying, and then I adapt that based around the style of class I’m teaching. I spend 2-5 minutes in the beginning of class just talking on the subject of yoga philosophy for that month. I find inspiration from my personal practice, going to other classes, researching, studying and learning…always learning.

Do you have a favorite pose or movement?

My favorite asana is always changing, and I like to include my favorites in most of my classes. For the past few months I’ve been highlighting Vajrasana or Thunderbolt Pose. Typically you might see this as a transition to get to another place, but I like to keep my students in this shape and explain the benefits. 

This is a little different...If you were a yoga pose what would you be and why?

When I practice, If I’m tired I might hang out in Uttanasana or Standing Forward Bend for several breaths (or minutes!). So, Forward Fold, that’s me.

What’s your favorite type of music to play while practicing?

I prefer instrumental music. In India, we didn’t listen to music during our asana practice, and I loved the quiet focus this created — just the cues, your breath and body moving. When I started teaching, I considered teaching without music, but I settled on instrumental music. Lo-Fi Beats and Sweater Weather Instrumentals are Spotify pre-made playlists I enjoy.

Does your personal practice differ from how you teach?

I practice a whole range of yoga styles, and I enjoy teaching a variety — gentle yoga, restorative, a tough vinyasa — as well. I use props during my practice, and I cue poses with props, too.  I don’t like when a class is too fast-paced, and I try not to teach that way, either. I’m usually the slowest moving person in a class; I like to be in each asana for a few breaths.

Recommended reading (yoga and/or non-yoga)

• My current reading is Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow.

• Falling into Grace by spiritual teacher Adyashanti was helpful in my life and a book I’m reminding myself of so I go back to it soon. 

• The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is a great guide to living life, similar to the Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele.

• My favorite book of all-time is a children’s book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, a beautifully illustrated, moving epic by Grace Lin. 

How would you describe yourself? What do you want people to know about you? 

I’m tall. That’s kind of my joke answer. But, it’s true. The reason I bring it up, though, is because I know this might be intimidating, practicing with a male yoga instructor who is a physical presence. But, I’m also a gentle, kind and introspective person. And I hate talking about myself, which is why the only thing I could think of is that “I’m tall.” 

Outside of yoga what is your passion/Where can you be found?

I love coffee shops. I like getting coffee after yoga. I like planning classes, my week and journaling while drinking a latte.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

Before yoga, I was going to be an actor. I studied to become a clown (among other styles of theatre) at Dell’Arte International: School of Physical Theatre. 

Anything else? 

This is kind of embarrassing, but when I first started teaching, I filled out this interview, the one I am doing right now, to learn about what I believed, what I thought about yoga. I went back and looked at it in preparation for this, and it was very different. I recognize the person I was then, but I also know much more about the yoga and wellness world now. I’ve changed. And I’m trying to make the space where I teach more inclusive and am more welcoming for all people. I would like to say: Don’t be afraid to change. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And don’t be afraid to be yourself in every moment.

I’m probably going to look back on this interview in a few months and be embarrassed, too. And that’s alright with me. See you on the mat.

Take a class with Andrew…

Wednesdays @ 4:30-5:30pm: Gentle Yoga

Thursdays @ 6-7am: Open Morning Flow

2nd & 4th Thursdays @ 5-6pm: Meditative Mix

Fridays @ 12-1pm: Flow + Stretch

Teacher Talk Tuesday: Meet Tara Devpriya

How did you begin practicing and teaching yoga?

I first came to yoga my sophomore year in college.  I was feeling pretty lost and overwhelmed with various life stressors and something about yoga was calling out to me, but I wasn’t exactly sure of quite what that was. I grew up as an athlete, playing pretty much every sport I could get my hands on in my formative years through high school. I released my identity as an athlete as I came into college, without consciously recognizing that I didn’t have a relationship with my true identity. It has taken me years to realize that when I was seeking yoga in those early years, what I was truly seeking was connection - connection with Self and connection with Spirit. 

