Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Siepiela, Francisco Kaiut and Heidi Philip.
Christina discovered Kaiut Yoga in 2001. Living a hectic lifestyle as a Family Law Attorney and a College Professor in Curitiba, Brazil, Christina developed a sciatic nerve pain that became so severe it affected her day to day mobility as well her sleep. She heard that Kaiut Yoga could help and she started practicing with Francisco weekly. And help it did.
In 2004, Christina moved to the United States and she continued her yoga practice, but with Kaiut Yoga not available locally she was practicing hot and power yoga, even taking teacher training in another method. After a few years, personal reflection revealed a need for something deeper and more meaningful. She reconnected with Francisco in 2016 and is now working towards her Kaiut Yoga teacher certification under the Intensive Teacher Training program in Toronto, Canada with completion in September 2018.
Christina believes her hiatus from Kaiut Yoga between 2004 and 2016 was a gift that revealed to her the unique benefits of Kaiut Yoga and the privilege of becoming a Kaiut Yoga Teacher. For Christina, the potential available to all of us from a consistent Kaiut Yoga practice is profound.
Francisco is the creator of the Kaiut Yoga Method. He was inspired to develop this yoga method growing fast in popularity driven by his need to manage his own pain from a shooting accident when he was 5 years old.
Francisco is a certified chiropractor and yoga master and has studied cranial sacral therapy, deep tissue massage therapy as well as polarity in UK. Over time, he has integrated the principles of all these health and wellness modalities to create a holistic yoga method designed to help people find peace of mind, body and soul.
Francisco is based in Curitiba, Brazil, where he opened the first Kaiut Yoga School back in 2002. Today, there are Kaiut Yoga Studios around Brazil and US, as well many Kaiut teachers around the world including the USA, Canada, France, Brazil, Ecuador and Israel.
Heidi is a certified Kaiut Yoga teacher in Toronto, Canada, and co-owner of Kaiut Yoga Ltd with Francisco. She started practicing yoga in 2007. She was first introduced to Francisco and Kaiut Yoga in February 2015 and has been teaching Kaiut Yoga since July 2016.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a smooth road. Kaiut Yoga Studio is in the works for Dallas, Texas, with opening doors planned for the Fall of 2019.
Choosing the right location, designing the right space (with the goal of mirroring the spirit and image of Kaiut Yoga Studios in Brazil) and establishing a new community in Dallas for Kaiut Method are some of the challenges that are naturally part of the story for a Kaiut new studio, the first in Texas, and they are happy and excited about it.
Meanwhile, Francisco Kaiut will be coming to Dallas twice a year (2018 and 2019) to teach workshops and classes. It is a unique opportunity and a privilege for our community being taught by the man that changed the face of yoga.
Kaiut Yoga Dallas – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Kaiut Yoga is all about biomechanical health (or said another way, your freedom of movement). It has been designed to work through chronic pain & injuries, general aches and stiffness and work for the inflexible, hyper flexible and the aging body.
Unlike most yoga that stretches muscles in extraordinary ways, Kaiut Yoga works from the joints. As such, it has a dramatic impact in countering the harmful effects of modern living – where most of us sit most of the day – as well as the harmful impact to our bodies of consistent movement patterns such as frequent running or cycling, playing a certain sport for years, or our compensating behaviors for old sports or other injuries.
Kaiut Yoga is about maintaining or returning the body to optimal structure and functionality. It’s about freedom of movement, physical system and energy flow. It’s about keeping us as healthy, mobile and pain-free as possible for as long as possible. With more freedom of body comes freedom of mind. It’s about a better quality of life.
And Kaiut Yoga only wants you to become a member of one of their studios if you already have a good understanding of the practice. This is why they invite every potential member to experience 4 classes over two weeks before they enroll – giving people an opportunity to see and feel the benefits of the practice before they commit to a long-term practice. Also unique is how Kaiut Yoga interviews each new member upon enrollment so that the teachers have a strong understanding of each individuals personal health & injury history from which to work with them.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Francisco Kaiut was recognized by Yoga Journal in 2015 as one of the “Yoga Rebels: 5 Teachers Who May Change How You Think About Yoga” around the world.
The Journal brought to the readers that “from the moment you step into a Kaiut Yoga class, it’s clear something different is happening. No one is cycling through a sequence of poses; the students around you aren’t trying to mimic their teacher’s alignment; instead, each one is learning how to adjust her body in a different way, based on her own physiology. In most cases, everyone is lying down or leaning against props, focused intently on a personal goal. Often, their eyes are closed when they move. The only journey that matters is their own”.
“Too many yoga teachers only care about achieving a ‘perfect’ pose, and that just doesn’t exist”, says Francisco. “Each body is a living organism, influenced by certain forces; it does not always respond to the same logical, mathematical progression. What’s perfect for you is not perfect for me”.
As a yoga teacher today, Francisco’s primary objective is to help students restore a full range of mobility and circulation to poorly functioning areas of their bodies. He uses yoga poses like levers to isolate damaged areas, and applies smaller, more precise moves to add or reduce pressure as needed, opening up tight spaces, reviving function, and releasing pain.
Yoga is pretty mainstream these days. In fact, as Heidi Philip says, “there may be more yoga studios in Toronto than there are Tim Horton’s! And for the most part, most yoga follows the same methods, poses and sequences derived long ago when yoga originated in Ancient India. But sometimes, yogis find their own path and develop something unique. Like Francisco. I think this is why I connect with his work so much. It’s different. My body, my mind and my soul just say yes”.
Pricing:
- Kaiut Yoga Introductory Offer – 4 complimentary classes over 2 weeks
- Kaiut Yoga Enrollment Fee – $40
- Kaiut Yoga Monthly Tuition – $165
Contact Info:
- Website: kaiutyogadallas.com
- Phone: 9727465991
- Email: christina@
kaiutyogainternational.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiutyogadallas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaiutyogadallas/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaiutyogadallas
Image Credits:
Kaiut Yoga International
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