a glimpse into the life of a tyu ytt grad:
What training(s) have you done with the yoga underground?
I did 200-hour and 300-hour YTT!
When did you do your training?
I completed both of my trainings last year back to back from Jan-March 2023.
What’s your life like now?
My life is wonderful and filled with joy! My biggest take away from this experience still a year later has been learning to slow down and actually take breaks. Real ones, not the “how can I make this break *feel* productive kind, ya know? I’m trying to not sound so cliché but its true! I’m one of those perfectionist gals that tend to overthink every detail of my life. (hard not to with being a photographer and having been trained to zoom in 400% to fix a few pixels on nearly every picture) So going to training every night for several hours to learn to relax and just have fun is truly a tool everyone needs in their toolbelt. Otherwise we burn out and the remaining tools we do have won’t help. It’s a lifetime pursuit, but I really feel like it sunk in more how important it is to take time to practice stillness.
What was your favorite part of YTT?
Very difficult to just pick one, but learning yoga nidra, yin yoga, trauma informed and using instruments/props with yoga were incredible! I am very hands on and immersive with my style of teaching so learning to make the practice three dimensional was truly transformative for me! The moment I experienced true “la la land” during yoga nidra changed the way I viewed yoga forever. And that’s a high I seek every time and ever since ;)
What do you still use that you learned in your YTTs & how?
I use a lot from the mediation lectures from Stephen, specifically the exercise of writing down our biggest lie we tell ourselves and doing the steps to help us believe the opposite. For example, my biggest lie that I tell myself is “I am not good enough” and whenever I feel the weight of that sentence I remember the exercise he taught us to help throw that lie away. I get my confidence back with the truth: I am good enough and have always been. That philosophy really bleeds into every aspect of my life. When I do yoga, when I am needing to memorize things, when I prepare for my photoshoots and so much more.
I also discovered that stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing vulnerability revealed capabilities within me that I never knew existed. You don’t know what you don’t know, as they say.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done using your YTT certification?
I taught at a small yoga studio in the summer after my training, all my classes were based on the 5 senses and it was such a sweet time for me! I loved every single class I got to teach and brought in things like mint leaves, grapes and kaleidoscopes to engage our whole being into the practice–ultimately to have fun! I have since taught privately to friends and strangers at small events and get-togethers. I love that I have this training in my pocket to use whenever I can.
What advice would you give to someone interested in doing YTT?
There’s always going to be reasons to not do something, time is going to pass no matter what—why not do it and have the gift of transformation just readily at your fingertips? It’s an experience that I’ll cherish forever and it remains precious to me! Before I signed up, I essentially told myself my life can start after I graduate college, meaning I needed to do one thing at a time and I’d do YTT after school. But it felt right, so I took a sabbatical from school to do it and it was exactly what I needed….not just for teaching but the experience as a whole!!! It was more than just learning to be a yoga teacher BY FAR. Also, who cares if you might not teach full time immediately, or how you’ll use your certifications, if you feel the pull to do it, start with 200-hour and just see! I didn’t plan to do 300-hour at all (especially back to back) but it just felt right and it was *so fulfilling*. I had the means to do so and it was incredible. Also I did it with my bff and that truly made it so special. (do 300-hour *for sure* is my secret advice, like for reals it was the best)
How can people find you?
people can find me on instagram at @keribkemp and @kkempography :)
We love you, Keri, and we are so excited about the incredible life you are living & proud to call you a TYU YTT grad! Make sure to check out Keri’s IGs linked above.
xoxo,
the yoga underground
Have you graduated YTT with us and are now doing cool shit? We want to spotlight you! Email us at yogaundergroundutah@gmail.com & we’ll give you a special shoutout. We love you!
