Teacher Feature | Keia Dreger
Meet Keia.
This sparkling gem has been a part of the Yogalife family since day one at our North studio. You can find her guiding powerful hot flows and soulful, relaxing yin classes, as well as out and about in the community working her way through a variety of homegrown festivals and her own event, Mythos: A Springtime Fair. She's an adventurer with a passion for community and health, plus she makes a mean raw chocolate bar.
Read on to learn more about our girl Keia!
How did you get your yogic start? Who brought you to your first class, what was that like, and where was it?
My mom. I was probably 10. It was a community hall class just across the street. I remember thinking - that's a whole lot of ladies wiggling their butts in the air. And then I learned what downward dog was. I started really practicing with my sister as a teenage, around when Moksha first opened in Edmonton and you'd have to be there almost an hour early to make sure you got a spot. It was life changing to say the least. I wanted to be a music video director and set designer at the time. After my first few classes I knew I needed to pursue yoga further instead.
Share a favourite quote, lesson, or teaching that inspires you.
You start dying slowly
if you do not travel,
if you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.
You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.
You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.
You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice…
What's your favourite music to practice to (or do you prefer silence!?)
- Downtempo, jazz. No lyrics or as minimal as possible.
Your favourite books, yogi-inspired and fiction.
- Women who run with the wolves - Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes - PURE GOLD!
- If you need a decent yogic read - Do Your Om Thing - Rebecca Pacheco
- The Pursuit of Happiness - Dalai Lama
Tell us about your first teacher training.
I was fresh 19 when I left Canada to travel and study for three months at Pyramid Yoga, on the island of Koh Phanghan is Thailand. It was purely a soul journey, my first time leaving the country on my own, and was probably the happiest memories of my teen life.
Where's your favourite vacation spot?
Oh so many. I love camping and BC as well as snowboarding in The Rockies. But honestly, anywhere with big trees makes me happy. I'd like to live in the jungle, wake up to bird calls and maybe the sound of a running river. Central America has definitely given me that. The ideal is to make that home, not just a vacation.
What is your favourite meal to make and share with friends?
Chocolate. Does that count as a meal? I love making raw healthy chocolate for my friends as well as for my business. If we are talking real food here though, I'd have to say I make a mean veggie poutine.
What's your favourite pose/sequence/area of the body to work on?
I love heart melting pose. Every class it's a given. Nothing else opens your chest and shoulders like it and really creates a space where the only true path is surrender and breath. We spend so much time hunched over, sitting at desk, checking our phone and facebook, driving... nothing like holding ourselves in the exact opposite expression for a while to bring balance to our bodies. I like going into deeper tissue, long holds and breathe. I don't like feeling rushed or like I need to keep pace with someone else. I want to make space for myself and those I teach to have enough time to feel and click into the "ah" moment of every pose.
Who inspires you?
My Dad. Always.
What is your favourite festival to attend?
I love feeling at home at Astral Harvest, as my Edmonton community thrives there. The Field in Winlaw is wonderfully homey as well.
If you could study with one person who would it be and why?
Okay this ones tough. I want to study EVERYTHING.
Hands down I'd love to spend a day picking Nassim Haramein's brain. That is if he could translate Quantum Physics into something digestible for my brain. If not I'll take Patrick Stewart so I can learn the secrets of Star Trek and space. Or maybe Suzuki.... Man there too many brilliant people to study with I literally want to learn all the things!
What is the best concert you've ever been to?
I've always been a pretty big metal-head. Seeing All Shall Perish or Protest the Hero was pretty up there for me. I honestly have such an eclectic taste in music though so it's hard to say which was the "best". I really love going to my room mates dubstep/grime shows. Local stuff is where it's at.
Where's the next place you want to travel?
Ill be in Panama next winter studying business at an Eco Village called Kalu Yala.
Share your favourite self-healing practice.
Trees, fresh air and time to be alone and process. You already are innately designed to heal, your body/mind is doing it all the time whether you are thinking about it or not. Create the space and make the time to allow it to do what it does best. Healing doesn't need anything too fancy, it needs the space, time and priority.
Share one of your life goals.
I dream of homesteading. Growing vegetables. Working with my hands. Going slow and with intention. Making really good soup. Building houses. Creating art for the sake of self expression, Caring for animals. And living right smack dab in the heart of the wilderness.