Mindful Strength
Online classes and specialized movement education to strengthen your body and help you build capacity to move through life.
Your body is not a machine.
Machines break down over time, but human bodies have the incredible ability to adapt. If you pull on your car door harder and harder each week eventually it will break. When you load your body progressively over time it actually gets stronger! Less wear and tear, more wear and repair.
Why so much about strength?
More strength means more capacity
Strength can be built in a variety of positions which can lead to greater capacity in not only the exercises you love, but the daily tasks that are functional for your unique life.
Learning about the body means less fear
Understanding how the body adapts and how pain works empowers us to be more discerning about what we are doing and how we are feeling during movement.
Building capacity can have a protective affect on your tissues
We build strength in a variety of positions (not just in “good alignment) to prepare our bodies to be able to accept loads and forces in a range of positions. Accidents will still happen, but building strength helps us become more resilient.
It's fun to feel strong
Feeling strong and capable is a great feeling, especially if this isn’t currently how you feel. Whether you are a teacher, a new student, or a grandparent we will help make your Mindful Strength practice fun and friendly. We aren’t yelling out reps or promoting weight-loss. We are here to make this enjoyable and empowering for everyone that wants to join.
The Mindful Strength Podcast
198: Christopher Bourke – Building Emotional Strength with Energizing Movement
This is a really interesting conversation that offers new ways to consider practicing mindful awareness outside the usual contexts of quiet solitude and relaxation.
197 Catherine Cowey: Everything you need to know about hypermobility
Catherine Cowey is a researcher and personal trainer with extensive professional (and personal) experience with hypermobility. Kathryn and Catherine discuss the full spectrum of joint laxity to hypermobility to other conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Catherine helps to dispel many of the common misconceptions related to these conditions and how beneficial strength training can be for everyone, including folks who are clinically diagnosed with hypermobility disorder.
196 Laura Khoudari: Trauma Informed Strength Training
Laura Khoudari is a trauma practitioner, certified personal trainer, and corrective exercise specialist. Widely recognized within the trauma and fitness communities, her work has been featured in Buzzfeed, UpWorthy, Outside Online, Medium, Tonic, and Girls Gone Strong.
Tons of great conversations to hear
This covers so many different aspects of body/mind practices and is a chance to explore really broadly. Well worth listening.
Inspirational and informative!
Inspiring podcast! Kathryn packs every episode with tons of amazing content, guests, and interviews that will motivate, uplift and inspire you. I highly recommend!
This podcast is a real deal!
I’ve been listening to this podcast for a while and what a gem it is! There’s so much out there but Kathryn always finds the most knowledgeable and authentic people to interview and does it from a place of curiosity and practically which is so important for movement enthusiasts and professionals alike. I really appreciate what you do, Kathryn!
How do I know if Mindful Strength will work for me?
Wondering what our classes are like and if they might be right for you? These FAQ’s will help you get to know our work a little bit more. We are always happy to answer more specific questions so don’t hesitate to reach out.
I love yoga classes, but my body is craving new movements and strength.
We know yoga is about much more than exercise. We strive to bring as much strength, mobility, and fun functional movements to our classes while maintaining the mindful feel of a yoga class.
I want to build strength but going to the gym isn't going to work for me.
We get it, home practice is where it’s at. All you need to participate in Mindful Strength classes is a weight or two, a long resistance band, a block, a ball, and a yoga mat. Weights will vary based on you, we are always happy to help you figure this out.
I'm not sure I'm fit enough for these classes.
We strive to make our classes as accessible as possible, but of course, they won’t work for everyone. It’s recommended that you can easily get up and down from the floor. Kathryn’s classes are typically a bit slower, while Kyle’s classes are a workout style. No fancy tricks here, expect squats, lunges, planks, basic yoga poses and a variety of options.
I want to build strength, but I'm nervous about injuring myself.
We believe the best way to increase safety is to move progressively. Injuries can happen when there is either too much stimulus or not enough stimulus. When you progress over time your body can adapt and become more resilient which can definitely help prevent injuries. We teach in a way that will empower you to make choices about what is right, rather than always telling you what to do.
I'm new to strength building, are there options for beginners?
Yes. Included in the Membership is a 30-day practice progression which is the ideal starting place for new people. These classes are shorter and super progressive, think of it as an intro program.
I have been following Kathryn online for sometime and had the pleasure of hosting her for a weekend workshop. I can’t say enough about the value of meeting her and having the opportunity to experience her style of yoga and Mindful Strength. It was a combination of her easy-going manner, non judgemental outlook and well-rounded knowledge base that made it an inspiring weekend. Most surprisingly for me was her ability to challenge me to think critically about the “why”.
