1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why it important to you?
I first practiced yoga when I lived in Amsterdam and it was the first time in my life that I experienced such a profound physical and mental transformation afterwards. Although my yoga practice was as sporadic as the fickle nature of most backpackers, I fell into it again years later when I was a professional dancer.
Regular rehearsals would sometimes injure my body whereas regular yoga practice would soothe my muscles and calm my mind. Eventually I stopped oscillating between the 2 extremes and decided to be a full time yoga teacher. It’s so important to me because even after so many years, its the most pure setting for an honest dialogue between my body, heart, mind and soul. I still feel challenged and I still discover something new every time I take a class.
From a personal perspective, I have a regular 40 day practice that I am devoted to which helps me stay focused on a goal or on a block I’d like to shift. I do the same thing every day for 40 days, and then I start something new again after a few days of rest. Its the cheapest form of therapy and I highly recommend it.
2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position?
I started teaching about 2 years ago and the transition into a leadership position evolved naturally after teaching at big festivals and being a regular lecturer on yoga teacher trainings across Australia.
My desire to go deeper with my students also meant that I was no longer satisfied with teaching regular 1 hour classes, so my offerings morphed into workshops, then longer workshops, then an online course, and now regular retreats.
3. What makes your classes unique?
My classes offer a fusion of kundalini yoga, sound healing with a gong, energy clearing techniques, along with a few kinesiology exercises to help my students shift any heavier emotions that they’re ready to release.
My classes are generally themed to match the season by cleansing the meridians, heal the chakras or pay tribute to a new or full moon, as well as an equinox or a solstice.
4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?
Music is EVERYTHING for me! My playlists have been put together meticulously so that I can devote myself to being present for my students instead of feeling like I need to search for a song. I’m very fastidious about the music’s vibration matching the theme and the energy of what I’m teaching.
5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online?
I’ll be running a retreat called REST, RELEASE & RESTORE next year from 16 – 18 February in north west Sydney. One of the MANY reasons why I’ve been inspired to host this retreat is to invite like minded souls who are ready to take a break from their environment and their comfort zone, so that they can be held in a deep, safe and reverent space during the shedding of old beliefs, integration of new activations and soulful rest of their tired and weary souls. All the details can be found here: http://pattykikos.com/
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