Kat Beck is a 500 hour RYT offering classes at Fish Tree Yoga and Ever’man Cooperative in Pensacola, FL. She believes, “meditation transformed my life from the inside out, and I just want to share it with anyone who is interested.” Read on to see how her unique insight into meditation has inspired our yoga community.
1.) How and when did your yoga journey begin? What drew you into meditation specifically?
I started yoga after graduating college and moving to Texas in 2008. I studied Iyengar yoga, an alignment based practice, and the ballet dancer in me loved the discipline it required. I practiced yoga for a few years before going back to dancing and jazzercising.
It was after reading Eat, Pray, Love and The Power of Now, I realized that I had to make meditation a part of my life. In 2012, I took a six-week meditation course to learn the basics, bringing me back to yoga class. I learned the purpose of asana (yoga poses) is to sit for extended periods of time in meditation. I discovered vinyasa yoga soon after and absolutely LOVED the flow-like movements. It felt like a dance. I moved to Florida in 2013 and I kept a consistent meditation and yoga practice. Hungry for more knowledge, in 2014 I decided to complete my 200 hour RYT training when I moved to Pensacola at Fish Tree Yoga. I just completed my 500 hour RYT training at Fish Tree Yoga this summer.
As I studied the 8 limbs of yoga, I realized how essential the meditation element is for transformation. As I consistently meditated, I became more aware of my thoughts, and this awareness brought about a subtle shift within my daily life. I realized that I am not my thoughts after decades of identifying with them. I’ve heard it said, “Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world” - but once I started living it, I saw the deep truth within this statement.
2.) Why do you think most struggle with a consistent meditation practice?
I think most people struggle because they have a misperception about what meditation is- they believe its sitting still and not thinking. This is not true. Meditation is becoming the observer of what you are thinking. Sometimes you have a second of stillness, sometimes you have a minute. It’s about building your awareness muscle in the beginning and it transforms from there.
I also believe the biggest struggle is our society is our inability to be still without distraction because of the smartphone. It has changed the dopamine reward system in our brains and this makes it even harder for people to WANT to meditate. There isn’t always an immediate reward. The benefits don’t come instantly. It takes time and consistency. Our society wants a quick fix. Meditation takes dedication.
3.) The name of your YouTube channel is Bringing Balance Back. What inspired that name?
Balance seems hard to find in the quick-paced world we live in. However, a simple 10 minutes of meditation can take you from a state of stress, to a state of balance. I want to help people bring balance back into their lives because I care deeply about people’s overall well-being. This is also why I am in Massage Therapy School. I have this urge to make everyone around me feel good mentally and physically. It’s just my passion.
The name just came to me one day- I love alliteration and knew I wanted the word Balance in there. A couple of months ago a friend asked if it was from a lyric in the Led Zeppelin song, The Battle of Evermore. Honestly, I could have been subconsciously influenced since I’ve been listening to them my entire life (thanks mom and dad).
4.) What can we expect next on your YouTube channel? Any exciting new projects around the bend?
Honestly, I thought I would have more time to put into projects while in Massage Therapy School, but I was wrong. I am trying to put most of my energy into school so I can soak in all this knowledge and pass the licensing exam. I would like to put some breath-work videos out in the future. It’s just hard to put yourself out there on the internet like that, ya know. I’m cool with recordings, but a video is another ballgame. I see it happening, but I don’t like to force things. Once the flow feels right, I am sure it will happen.
You can practice meditation with Kat by subscribing to her YouTube Channel, Bringing Balance Back. But the fun doesn’t stop here, see Kat’s exact morning ritual and her advice on creating meaningful morning practices of your own HERE.