Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalyn Potter.
Kalyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The path that has led me into the fitness industry began in my teenage years. My passion for movement was born from a place lacking understanding and deeply imbedded in uncertainty. I was a young girl in high school trying to find my grounding, something that spoke to me, and originally, I was grasping at all the wrong things. I had become unhealthy because I was attempting to challenge myself with a physical workout and diet regime that were unsustainable. Behaviors stemmed from a place of simple unawareness and a lack of knowledge. It was in a Sophomore health class that I learned the first principles of a healthy diet, and they blew my mind. Before, I had simply had no idea. From then I was hooked on knowledge. I took ownership of my previous misconceptions and grew from what I had learned.
As an undergraduate at TCU, I took my first vinyasa yoga class at the university recreation center. My passions for fitness and nutrition deepened with my studies and exploration, but as my interests and awareness broadened, I also became drawn more and more to social sciences and the impacts of a mental health focused practice. It was during my junior year that there was an intersect. While practicing yoga weekly and attending a Sociology class called Sociology of the Body I began to learn what I had experienced as a young teen was not atypical. In yoga, I learned the importance of gratitude and took the first steps to developing a healthier body image. In Sociology of the Body, I learned that my experience was not wholly atypical and that I should be deeply grateful to have I stepped into a Health class when I did. Without that change of perspective, my unsustainable behaviors could have leapt beyond a simple lack of knowledge to a verifiable disorder. It was during this time that the desire to become a yoga instructor began to bubble up.
At first, I was a personal trainer. I worked specifically with individuals diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. It was fulfilling work, deeply involved in the psychology of behavior change. I watched as these individuals built a measurable amout of strength, some for the first time in their lives, and lost enough weight to safely reduce their medication regimen. I saw their confidence build. I pursued yoga on my own time, but something kept nagging at me to take it a step deeper. In 2014, I took the plunge and signed up for a 200 hour teacher training.
The training was nothing I expected. I found challenge and I found a resilient streak that I’ve continued to foster to this day. Even more than that, I found a community of like-minded individuals; several of whom remain dear to me to this day.
Looking back, I am rooted even more firmly in the belief that this training was pivotal in my story. But it was only the start. Since that time, I have continued to work towards advanced education by striving to complete a 500 training hour in Yoga as Therapy. I switched gears into group fitness and have gained other certifications in Barre and Lagree method. I’ve continued to reach for advancement and challenge by moving overseas and back in pursuit of a Masters of Science in Sports & Exercise Nutrition. Education and development are a part of me and a deeply imbedded part of my path. My next challenge is to again take a step away from the physical and move to the contemplative and meditative paths to seek out mental health, well-being and strength.
I’m excited for my next pursuit into Sound Therapy and Sound Group Relaxation Therapy using Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls and gongs. I’m overjoyed at the opportunity to test myself now in new ways. Through learning group instruction, taking ownership of my own development, and employing myself as a manger in the active development of others I’ve learned to use my voice. Now, I get to learn how to take back the silence in a healthy and impactful way to cultivate deep relaxation and healing in myself and others.
It all comes full circle, time and again.
It is because of all this, experienced through the lens of a once young girl attempting to grasp at and grapple with a typified ideal body image, that I continue to seek out the latest scientific resources regarding fitness, nutrition, sociology and psychology. It is a combination of the many opportunities life has afforded me, the choices I’ve made and the experience I’ve reflected on that I continue to prioritize learning. That I strive to uncover more of my own potential and challenge others to bear that mantel for themselves.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Honestly, it has all been worth it. The road has not been smooth, but I’m grateful to know it could have been rockier. This road has taken time to bring me to where I am, with many shifts in perspective and what sometimes feels like a right turn as I move down the path. However, whenever things seem to veer off my anticipated course, wonderful things have fallen into my lap.
Despite my steps towards positive body image and mental health, sometimes old habits die hard. Historically, I’ve struggled to feel that my contributions could be anything of value. That I could be good, or even great, at what I do.
