We were lucky to catch up with Cassandra Knoedl recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Cassandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
Practicing yoga brings about lots of defining moments, in my experience. I walked into my first yoga class during a very tumultuous time in my life. I was lost in a toxic relationship, feeling disconnected from myself and the people I loved, and searching for something, though I didn’t know what. I didn’t think that yoga was going to solve all of my problems, I was just taking a day of self care. It turns out that when you take care of yourself, you become the person with the power to solve your own problems.
The whole world didn’t turn around in a day, but yoga gave me the permission to be still, to focus on myself, to extend compassion to myself and I noticed something shifting in the way I perceived the world around me and my place in it. Yoga helped me to heal and to get out of survival mode. That’s around the time when the next defining moment showed up.
For 14 years, I was a passionate and dedicated teacher, which is why it was such a surprise to many when I left the classroom. I had grown beyond the boundaries and the expectations of being a teacher and I didn’t feel like there was any room left in my life for me. I continued teaching yoga, thinking it would hold me over til I found “my real job”.
It took me two years and A LOT of messages from the Universe before I realized that I was already doing meaningful, fulfilling work that felt aligned with my purpose. I wasn’t looking for the answer when it came to me. I was looking for a space to rent for an event I was hosting. I walked into the room at Old Taylor High and knew I was meant to fill it. I could see how I would hold space for others to grow, how I would build a community, and share the light that yoga lit inside me. In that moment, I founded Mindful Muse Yoga.
Cassandra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Cassie Knoedl. I’m a yogi, educator, sound healer, and owner of Mindful Muse Yoga. I walked into my first yoga class in 2014 and pretty much never left.
My background is in music education. I’m passionate about teaching and learning and I’m proud to have spent 16 years working in public schools with thousands of young adults. Once I fell in love with yoga, it didn’t take long before I started asking about yoga teacher training. I wanted to know more and to share what I was learning with others.
I found so many connections between yoga and music. The way I lead a choir is very similar to the way I lead a yoga class. Every individual is important; our strengths, voices, preferences, and energies are unique, but we become something better when we agree to share space, engage with each other’s energies, and be part of a community.
As a yoga instructor, I am intentional and clear in the words I use to lead yogis. It’s important to me that yoga is un-intimidating and that students feel confident about their practice. I frequently remind students that there is no judgement and no expectations about what they “should” do. Their practice is their own, and I am just a guide with suggestions. I love weaving a theme into a practice to help students reflect and connect with all parts and all versions of themselves.
In addition to group yoga classes, I also host sound baths, which use instruments, such as crystal and Himalayan singing bowls, gongs, and chimes, to create a calming effect on the nervous system. Sound therapy goes hand-in-hand with yoga and as a musician, sound healing is a practice very dear to my heart.
I founded Mindful Muse as a place where people can come to be seen and accepted just as they are, where we can practice yoga, grow, heal, and share experiences as a community. We offer community events at least once per month. Many of our offerings coincide with moon cycles, and we love finding opportunities to tie in music, art, and literature. No experience is necessary to join a class or an event. Come as you are, all are welcome!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
There’s certainly more than one way I could answer this question. I feel like I’m constantly learning and unlearning lessons in life. The one that stands out to me is the idea that you have to play it safe and wait til you’re ready to take the leap. I’m compulsively careful when it comes to making big decisions. Even though I love performing, when I went to college and chose my major, I went for education because, and I’m quoting my 17 year old self here, “there’s job security in education”. For many years after I graduated and started teaching, I couldn’t fathom leaving that profession because there’s so much uncertainty outside of education.
That was a limiting belief I kept with me for a long time. Even after I left the classroom, I still didn’t even consider starting a business because I didn’t know enough, didn’t have enough seed money, and didn’t feel ready. There are days when I still don’t feel ready, but the truth is that I spend all my time and energy on this dream. I practice yoga, I read about it, talk about it, I take other people’s classes, we share ideas, I come up with new flows, workshops, and community events for fun. I was already doing this for years, I just wasn’t sharing it with anyone because I wasn’t giving myself the space and the permission to do it.
Once Mindful Muse was founded, all this energy had someplace to go. In yoga and in life, it’s important to honor your boundaries; they keep you safe. It’s also important to trust yourself enough to revisit your boundaries, and to let go of the ones that are just holding you back and keeping you small.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Training and knowledge is so valuable and creates a strong foundation for teaching yoga and leading sound baths, but there’s certainly more to it than just memorizing poses and the names of things. I believe a strong capacity for compassion is one of the most important traits an educator can have.
Everyone is moving through the world with different experiences and challenges. Something I learned in my years working with young adults is that people want to learn from you when they trust and respect you. If they don’t trust you, it’s very unlikely that they will care what you have to say. Building trust does not happen right away, but it is a simple thing to do. It beings with showing people that you respect them.
When I meet students, I am present, I learn their names, I ask them about their day and I care about their responses. If they are late, or don’t know how to check in to class, or forgot to put their phone on silent, I meet them with patience and kind words so that one stressful situation doesn’t cause them to miss out on future opportunities to practice yoga. We are all late, confused, or forgetful sometimes, and we aren’t any less worthy of kindness and compassion in those moments.
I think a lot of people feel alone and disconnected in the world. It can be hard to convince yourself to go to a yoga class in the morning or after work. It can be hard to meet new people in a new place. If I can create a space where people feel welcome, and consistently show up to meet them in the present moment, I like to think that I have softened some of the burden of being a person in that moment.
The best part about being compassionate is that it makes everything else better. When we feel safe and supported, we are happier and healthier, our blood pressure and hormones are better balanced. Compassion sets us up to embrace new ideas, new people, and new yoga poses with less stress in the body.
Contact Info:
- Website: mindfulmusehealing.com
- Instagram: mindfulmuse.yoga
Image Credits
Jackie Cawthon