In Conversation with: Kat Farrants from Movement for Modern Life

In Conversation with: Kat Farrants from Movement for Modern Life

Movement for Modern Life is an online yoga and wellbeing platform that’s changing the way people think about their online practice and it’s revolutionising the Zoom exercise space. Kat Farrants is the founder of Movement for Modern Life: she turned to yoga when she needed it most and now shares the practice with students from all over the world through the platform. Inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit and a charity donation yoga event co-hosted by Yogamatters for International Women’s Day 2021, we thought it would be great to check in with Kat about yoga, business and finding your true passion.

We’d love to hear more about you, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

“After a decade working in the city in corporate law, I truly know how stressed, busy and overwhelming life can be. I founded Movement for Modern Life as an antidote to the stress of commuting to yoga studios and as an antidote to the shiny, cheerleading, skinny white image of yoga that’s been prevalent for years. I wanted to make the very best yoga teachers really accessible to everyone. I wanted everyone to have the benefit of the wisdom of these very down to earth, brilliant teachers. I really didn’t like the ones who have big YouTube and social media presence, or who are popular. I team up with these very best teachers in yoga, meditation, mindfulness, mindful movement and wellbeing from around the world to bring accessible tools for the toolbox for everyday life. I know how much yoga has helped me to get through some terrible lows in life, and my mission is sharing the tools that have helped me to navigate through life’s challenges, and share tried and tested tips for living a more healthy, happy and sustainable life. My mission is to make mindful movement accessible and I’m a firm believer in yoga in PJ’s, no need for fancy outfits or poses.” 

Tell us about how you discovered yoga yourself?

“I first started to practice yoga when I was 18 years old. I was struck by this wonderful non-competitive way of moving the body. My whole experience of embodiment at school had been really marred by school sports, which just struck dread in me. I hated everything about sports at school, so I’d assumed that all kinds of exercise would make me feel dreadful. It came as a real surprise to me that I enjoyed this way of moving and breathing so much. It just opened up something completely different in me. The philosophical side of yoga has always interested me. I’ve always been interested in the why’s of life, and the ancient wisdom behind the practices spoke to me. The focus on non-violence, and living a life of connection, where nobody and nothing is separate, really made sense to me. I’ve also been a vegetarian since I was a teenager. It wasn’t until decades later, though, that I really discovered the importance of my yoga practice and how all of these ideals connected. I experienced some significant life changes too: I was involved in a really terrible car crash which resulted in a period of immobility for me, that I really discovered how useful the gentle movements of yoga, and the philosophy of yoga of acceptance really made all the difference to my healing. And later – completely out of the blue – my husband of 16 years left me. I was absolutely devastated. Yoga really helped my emotional healing, and without it, I’m really not sure how I’d have got through those tough years.”

What did your personal practice mean to you before yoga became a part of your professional life? 

“Frankly, it began as a form of exercise and a means of showing off – it was an ego boost. I practiced Ashtanga and Vinyasa. I’m just glad that there was no instagram back then. When I was then involved in that serious car accident, and later, my husband left me, I discovered the healing powers of yoga and breath work. It was the practice of yoga nidra, and the breath work that helped me to heal a lot of the trauma and to follow my heart, to set up my own business.”

We know that you founded Movement for Modern Life so that you could keep practicing with your favourite teachers after moving, tell us about that journey?

“It was my yoga nidra practice that led me to uncover my dharma, of starting Movement for Modern Life. I knew that I had to share the practices which had so helped my physical and emotional healing. It was absolutely central to the vision that I was to share the teachers who had guided me over the decades. I really didn’t like how so many of the teachers who were online (not so many in 2013!) were the ones who were great at marketing themselves and looking perfect in front of a camera. I found that the very best teachers out there are just doing their practice and humbly teaching their practice. I wanted to champion these teachers – the real teachers – the ones who lived and breathed their yoga and not the famous yoga rockstars. These great teachers are the ones who changed my life and changed real peoples lives.”

I wanted to set up an online studio because accessibility and inclusivity has always been really important to me. I wanted to make yoga, with the very best teachers, to be as accessible as possible, and that’s really possible when it’s online. I also loved that people who didn’t feel welcome in studios, who felt they didn’t fit the yoga body stereotype, would be able to practice in the comfort of their own home. 

What do you love about practicing yoga at home? 

“I love so many aspects of home practice: the fact that we can just get on and do it anytime – no airs and graces. We don’t need to wear anything fancy, just practicing in our PJ’s is perfect. I can fit in a home practice for just 10 minutes every day, and it makes all the difference. The freedom of taking our practice on the go, wherever we are – that we don’t need to be near a studio, and what I love most of all is that we can practice exactly what we need to practice on that day, at that time – not the practice that the teacher wants to teach, or is convenient to us. If we’re on our period, we can find a practice to ease the pain – menstrual cycles don’t have to put your practice on pause. If we’re working towards a particular physical pose, we can do that in class. If we only have 10 minutes, we can do a practice for 10 minutes. If it’s bedtime, we can do something really calming and soothing to prepare for bed. My favourite practice at this time of year is the evening practice, fireside, restorative or yin yoga. You couldn’t do that in a studio and then walk home in the rain and dark and retain that feeling of absolute relaxation. For me, the home yoga experience really is the best one by far and that was the reason why I didn’t want to have a studio, and for me, the connection of being able to be with my dogs, with my family, whilst practicing, is really crucial to my practice, and I think it just brings so many benefits. It brings the lessons we learn on the mat, back home.”

What learnings have you made in transitioning from a fast-paced career to starting and running Movement for Modern Life?

“A fast-paced career was very relaxed and laid back compared to running my own business, actually. In first five years, there were no holidays, no weekends, that every single decision was a matter of whether the business survived or not. Every single hire could be pivotal and every single customer could mean whether I had to go back to being a lawyer or could continue my dream. I never realised how relaxing it was being a lawyer and getting (some!) weekends and holidays.”

Do you have any advice for someone considering turning their passion into a career? 

“I suppose in hindsight if I’d have known then what I know now – that it would cost years of personal life, stress, risk, no holidays or time off and how all-consuming it’d be, I’d advise myself not to do it. To me, only do it if you feel you really have no other choice you just have to share something, that your heart really calls you to do. Otherwise, keep your passion for the joy of it.”

Sign up to Movement for Modern Life and explore all of the classes here.

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