Today we’d like to introduce you to Kait Coats.
Hi Kait, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I developed a love of movement from a very early age when I began taking dance lessons at three years old. That passion continued to grow and lead me to Webster University, where I graduated with a BFA in Dance. It was in college I was first introduced to Pilates, aerial, and yoga. After I graduated, I moved to New York, NY where I completed two Pilates certifications. Five years later, on a whim, I decided to move to Austin without ever having visited. I quickly found Austin felt like home! I completely several yoga teacher training since living here and have continued to study, teach, and train others in Pilates, aerial, and Yoga. I now have over 3000 hours of training in those modalities as well as barre, TRX, myofascial release, nutrition, children’s yoga, and more. I currently work as Lead Fitness Trainer and Aerial specialist at Miraval Austin and up until the pandemic worked with The Little Yoga House teaching both kids and adults aerial yoga. When I was laid off in March due to the pandemic, I decided to start a YouTube channel with the goal of providing free Pilates, Yoga, and Mindful Movement videos to bodies of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. My channel is of course a fitness channel with lots of Pilates, yoga, barre, and cardio classes. However, I use the phrase “mindful movement” when describing what I do because all classes are meant to give my students a sense of accomplishment and pride in their body, no matter how much or how little of the video they participated in. I end every video by asking my student to pat themselves on the back and thank themselves for doing something so good for their bodies!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having grown up and been professionally involved in the dance world was wonderful and absolutely has helped me understand the body, sequencing, and creating a flow in my classes. However, I of course struggled with body image and perfectionism. It took most of my 20s to get rid of that feeling and instead begin to love my body for all it can do and all its imperfections. Realizing that many people also struggle with this need for perfection in their class/workout/practice, I began to speak more gently to students in class. Reminding them, not every pose or exercise is suited for everybody. The goal in class is not to have an “Instagram perfect pose.” For me, movement isn’t about sculpting or shaping the body. It’s isn’t about the appearance of the butt or abs. Instead, it’s about finding presence, balance, and strength in the body. It’s about caring for the body in a fun, joyful, and lighthearted way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Pilates, yoga, and aerial instructor for all ages, bodies, abilities. I began teaching when I was still in high school, so I have been teaching for over half my life. Because of my dance background, I create dynamic and lighthearted classes that focus on finding joy in the body and mind through movement. For me, movement is so much more than just “exercise.” I realized that Pilates, yoga, and aerial are not about sculpting and toning but about caring for the body. Movement can be a form of mediation for so many people. When you let go of trying to do everything perfectly and worrying about what others are doing in class, you can focus on your own progress, your own accomplishments, and truly being proud of yourself. I think it’s because of my gentle and positive approach that my YouTube channel has grown so much, so quickly. I love the community of folx who join in for class and often reach out to let me know how they are doing, to ask specific questions, or tell me how much it means to them I give them permission to take a break in class when needed. That’s of course, not to say classes can’t be challenging! In fact, I have been dubbed by many students, “The Evil Disney Princess” because I can make classes so hard, with such a big smile on my face! My offerings included Free online YouTube classes uploaded weekly Paid Online privates and small group classes In-home privates and small group classes.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
My two biggest take away from the pandemic are: Relationships can be build from anywhere in the world. It’s been truly amazing to have people from countries I may never physically teach in tell me they are joining me for class 2 or 5 times a week and feel as though I am speaking personally to them each time! I’ve been touched by the amount of support I’ve received from my students and am fully committed to continuing to create more online classes. Pilates, Yoga, and Mediation should be accessible to all. Once I began teaching online, I heard from students that many had never gone into a studio or even tried Pilates or yoga because they felt judged or intimidated by the instructors or other more experienced students. This was something that had not occurred to me. I love that I can make Pilates or yoga accessible to someone who may have anxiety about walking into a gym. Everybody deserves to move and groove on their mat with no judgment!
Contact Info:
- Email: Wellnesswithkait@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.kaitcoatswellness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kait_coats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flowwithkait/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KaitCoats
