Karen McKinney: Teacher Spotlight May 2021

This month we’re spotlighting longtime Sea Change Yoga teacher Karen McKinney! Karen teaches at the Portland Recovery Community Center (PRCC) and Milestone Foundation’s Extended Care program. Here are some of Karen’s reflections on her tenure teaching with Sea Change Yoga:

“I am very grateful that Sea Change was looking for teachers at the PRCC shortly after I moved to Portland in 2016. I loved the idea of bringing yoga to communities in need of healing. I love making the practice accessible to all, to practice without special clothing or a dedicated studio, and to promote the practice as something we can bring into our everyday lives. I’ve been honored to work at various times in correctional facilities and an affordable housing community in addition to the recovery community. I feel very fortunate to have found work that feels so meaningful.

Everyone can benefit from the practice of yoga, and often those who are the most reluctant to give it a try show the most growth! I’ve learned that the people who use the practice of mindful meditation and movement as a tool for recovery can set tremendous examples for others. I offer the recognition that we seek the union of body, mind, and spirit when we arrive on the mat. It is a refuge where we quiet our busy minds and find acceptance of all of who we are. Some students find stillness to be challenging while others find a more active practice to be challenging. I try to make room for all of it.”

We are so grateful to Karen for her many years of wise and thoughtful teaching with Sea Change Yoga! Read Karen’s full bio here and access her online recovery yoga classes here.