10. Carrie Owerko - To Play is To Be Human

Embodiment Time

In this conversation, we go with Carrie in a journey through her cultivation of resiliency and synthesis, how she became fascinated with experimental movement, movement analisis and Iyengar Yoga, and the way her work evolved from there. We discussed her relationship with the Iyengar Yoga system, the assessment process in Iyengar Yoga, the vast complexities of the guru-based lineage, the intense, abusive and traumatic experiences that people went through studying in Pune with the Iyengar family, and how they were handled and digested by her and other people in the Iyengar community.

We talked about the importance of giving people permission to explore movement to gain autonomy in their body, instead of following an external authority, and how her Yoga teaching style has evolved primarily in this direction. She also reflects on how much change she has noticed in her students across the world, and how social media and information have increased and intensify this change.

Carrie Owerko has been teaching yoga and exploring the relationship between body, breath, and mind for several years. She holds a Senior Intermediate Iyengar teaching credential, is a certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms).

Before studying yoga, Carrie earned a BFA in Dance and Theater, and graduated from the renowned Neighborhood Playhouse Theater School in NYC. Carrie then spent several years working for a Movement/Educational/Experimental Theater Company called The Irondale Ensemble Project. In addition to performing with Irondale she taught in the Alternative High Schools in NYC and at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. After Irondale, Carrie continued her inquiry and became a Movement Analyst (CMA) having completed her studies at The Laban Institute in NYC. She has spent years enthusiastically exploring human movement with the intention of helping people develop clearer, more fully embodied communication and expression.

You can find more info about Carrie and her full traveling schedule at: carrieowerko.com

Here is a link to her last blogpost Risking Connection

She is in Instagram @carrieowerko