It wasn’t until I came back from a month of bike-packing and travelling through Austria and Eastern Europe that I accepted my current position in management. I had taken the vacation to explore and give myself some reprieve. I had been previously been teaching full time plus a few classes. I was overworked and had found a way to make teaching yoga and fitness unstable by not observing my own boundaries. I needed space to recoup and I did it while traveling with a friend. It wasn’t easy travels, by any means. We sometimes biked 30 or more miles in a day through Bavaria and the foothills of the Alps. I struggled physically with over weighted bike bags and a continued increase in elevation. It challenged me mentally and it tested a friendship. My friend was much more capable at navigating up and down the hilly countryside. Even weighted down with his own bags, he continually outran me. I felt I was holding him back.
While we travelled together, I began a daily travel journal. Detailing thoughts, experiences, revelations and frustrations from miles upon miles we had passed. I had started to muse on how things would change when I returned home. Things had to in order to become sustainable.
On one of my last nights in Europe, I was in a hostel in Copenhagen. I received a notice from the yoga company I taught for back home. The email was sent in mass to the current instructor body for a newly opened Assistant Manager position.
I applied, without much expectation. But upon meeting with the hiring manager, I began to hope. Since receiving notice that I would be hired into the new Assistant Manager position, this position has afforded me the opportunity to dive further into the education I love. My time as a manager has challenged me to lead others as they move down their own yoga paths to greater knowledge. Every bit of experience, both positive and negative, have helped to cultivate a greater sense of self. A stronger stance in who I am and a more steadfast voice with which to speak. Since that time, I’ve learned that I do have input worth contributing and experiences worth giving testament to.
For all of this I am grateful. Especially to the hiring manager who gave me the chance to step in to my own power. I will never be able to express all my gratitude to him for opening this door and for challenging me to deep dive.
For those elsewhere on their path, my advice is to always seek out gratitude. Make it a practice, especially when it feels as though there is nothing left to be grateful for.
Always reserve the right to grow. Never allow someone, including yourself, to pigeon hole you in to who you were yesterday. And once you know better, do better. Ignorance is bliss; with knowledge comes responsibility. I say this as much as a reminder to myself as I do for advice to anyone else.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I have a variety of experiences and a variety of certifications/degrees. I have many interests and I am regularly blown away by just how much opportunity there is as I take a peak down each potential path. I truly feel I could be fulfilled in so many different paths. However, I think each boils down to a few key factors. One key factor in each of them is education through inspiration. Having the freedom to continue to grow and the expectation that self-development is not an only priority but a necessity for success personally and professionally. I am regularly inspired by others and the possibilities that surround us; we feed each other’s drive and elevate together. In that same train of thought, community development is something near and dear to me. I’ve been fortunate in my current position to foster a deeply supportive and enriching community, but I continue to look for ways to be involved with the larger Dallas community, especially in regard to populations in need. And lastly, giving back. In the fitness world, we serve to make every individual’s day brighter through an endorphin-pumping workout that leaves them feeling powerful, but spent. Knowing they will be stronger mentally and physically for the next time. The best question I can ask myself daily is “how can I be of service?” And I strive to. And I’ve begun to follow up this question with “how can I use my voice to enact positive change?”
Currently, I act as the Assistant Studio Manager for a yoga company. I actively partake in the continued development for the instructors at my studio. I operate as one of the leads for Teacher Training; an immersive process to learn more about yoga and complete the requirements to become a yoga instructor.
Outside of yoga, I continue to teach and train instructors in Barre and Lagree method fitness. I offer intense physical workouts full of inspiration, encouragement and the cultivation of positive body image. I strive to stay mindful of my language to bring only the most uplifting classes to my students. I challenge myself and my students to seek out a greater understanding of the connection between mind and body. I believe everything is what you make it. I love to incorporate certain simple movements and ideas with mindful curing for activation and makes a big impact on how it is felt in the body. I believe should be about sequencing in an intelligent way to find strength building as opposed to stringing together only the most “challenging” movements. It isn’t just about being different, but rather being effective.
As I move forward, I am seeking out an opportunity to take my penchant for engagement and creative simplicity off the mat/megaformer and into acts of service for the larger community. I believe in accessibility because without out it some individuals would never have the chance to experience the life-changing benefits of yoga and mindful movement.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kalynedwenayoga
Image Credit:
Dustin Miller @dharanayogi, Daniel Waymel
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