Katy Cryer, MS, ERYT500, is the author of Yoga for Addiction: Using Yoga and the Twelve Steps to Find Peace in the Present Moment, a practical guide for sober and sober curious people who are interested in blending yoga philosophy and practice with recovery from addiction. It was Katy's experience that she needed both a program focused on sobriety and a regular yoga practice to sustain her recovery. She found that the two systems complement and build on each other beautifully, and together form an approach to recovery that is solid, lasting, and joyful.
Katy found her first yoga class in high school, and when she completely failed attempting a headstand that everyone else seemed to do with ease, she didn't go back for many years. But in a tumultuous time in her life, she found classes at the Buddhist Center in Mexico City, where she was living at the time. She practiced every Saturday morning through the early days of her recovery. Walking home high on yoga, she would enjoy the best cigarette of the week!
A couple of months later, she was able to put down the cigarettes too, and started her serious pursuit of yoga, spending time at several ashrams and studying in San Francisco, where she moved in 2007. She experienced the best of both worlds: the traditional, philosophical aspect of yoga and the Western interpretation with its focus on movement and the body. She fell in love with both.
In 2009, Katy opened Square One Yoga, a community based yoga studio in the San Fransisco Bay Area. It grew to four locations and over fourteen years invited thousands of students to take a classes in a non-competitive, affordable, and welcoming environment.
As a teacher, Katy incorporates elements from the classical hatha yoga she learned at the ashram, restorative yoga, and modern vinyasa to create classes that are accessible, yet challenging and enjoyable for a broad range of students. A lifelong student of yoga, Katy brings her knowledge of philosophy, anatomy, and breath to every class. Her primary teaching goal is to guide students to develop an embodiment practice that brings them joy and leads to healing, awareness, and a feeling of wholeness.