Biography
At the persistence of a good friend, Cathy Morse was persuaded to take her first yoga class in 1999 at her local gym. A former track star, Cathy had always been an avid athlete. Over the years, she has experimented with weight lifting, kick boxing, cycling, kayaking, rock climbing, hiking and even participated in multi-sport racing. She continues to run and completed her first marathon in 2006. Cathy recalls her first introduction to yoga as truly humbling. She was so moved by this experience that she went directly to the bookstore and purchased Yoga Masters - the first book of her now extensive yoga library. Cathy has been committed to the practice ever since.
She is convinced that the inevitable aging process, accelerated by strenuous activity necessitates the commitment to yoga. She believes that taxing the body ultimately creates a leak in our life force (prana) and yoga provides the “sealant”. Cathy feels yoga is the way to mix life and love rendering a lovely and vital human being.
In February of 2000, Cathy began practicing Ashtanga under the guidance of Tim Miller and now honors him as her senior teacher. Over the years, Cathy has studied with Tim repeatedly in Columbus, Ohio, Tulum, Mexico and at his studio in San Diego. She has completed the first series (yoga chikista/yoga therapy) and is currently working on dwi pada sirsana of the second series (nadi shodana/nerve cleansing). In March of 2008, Cathy will have the privilege of studying with Tim’s teacher, Sri Patthabi Jois in the Florida Keys.
Cathy has studied with other renowned teachers such as Seane Corn, who sparked her interest in the energy body (Chakras), David Swenson, who fascinated her with floating, Rodney Yee, who opened her eyes to the details of asana, Anna Forest, who inspired her with amazing feats of strength, and Paul Grilley who enlightened her with his comical, yet challenging grasp on our anatomical challenges. Each teacher offers what she calls a “nugget” - something small that has had a big impact on the student and teacher that she has become.
Cathy opened her first studio, Positive Postures in Columbus, Ohio teaching and practicing there for a year and a half. Finding an old vacant warehouse nearby, she later opened the Yoga Factory. This new location was developed as a larger more personal place to practice and continues to thrive today under the guidance of nine beautiful teachers, all with Cathy’s training. Cathy has since relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where she hopes to develop the popularity of Ashtanga yoga in her new warmer home.
Though Cathy has been teaching for 8 years, she subscribes to the notion that one is always a student of life/yoga. Once these forces have become linked they cannot be separated. Cathy has also come to realize that as much as she strives to inspire the student, it is often the student that inspires her. She challenges her students to practice for progress not perfection, and to find new ways to take yoga off the mat and into their hearts and minds.