Katie Bove: Teacher Spotlight May 2024

Katie Bove has been a student of yoga since 2010 and is thrilled to be joining the Sea Change team. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2019 and was blessed to have Genell Huston and Jen Queally as teachers and mentors. Katie has been a full time clinical social worker for over a decade and has spent most of this time working with people experiencing homelessness both in Portland and Boston. For the past couple of years, she has been practicing social work in Lewiston public schools and also teaches an after school yoga class there to some awesome teens!

Katie is passionate about serving others, giving back to the community and recognizes the value and worth of every human being. She loves listening to people's stories and believes we all have one worth telling. For Katie, the practice of yoga has been transformative and healing. She is grateful for the opportunity to join the Sea Change team where her love of social work and yoga can coincide. In her free moments, Katie is an avid reader, long distance runner, loves traveling and exploring new places and spends as much time outside as possible!

“I have been able to witness so much bravery and many acts of courage when teaching Sea Change classes.”

Each Sea Change yoga teacher brings diverse and valuable lived experience with them, and  Katie Bove is no different. A licensed social worker, Katie has worked with people experiencing homelessness, veterans, and currently serves as a school social worker at Lewiston High School.

What have you learned from your students?

One thing I have appreciated from my students is their bravery! Let’s be real– going to your first yoga class can be quite anxiety provoking. So whether it's seeing a brand new student arrive, or hearing someone share a vulnerable part of themselves during a circle conversation, I have been able to witness much bravery and many acts of courage when teaching Sea Change classes.

How do you weave your social work background into your classes?

 Being a social worker is such an integral part to who I am as a person and how I move about the world. Teaching yoga classes is no different! I feel like my work background probably most shows up in my ability to make connections and help students feel comfortable and seen. Relationship building is key and, even if the student population changes often, you can always find small moments to relate and build connection. I also like to present movement, conscious breathing and mediation as potential tools to cope with stress, anxiety, depression or past hurt. It's nice to help students make the connection that what we practice on the mat can be helpful for mental and emotional well being and translate into life outside of class. Also, I'm very comfortable and adept at working with different populations and in various social service settings so this experience flows nicely into the work Sea Change does.

How do you think teaching in a trauma informed way impacts your students?

Trauma informed yoga shapes the class experience for students in a positive way. Trauma informed care is all about safety, choice, transparency and empowerment. This approach to teaching yoga recognizes that our students all have deep stories and lived experiences which may show up in different ways for each person. Teaching from a trauma informed lens welcomes students as they are and allows them to be the experts and decision makers in their practice.

Why do you think your students keep coming back to your class?

I try to make my classes feel special for students! When possible, I bring in tea and often have affirmation cards and crystals on offer for students to use during class if they want. I find music to be a great way to create a calm atmosphere and some students will give me recommendations of artists or songs they would like to hear! I always bring a theme or intention to class and have a reading that ties in at the end. One of my students at Esther Residence always resonated with the poems and readings. After a few months of teaching at this site, she showed me how she saved copies of all the readings I provided at the end of class and kept them displayed on a wall in her space. It was a lovely moment!

What do you love about teaching for Sea Change?

I really love that I get to bring yoga to students in places outside of the traditional studio model. That means everything in terms of truly making yoga more accessible to all people. It breaks down a huge barrier. I have been able to teach at a few different Sea Change sites and I love the variety, meeting new students, and seeing some people come to practice who may have never walked into a traditional yoga studio.

Katie has been teaching classes with SCY since 2022, and she has added so much to our team in this short time. Katie co-teaches our weekly class at Androscoggin County Jail, she’s led the class at Esther Residence in Saco, and she serves as a sub for a number of other classes.

THANK YOU, KATIE, for choosing to share your gifts with our Sea Change community! We’re so glad that you are a part of our team!