Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Katsikeas.
Kathleen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The practice of yoga has been a challenging and transformative practice. I started yoga about 10 years ago, at a low point in my life when I was struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma. Ironically, I wanted to practice yoga because I thought my body was the problem: I thought if I felt strong and fit, I could do anything. But my practice became much more than a physical one.
It took me three years of practice to even walk into a yoga studio because I was so anxious about taking my practice deeper, but once I did I felt more and more connected with the person who I truly wanted to become. The more I spent time on the mat, the more I resonated with the subtler practices—the restorative practices that asked me to rest and relax in a pose for 5-10 minutes, or the Somatic practices that asked me to deeply tune in to my body’s movements in the most gentle way.
And even then, I found that there was more. Don’t get me wrong, the physical practice of yoga is fun, but I began to see the potential for how far my practice could take me.
When I wanted to hide and isolate, my practice asked me to move deeper, to listen to my truth, and to follow a path that was my own. I switched my studies from business economics to psychology and the mental health field. I volunteered with disenfranchised populations and under-resourced communities that had little to no access to livable conditions, never mind mental health resources. I joined a research lab that studied the effects of trauma and stress on children’s learning, and I spent time in the classroom with AmeriCorps to help young preschoolers learn literacy, coping, and stress-management tools.
I delved into energy work and healing, became certified to teach yoga, and additionally received a certification to teach trauma-focused yoga through Yoga to Transform Trauma. Taking all these different healing realms and combining them in holistically way, I felt prepared to take the next step.
In 2016, I opened my own business: The Messy Yogi. I took all I had learned and all I continue to learn as a student and teacher and put it towards serving vulnerable communities and persons who wish to heal and process trauma. I hold one-on-one sessions with clients that struggle with anxiety, depression, addiction, and trauma, and I hold therapeutic yoga classes and peer-support groups at Room to Breathe for women/femme-identifying students.
10 years ago, riddled with self-doubt and crippling anxiety, I never thought I would be standing in front of a group or class over 8 times a week, empowering others to connect with their bodies and their healing paths. I feel so honored and privileged to do what I love.
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?
Being a yoga instructor and opening up a yoga business can be incredibly wonderful and, at the same time, challenging. Sometimes the hustle can lead to burn-out if I am prioritizing running around for others over my own health and wellness. I sometimes forget that I can’t help or empower anyone to heal if I’m not prioritizing my own healing. It is necessary to practice what I teach.
Each different or difficult situation leads to more knowledge and understanding. When I allow myself to connect to the role of teacher and student, I allow the road of obstacles to become a path of learning experiences.
The Messy Yogi – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Messy Yogi is a yoga and energy healing business based around the mediation and yoga skills I can offer groups, corporations, or one-on-one. Sessions are individualized and unique to what the group or persons are working on, the healing they need, and the practice they want to develop.
As a Chicago yoga instructor and energy healer, I support and guide students to holistically heal, grow, and empower themselves along with their journeys. Through the work we do together, I embolden my students to look inward, and move toward the person they want to be and the beautiful life they deserve.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
So far, the proudest moment of my career has been working at Room to Breathe and creating a yoga program for Female Survivors of Sexual Trauma. This series holds safe and accepting space for women/female-identifying persons to practice yoga in a healing and helpful way, while also offering resources of peer-support and mental health support. This series was born out of the work I do with Natalie McGreal at Room to Breathe as we co-lead a Circle of Hope program and hold space monthly for students to process trauma.
This is the kind of work that has always drawn me to teach and has motivated me to be present and connected with my students.
Pricing:
- Private one-on-one session per hour= $95 for initial intake and $75 for each session after intake
- Corporate/Office Yoga per hour = $100
- Energy Reading or Healing per hour = $75
Contact Info:
- Address: 7415 N. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60626 - Website: kathleenkatsikeas.com
- Phone: 630-800-6502
- Email: themessyyogi@gmail.com
- Instagram: the_messy_yogi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themessyyogi/
Image Credit:
Madeline Northway and Amelia Sawyer
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