Who are you?
Katie Lynn Chapman; yoga teacher, big sister to 4 sisters and 1 brother, Masters student at UBC, doula, friend, raw foodie
What do you do for fun?
Create new delicious raw, vegan, dishes
Swim, walk, climb mountains, practice yoga, take care of babies, read great books, listen to world music
What is your favourite community? Why?
A community in which people understand the interconnectedness of all beings;
A community that encourages sharing, learning, communication, nurturing, and love;
One in which there is an awareness that we are blessed to have this life and this creates an understanding of the responsibility each human being has to preserve, respect, and nurture each other, and the earth that supports us;
A community that lives in this way is sustainable. It enriches the lives of those that are part of it. It is essential to the survival of all beings.
This is my favourite community.
What is your superpower?
My gift to nurture; I believe it is my purpose to give to others, particularly women and children and that this will be my life’s work.
How do you use it to build community?
As a yoga teacher, I attune to the needs of my students and give my heart to them while we practice and learn together. As a Doula, I help women bring their babies into the world feeling empowered, safe, and loved. As a sister and friend, I enjoy taking care of my family by preparing healthy vegan dishes, sharing my knowledge of yoga with them, and supporting them when they need help. As a specialist in the field of infant and maternal health, I hope to make a difference in the lives of women in developing countries so that they may too have the strength to build healthy, sustainable, loving communities.
My Three Favourite Things About Katie Are…
1. Limit Pushing. Full Disclosure: I’m still the awkward, semi-flexible guy in yoga class. The key word here, though, is “semi.” After four months of Katie-instruction, everyone in the class got better. Her kind and fun, yet assertive and serious, teaching style saw Katie create “buy-in” and trust amongst the class, which allowed her to get us to do all kinds of crazy moves (not the one pictured) that took our collective and individual practice to new levels. Today, I’m the most flexible guy on my basketball team.
2. Interconnectedness. Everything is connected and, more importantly, everything – nerds call it “matter” – that was here two billion years ago is still here today (except meteors that crashed and rockets that left); things just combine and break down to take on different shapes, tastes and sounds. I love how Katie not only ‘gets’ this, but how she also takes sharing, learning, communication, nurturing, and love into her yoga practice and, probably, into everything else she does.
3. She Knows Funny. As a keen subscriber to the principles of edutainment, I know how important it is to engage people with laughter. And Katie does a masterful job of this. Whether it’s a chuckle or a joke or chuckling while she encourages her class through 128 ridiculous exercises that have us all groaning, sighing and – yes – laughing, she excels at ensuring that her practice is as fun as it is meaningful.
– As told by John Horn