Welcome to
Cat Donovan Yoga and Corporate Wellness
A welcoming space for people in midlife.
Enjoy a community of others in a similar stage of life (but all ages are welcome).
Yoga for the Prime of Our Lives
I’ve been teaching yoga for over 22 years - crazy, where did the time go? As I aged, so did the students in my classes. Some stayed with me from the beginning and some I met along the way. As a result, my classes became devoted to older bodies.
Practicing yoga and pilates with other people aged 40 and over provides a common bond of mutual life experiences, such as our changing roles, experiencing empty nest, seeing our bodies change, dealing with aging parents, changing financial situations, and retiring. The conversations are deeper and we don’t feel pressured to keep up with younger people who have not yet learned to let go of their competitive nature.
Yoga is a tool to soften life’s struggles and heal, and to transform into our best selves. Practicing with people in our stage of life is a powerful way to make a difference in our lives.
You are never too old to begin or continue a yoga practice.
Classes Designed For Over 40
People in midlife choose my classes instead of the standard yoga classes not because they can’t handle them, but simply to enjoy the community of others who are in a similar stage of life. Regardless of age, you will still find a complete and challenging practice here.
Yoga provides us with suitable practices across our lifespan. I like to think of three yogic age groups: the young and restless (teens to 45), prime of life (40 to 75), and older adults (75-plus). Each group needs something different. By age 40, yoga needs to be done a little differently. Whereas the emphasis for the younger yogi is building and challenging the body, by midlife, the focus is on maintaining optimum health including injury prevention.
I have lived first-hand and know how to work with age-related changes by offering modifications, slowing the pace if necessary, encourage the use of props, and keeping the focus on function. Younger people come to yoga for physical perks like “yoga arms” or a tight rear. But for the older student, the focus changes to joint and muscular health and keeping space and fluidity in the body which increases strength and balance at the same time.
Your tribe is here - join us!
Cat Donovan
500-hour yoga teacher training.
100-hour pilates teacher training.
I bring 22 years of teaching experience to my classes and draw from a variety of yoga styles including Vinyasa, Asthanga, Hatha, Kundalini, Tao, Yin, Chi Gong and core strength based on the principles of Joseph H. Pilates. My classes are also influenced by many local, national and international teachers and studios.
My first and favorite teacher was my mother. As a child, I watched her practice intriguing and beautiful poses. I found physical and emotional relief as a yoga student in the 1990s. I committed to a practice and physical misalignments corrected and overuse injuries healed. What wasn't anticipated was the lifting of anxiety and dissipation of grief. I could finally breathe.
Yoga has changed my life in different ways, over and over again. And, I've witnessed profound changes in others as their bodies rehabilitate, minds open, and hearts heal.
Regardless of your abilities, beginner or experienced, shape or size, all are welcome. Classes are aligned with the traditional roots of yoga and are accessible, challenging and uplifting.