Without any prior knowledge on yoga, I hopped onto Amazon and ordered the yoga DVD with the most/highest ratings: Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond by Ana Bret and Ravi Singh. I can remember being so confused when I popped it into the DVD player - “This is yoga?” I could only complete part of the class and had a lot of difficulty keeping up, mentally and physically. My collegiate distractions took precedence over my peace of mind at that time, and I was not immediately hooked on yoga, though I often heard it calling out to me as a way to find respite from the fast pace of college. I finally mustered up the courage to attend a public yoga class - a leisure offering at LSU, and walked into a quiet, dark room. I quickly closed the door behind me and found a place to sit. The instructor came over to whisper to me that class was finished - I had just bombarded their Savasana! Mortified, I didn’t return to the remainder of the series. A few months later, I found a local studio which was offering free yoga for work trade via manning the front desk. It was at this studio, Yoga Bliss, where the unfolding truly began to take shape. Something deep within my heart stirred in those early days at the studio, and I knew from within that I wanted to learn to teach and share the practice with others. It took years for me to find the courage and belief in myself to attend teacher training. It was absolutely worth the wait and without a doubt the best venture I have ever done for myself. I encourage anyone, whether they desire to teach or not, to give a thought to deepening their practice through teacher training. My experience through teacher trainings have helped me to come to know myself like I never have before and have granted me the gift of a firm foundation for my home practice. I am always hungry for more trainings and hope I never sway from maintaining a beginner’s mindset - each day, each practice, each breath and each moment is new.

How has yoga been transformational in your life?

Yoga has facilitated an unpeeling of myself to reveal who I am inside. It was through yoga that I first learned how to feel - and therefore, how to heal. Each day this process continues, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to know and love myself a little more each day.

What’s your favorite part about teaching yoga?

I love to see the spark of yoga light up in students eyes.

What do you do to prepare for class?

I prefer to practice in some manner before class, be it a few sun salutations or 3 minutes of Ego Eradicator (an empowering Kundalini kriya/meditation which features breath of fire, a breathing practice which is energizing and centering). Finding and residing in my center before class allows me to better hold the space to help my students feel supported as they navigate the path of finding their own space of being. 

Do you have a favorite pose or movement?

I love a good Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) after a long day. It’s even better when fully decked out with a bolster, blanket and eye pillow… pure bliss.

This is a little different...If you were a yoga pose what would you be and why?

Sweet, sweet Savasana. It’s where the magic happens :)

What’s your favorite type of music to play while practicing?

I love to practice to mantra, fluid music with minimal/no words or music that simply makes my heart light up. I’ve found that I easily become distracted when I practice to favorite artists of mine and wind up singing and dancing on my mat… but that certainly can be needed some days! An album I presently can’t get enough of is Ajeet Kaur’s Indigo Sea - so, so beautiful and great for a slow, nurturing practice. I have included this album as well as a playlist of some of my favorite mantras - they are great to put on shuffle while you work at the computer or around the house… or pretty much any time!

• Indigo Sea

• Mantra Magic, a playlist

Does your personal practice differ from how you teach?

The heart of my home practice is my Kundalini practice, my daily Sadhana. I practice first thing in the morning to connect with my Self and set my vibration for the day, even if it’s just a few minutes of breathing and movement. In the Kundalini tradition, we practice the same Kriya and/or meditation for different stretches of time (40 days, 90 days, 120 days, 1000 days) to cultivate a relationship with those particular practices on a deeper level, and I’m typically working with ones which support me through various challenges I may be facing at that time. The remainder of my practice depends on what the day holds for me and what my physical, mental and emotional bodies are calling for — ranging from a strong physical practice to something more slow and introspective like Restorative, Yin, or Yoga Nidra. Some days it just looks like laying on my mat and cuddling with my fur babies - it’s all yoga!

Recommended reading (yoga and/or non-yoga)

• The Untethered Soul, by Michael A Singer

• The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Outside of yoga what is your passion/Where can you be found?

I love live music and dancing, and on a day off you can likely find me on the trail with my pup, Bodhi.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I have been home-brewing kombucha for over a decade (wow, I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about that!)