Featured Alumni: Mila kickert 

Where has yoga taken you?

The first few yoga classes I took were at regular gyms – and not to say that gym yoga classes are bad, but for me they just didn’t do anything. In 2014, I was very into Pilates when I decided to book a yoga retreat in Costa Rica – simply because I couldn’t find any Pilates retreats. This trip became the most transformative experience and marks the beginning of my yoga journey. For the first time I got in touch with the energetic and spiritual side of yoga – and felt the impact on my body and mind. 

Back in NYC I tried several different yoga studios, eager to keep practicing. A friend I made during the retreat (still a friend to this day) had recommended Sonic Yoga and I kept coming back here. The people, the vibes, the teachers – no other place made me feel like Sonic. Eventually I became a Sonic Karmi, supporting the community and the space we all value so much. Being a Karmi made it possible for me to take the 200 hour YTT in 2016. I wanted to deepen my Asana practice and understand more about this ancient practice and what lies beyond the shapes we make with our bodies. I never intended to teach yoga; the focus was always my personal practice. But part of the YTT is practicing how to teach and the feedback I received from Lauren, Keith and the other YTT participants made me change my mind. I started a mentorship with Keith and taught the community class at Sonic. At that point, yoga and Sonic were the anchors of my life in NYC and were what kept me in the city – probably for longer than was healthy for me. Nothing outside of my yoga world made sense in NYC and I finally decided to take the leap and move west, to Portland, Oregon. I had no job, no friends, nothing there, but I knew I had my practice, and I knew to trust my intuition.

A few weeks after my move I started teaching at a small studio in my neighborhood and continued this via Zoom during the pandemic, as well (I taught until I was 38 weeks pregnant in 2021). In Portland I found a job I like, made new friends and met my now fiancé, all within a few months of moving. I never quite found a yoga space that feels like Sonic in Portland, but I found amazing and inspiring teachers that continue to influence my yoga practice.

I am currently not teaching, as I am juggling a full-time job, being a mom of a 2-year-old, a stepmom to two (pre-)teens and pregnant with my second child. But yoga continues to be part of my daily life in different ways. I regularly use pranayama, especially in anxiety inducing situations (like flying, which I do a lot for my job). I jump into Adho Mukha Svanasana (my favorite yoga Asana, probably thanks to Keith!) when my body feels tense or into Uttanasana when I need to stretch the back of my legs. My son enjoys taking Happy Baby with me – until he decides he’d rather climb onto me. And even when I don’t get to practice Asana as much as I like, the foundation of yoga, the principles are a part of me and how I live my life.

How did yoga teacher training influence your life?

In so many ways! Aside from all the things I learned about the ancient practice of yoga, pranayama, our physical bodies, it made me step out of my comfort zone and helped me trust myself and my intuition. I never saw myself teaching yoga for various reasons. I am not a native English speaker, more of an introvert and nervous when speaking in front of other people, yet now I have more than 4 years of teaching experience. The desire to deepen my own practice has rippled into me helping others deepen theirs. The confidence gained from teaching has helped my professional development and the knowledge of my body and myself is helping me in my parenting journey, too. When the time is right, I hope to return to teaching yoga, as it has been a very fulfilling experience for me.

What was your first yoga class experience?

I don’t recall the exact first yoga class I ever took, but the first probably 3 or 4 classes I tried (over several years at different gyms) did not entice me to pursue yoga. I do remember the first gym class where I realized there might be more to yoga than I had assumed or understood so far. The energy in the room was just different and I felt some physical effects. I left the class feeling relaxed, refreshed and happy. The experience from this class also supported my decision to book the mentioned yoga retreat that changed my life. It was a trial at this gym, so I never ended up going back there.