Hi, I’m Kathryn
My full name is Kathryn Bruni-Young and my pronouns are she and her. I’ve been teaching yoga and strength-based movement since the age of 17. I started practicing Ashtanga yoga in my mother’s studio in Toronto (Downward Dog Yoga Centre), and after experiencing some aches and pains decided to branch out and learn from other movement modalities. Learning from different teachers helped me become a critical thinker and question what I had been taught about the body, injuries, and what safe movement is. To date, I’ve competed as a strength athlete, immersed myself in pain science and multidisciplinary movement education. I’ve been hosting the Mindful Strength Podcast for close to four years, and I’ve been running the Mindful Strength Membership for three years. I teach classes for the general public as well as educational trainings for teachers and clinicians. In non-COVID times I would be traveling the world to teach workshops as well as teaching online. My main influences are my mother Diane Bruni along with Greg Lehman, Jules Mitchell, Neil Pearson, Ido Portal and all the guests I host on the Mindful Strength Podcast.
I want to let you know how much I am enjoying the Mindful Strength Membership. This is the only program that I have stuck with in the last few years. I have tried other programs but I always keep coming back to this one as it has everything I want. From stretching and strength to cardio, coordination and relaxation this program is complete.
Let’s Get Started
Join Mindful Strength Foundations
This free course includes an hour of content broken down into four videos. Kathryn breaks down pushing and pulling, training the knees to go over the toes, and why co-contractions are awesome. She also leads you through a quick class to tie it all together.
Free
Watch Kathryn’s Pain Science Webinar
Kathryn spent 2019 mentoring with physiotherapist Neil Pearson and her final project was to put together a pain education workshop. Over 700 people signed up to watch her webinar live! Due to this popularily we have made the webinar available to everyone. When you buy the webinar you get ongoing access so you can watch it at your convenience, plus a PDF outlining the main ideas.
$10
More Details
This webinar will teach you the basics of pain science education in a very practical way. We hear over and over again “if this hurts don’t do it” but what does that teach our students about their pain? Kathryn talks about how to become more discerning about pain, and how to explore it with less fear. She also discusses how pain and safety are both biopsychosocial experiences and how this affects our understanding of injuries.
Join the Mindful Strength Membership
This is our online studio and education platform. Live classes are Monday and Thursday at 12pm EST. New on-demand classes plus live class replays are added to the Membership each week so there is always something fresh. Kathryn and Kyle attend each other’s classes so they can show various options and make the classes more engaging. Sliding scale memberships are available so you can pick your price.
$25-$55 /month sliding scale
More Details
I need tech support! Don’t worry we have you covered. Chris Bourke is available Monday to Friday to help you figure out how to get the most out of your Membership and online courses. Don’t hesitate to reach out to support@mindfulstrength.ca
What is sliding scale? Sliding scale pricing offers a range of price points so that more people can afford to join in. Each price point includes all of the features, we trust that you will pick the price that works for your budget.
Guest teachers? Our Membership also hosts various guest teachers so you can learn and practice with different movement professionals. From somatic movement to anti-racism webinars our guest teacher classes add a unique element to the Membership.
Cancellation? There are no contracts with our monthly subscription. Every subscription starts with a 7-day free trial, within those first 14 days you can cancel your Membership without being charged. After 17 days you will be charged the sliding scale amount that you chose, your Membership will renew each month until you decide to cancel it.
Props? Some of our classes don’t use any props, but generally, we recommend you pick up a few things. 1-2 weights, one that’s heavier and one that’s lighter. If you don’t have weights a vinegar jug will work for now. We use red latex-free Therabands, any long resistance band will work. A self-massage ball, block, and blanket will also come in handy.
50-Hour Teacher’s Immersion
The Mindful Strength Teacher’s Immersion started as an in-person week long training. This educational experience has transformed into an online 3-month immersion with participants joining from literally every corner of the world. Kathryn is joined by guest teachers Jules Mitchell, Amber Karnes, Neil Pearson and jamilah malika. This immersion will be running again later in 2021, join our list to get the details as they become available.
300-Hour Teacher Training
Kathryn is co-teaching an online 300-hour Yoga Alliance Certified teacher training program with Carly Stong and an incredible list of guest teachers. This program begins in April and runs for an entire year. Applications are currently being accepted and payment plans are available.
“Kathryn is skilled at incorporating loading principles and strength-based movements into an asana practice. Her style of teaching makes strength training accessible to yoga teachers and students who are new to these concepts and movements. Her classes and workshops are an excellent resource for anyone who is looking to learn more about strength training within the scope of yoga.”
“Kathryn’s Pain Science Webinar reaches far beyond imitating well-known pain educators. By applying the topic to her life and work, she makes the presentation her own. This offers the viewer fresh perspectives and opportunities to question beliefs about pain and pain care.”
Kathryn’s thirst for knowledge and genuine curiosity makes her open to invite and explore a variety of perspectives and approaches and then integrate into the experience. She is an exceptional educator and practitioner with a wide range of understanding and quality content to share. I value our stimulating and thought-provoking conversations and thoroughly enjoy listening to and being a guest on her podcast. I highly respect and recommend Kathryn’s work.