Meet Willis Johnston
Willis Johnston has been a lover of movement his entire life, starting with dance at the age of 10, which morphed into an eventual professional dance career. He discovered the power of yoga in 2009, and has been in relationship with the practice ever since. Willis loves teaching all styles of yoga, especially Katonah Yoga and Vinyasa, and his classes create a warm and welcoming environment for all. He believes the practice offers up an incredible chance for us humans to get into our bodies, organize ourselves, and expand into our full potential. His classes are informed by classical yoga, Katonah Yoga, and creative movement. He is the founder and director of Flying Heart Yoga in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and also leads multiple retreats around the globe!
When you’re not practicing or teaching, what do you enjoy doing?
I love traveling, eating good food, hiking, swimming in the ocean, hanging out with my angel of a dog, Luna, and spending time with my partner and dear friends. I am a social person, so it is pretty hard to find me sitting around at home.
What drew you to Katonah Yoga?
At first, I was drawn to Katonah Yoga by seeing wild instagram photos featuring mind-blowing prop work, contact, and clear geometric form. This drew me in to explore the practice, and once I started, I was hooked. It soon occurred to me that what I was missing in my personal practice and teaching, which was predominately vinyasa-based, was organization, measure, form and function. The profound simplicity of what it means to live in an organized abode really landed for me.
Is there a piece of theory that has resonated with you?
There is such grace in the concept of having legit tools to place you in the middle of your circumstances. Circumstances are always changing, and life happens in small and big ways. The idea of the middle is not to say that things are perfect in the middle. It is not even to say that things are calm in the eye of the storm. But, I think, it IS to say that things are clearer when we are in the middle. Our options are more apparent when we are in the middle. And, we can employ better judgment and make more informed choices when aren't over invested in one end of a polarity, an emotion, an idea, a thought. I think that is empowering.
How have you brought the theory of Katonah Yoga into your daily life? Any specific scenarios you want to share?
In a more subtle way, Katonah theory has changed my psychology in the sense that, over time, I have noticed that I am less likely to swing hard one way or the other. This idea that we are able to be the mediator, and eventually the magician in our own lives, is pretty incredible. It is also hopeful! We know happiness because we know sadness. We know hot because we know cold. We know summer because we know winter. This allows us to be with what is, while also knowing that there is something else out there, which is particularly helpful when life's speed bumps seem to outmatch smooth roads.
Join the next Katonah Master Series w/ Willis Johnston
Saturday, August 17th | 10:00-11:15am PST