Today we’d like to introduce you to Karehma Simon.
Hi Karehma, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I took my first Yoga class in 2010 at a major gym chain in Cincinnati, Ohio. My friend and roommate at the time invited me to an evening session. I was working a grueling 3rd shift temporary job and I was really looking for some balance in my life with such an odd schedule. That class gave me something to do for myself so I didn’t feel like I was living at night and half-asleep during the day. My friend didn’t continue on with the classes, but me? I didn’t look back. As usual, when you pick up something and like it, you think of yourself as an expert, not yet knowing there is way more to learn. I became something like an enthusiast and began sharing my newfound practice on social media. Another friend eventually sent me an e-flyer about a 200-hour Yoga teacher training held by Vitality – Cincinnati. I enrolled in Fall of 2013 and graduated Spring of May 2014. I taught classes to anyone who would ask me from groups in non-profits to private sessions with friends and acquaintances. I took a hiatus for a couple years as I was in the middle of a career transition as a Mechanical Engineer.
In early 2018, about eight months after I moved to San Diego, I revisited the idea of teaching again. I started teaching donation-based classes and trying to create content. But I found myself stuck. I had a vision of the benefits I wanted to share with people, but I did not have a clear idea of how to get there. I founded Yoga Yourself in 2019 and the more I fleshed out ideas, the more I began to realize it was time to continue my education. I enrolled in the 300-hour YTT at YogaOne – San Diego Fall of 2019.
It was one of the best educational decisions of my life. My ideas finally began to synthesize. Today, I have expanded my practice beyond Ashtanga, which I learned in my 200-hour YTT, and now emphasize an alignment-based practice that teaches students how to skillfully and efficiently use their bodies and reduce chances of injury.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My challenges in being a Yoga instructor is not unlike most Yoga instructors, and that is teaching classes that do not leave you burned out. The good news about the abundance of Yoga practitioners is that it shows a trend in the direction of being more physically, mentally, and spiritually awakened. The down side is, because there is such abundance of Yoga practitioners and teachers, people have to see you and what you offer as being unique. There is a sort of commodification in teaching Yoga. I’ve had to learn it is okay to choose my clients wisely. This has challenged me to make my message clear about what my teaching style provides and not to compromise that. Other than that, the challenges are welcomed with “effort and ease”, a very handy reference I learned in my advanced teacher training. The challenges, as in an asana practice, brings about insight.
We’ve been impressed with Yoga Yourself, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Yoga Yourself provides private yoga instruction to clients who seek 1-on-1 coaching in their practice. “The Yoga Yourself Approach emphasizes 4 main junctions: Compensation, Exploration, Balance, and Freedom. An initial session starts with the basics of posture alignment to uncover possible compensation. Misalignment in the body leads to not fully accessing muscle groups and structures that are intended to bear their share of weight, which leads nagging pain or even injury. This approach works well for those who are looking to gain confidence in their practice before going to a beginner level group flow class, where they may still feel pressure to keep pace, or may not get the special cues they need. Private sessions also work well for retired professional, semi-professional or otherwise athletic individuals who seek lower impact activity to heal the body from its previous demands. Although the emphasis sounds purely physical, sitting meditation is integral to our practice to realize transformation. Yoga Yourself gladly offers group classes and workshops as well, by request.
What matters most to you?
I believe we have to take better care of our bodies to take care of our minds. Right now, our minds drive our bodies for output. So we cannot hear the body when it says it’s in pain or restless. We must submit to the body so we can hear the thoughts that make us endlessly busy and burned out. Helping practitioners develop this listening skill so that it is at-the-ready is most important to me. My goal as an instructor is to teach what is necessary so that a practitioner can sustain a skillful practice on their own.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@yogayourselfnow.com
- Website: www.yogayourselfnow.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/yoga_yo_self/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yogawillheal/
Image Credits
Parchelle Hotten, at Parchelle Tashi Media
