Meet the Yoga Teacher
From the time Kirtan was born he has been connected with yoga on a daily basis. His mother taught at a traditional Vaishnava ashram for women in the mountains in California. When asked about his approach to teaching yoga, Kirtan said, “It begins and ends with my mother; her patience, selfless and compassion.”
Kirtan Smith is a stud! He is a well-built, handsome young man, former rugby player, UCLA graduate, and surfer - which makes it even more charming how caring, sensitive, and innocent he is in everything he does.
He was introduced to hatha yoga by the world famous Shiva Rea in the class rooms of UCLA, before she became famous. His main training was with renowned teacher Regina Shakti, in the mountains of Brazil. It was quite unique - he was her only student! Training would begin with a cold morning bath and mantra (japa) walk in the brisk early morning mountainside. Regina would wake up every morning at 4 am to lead the worship of the temple deities. Each day, she also carefully attended to all the guests who came, arranging their treatments, meals, and accommodations. She is an expert hatha practitioner, and the mystical, environmental, and service aspects of her lifestyle are essential components of her practice. Soon she informed Kirtan, “you should dedicate your life to teaching yoga.”
Kirtan’s approach focuses on the needs of individuals. “The students feel it when you are there to serve them - to heal and inspire them.” He is attuned to the subtleties of the practice. “Yoga practice is not just how far and how strong, sometimes less is more.” From his experience in the city he notes, “What people really need is restoration.” To fuel this he has also been studying with the Urban Zen Integrative Training, lead by Donna Karen and Rodney Yee, which teaches healing, energy work, spiritual care, and other modalities in concert with yoga teaching.
He will be leading two morning vinyasa asana classes, as well as an optional session on Friday late afternoon (before the retreat officially begins). He will also be leading us on the Saturday afternoon hike. The full scale of his teaching, with safris, treks, and exotic surroundings, is something that usually happens in far away places like India and Brazil. We are honored that we can now experience this in the pristine mountains of New York!