Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Taurins.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kimberly. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
This is such a big question. My yoga life, which came after miles and miles of running, a corporate job and three beautiful children was actually a homecoming. After the first class, I was hooked. I knew it was the thing I had been craving on all levels of being. It was years later that I pursued teacher training and just spent years studying all aspects of the practice through different avenues. It was only after my exposure to Daoism, that I found the catalyst for reimagining my life. I found the philosophy of Daoism seamlessly layered onto what I believed to be the most powerful aspects of yoga, in the most practical way possible. Don’t get me wrong, the ideas are simple, but there is nothing easy about putting them into practice. Six years later, my life was completely reorganized, it was as if all parts of me were now going in the same direction.
I focused on one question “what do I want?” (for about 18 months) until I was able to articulate that mind, body and spiritual alignment.
What showed up was a small yoga studio founded under three tenants: Authenticity, Sincerity, and Integrity, sprinkled generously with Trust. Four Dragons Yoga.
This place is my heart, well perhaps just an extension of it. It’s small so I feel like I can connect with everyone. I spend time making it “cozy” like my home. My kids tell me that “cozy” is my superpower, I guess they were right. I wanted to create an environment where people felt welcomed and offer a space to figure out who they are, no judgments. I have a personal practice of recommitting to this idea every day, just to remind me of why I fell in love with yoga in the first place.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh my, no! My perspective on that had to change if I were to keep going. First I changed my vocabulary from failure to feedback. As much as I might have tried to prepare, life has a way of letting you know that you don’t know anything. So, I decided to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and that keeps me growing into life rather than contracting.
Spirituality or yoga is such an interesting business. And believe me, it is business, just think about how many yoga teachers and studios are in Houston these days. While I put my heart and soul into all of it, the classes, the studio and mostly the students, there is a constant tug to take things people say personally. It’s not personal, ever. When people are hurt, they push, kick and scream. I just happen to be a focal point. Teachers, please take that one to heart, otherwise, your personal worth will be based on what other people think of you, rather than what you know to be true. A teacher once told me it was like giving someone else the remote control to your emotional state. Better to keep that in the hands of the person living your life, you.
We’d love to hear more about Four Dragons Yoga.
I offer a space for people to heal, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I do that by facilitating yoga classes with a whole lot of humor.
Hmmmm, what am I known for? I once heard someone telling a studio manager about my class this way, “It was a great class, but she’s so, irreverent.” I suppose just peeking in that may seem true but I believe its really easy to take ourselves too seriously. It’s yoga, for crying out loud. It’s okay to laugh and have fun. I take what I do very seriously and that is teaching people through any means necessary that contentment in the present moment is a decision. It’s much easier to be present if there is a sincere smile on your face.
I’d like to think I specialize in making yoga accessible, fun and healing. It is an incredibly powerful tool.
I am most proud of the community of teachers and students at Four Dragons Yoga. They show up every day, with hearts wide open. Just thinking about what they do to make this place so special leaves me speechless.
What sets us apart? We don’t want you to be anything you are not. I stopped teaching and doing competitive yoga years ago. (That is a joke!)
Which women have inspired you in your life?
The women that inspire me most, are those that keep showing up, re-inventing themselves, over and over again. Mostly I find these women in my classes or crossing my path at just the right time, reminding me that I can quit as many times as I want, I just have to keep going. It’s okay to feel what I am feeling but I certainly don’t have to stay there.
Pricing:
- Drop in classes $20
- 5 class package $85
- 10 class package $150
- 20 class package $240
- *New student special 3 classes for $21*
Contact Info:
- Address: The Heights Medical Tower
427 West 20th Street, Suite 602
Houston, Texas 77008 - Website: www.fourdragonsyoga.com
- Phone: 800-215-3190
- Email: kim@fourdragonsyoga.com
- Instagram: fourdragonsyoga
- Facebook: fourdragonsinstitute
Image Credit:
Brillart Studio, Brittany Pires, Katie Lenhart
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