Namaste!
This website is dedicated to all my students and friends who have supported me throughout the years. You made it possible for me to express my passion for Yoga through teaching. I am grateful!
Whether you are new to Yoga or have known me for years, please feel free to navigate the site to learn more about me and my teachings.
UPCOMING EVENTS :
FREE Yoga at National Harbor
Every Saturday starting May 6 through Sept 30, 10am
FREE Yoga at Fort Washington Park
Every Wednesday starting May17 at 7pm
*starting September 6th, start changes to 630pm*
Cathy! Congratulations! Very nice site. Your passion, tenacity and dedication is an inspiration.
Cathy is an absolutely wonderful instructor for the experienced or the beginner! (like myself) Congratulations on your successful retreats!
Welcome to the world wide web, your site is perfect!
Congrats Cathy! I love the look and feel of your site! The pictures are fabulous! I look forward to visiting it often.
Cathy is an inspiring Guru and we are fortunate to have her as an instructor at the YMCA. I look forward to each class as she always brings something new and challenging to her teachings. She has helped me become more balanced and present in my everyday life. I am forever grateful!
Cathy, stepping into your class years ago I would never have imagined I would fall in love with yoga the way that I have, but slowly you introduced to me the deeper sense of yoga which has greatly impacted my life. It may have been your patience with me as I began to learn the breathing and poses, the gentle words of wisdom sprinkled into every class, or even the way you are able to direct our minds in guided meditation. I have truly learned so much from you that I continue to carry with me each and every day. My outlook has changed significantly through my practice with you. Thank you so much for everything that you’ve shared with us and thank you for always finding new ways to challenge us in and out of class. I love the website!!
Cathy, you are an awesome instructor, and I have benefitted greatly from your classes You have created in me a love for yoga! Your hands on approach has helped me with my day to day posture, and the breathing techniques of yoga have made me a much calmer person. Your words of wisdom and incouragement at the end of your classes are such a blessing. I am so thankful to God for the day I stepped into my first yoga class with you. Congratulations on your website! God bless you !
Namaste 🙂
My husband was hit by a car while riding his bicycle and suffered a serious spinal cord injury. To augment his physical therapy we joined the YMCA last year. I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer around the same time. It is slow-growing yet incurable. I would observe Cathy’s class and thought it would be beneficial for my husband’s balance and stability. She patiently worked with my husband and his disabilities. Little did I know that her yoga class would turn out to be a gift to me. The practices have greatly helped me cope with the challenges of our health issues. I feel physically and emotionally stronger! Cathy’s compassionate approach truly adds a healing touch! I call her Dr. Cathy! Thank you from my heart Cathy….you’re a blessing. Carleen
Cathy, you are such a blessing to the YMCA. Your gentle and kindle spirit adds so much to the yoga class. Yoga has been a great benefit to me physically, mentally and spritually. It has challenged me to do things I never thought my body could do. Continue to be the awesome and gifted instructor you are, doing wihat you love. I love the website.
This morning I was feeling so sluggish. My mind had been racing all night thinking about the day ahead of me. I went to my quiet space, put on my “zen” music then sat in my cross-legged seat and that’s when I could hear Cathy’s voice say “clear your mind.” Through a few Ujai breaths, I started to flow through asans with ease –downward dog, plank, chatturanga, upward dog, montain pose, back to dog, now warrior II, etc. I could hear Cathy’s voice guiding through it all (all except that darn pidgeon pose — my nemesis! Lol). To cap it off I could look out my window and do the perfect Tree Pose and ended with savasana and prayer. Ahh! I love my yoga practice! All felt right with the world again! I wanted to know from our yoga comunity, how do you start your day?
Linda
Morning=Yoga for me. I wake at about 6 am and go straight to the mat. My mat is about 4 feet from my bed and stays unrolled at all times! Just as I give my students variety in class, I also give myself variety in my personal practice. First up is simply sitting still…in the morning the mind is fresh and finding stillness comes easier. Pranayama is next, for about 10 min. The asana practice is next. What kind of asanas I do depends on what my body needs for that day. Very often what I do in my personal practice will be what I teach for that day or some idea for a class will come to me as I practice. And best of all, i finish with relaxation..a good 10 min if i have the time. I practice everyday. Depending on the day, my practice is at least 2 hours long. On my late days about 4 hours. Most days I linger a little to long in my practice…now you guys know why im always running late to class! Sorry!
My mouth dropped open at the duration of your practice! Wow! I feel like a real slacker because my total morning practice is between 30 minutes to one hour!!!!!!!! I will have to work on that! LOL
Cathy you are an inspirational instructor….love Yoga practice although sometime its a struggle but I will continue to flow………………
Gloria T.
Yoga is such a beautiful impactful practice. It helps calm my ever busy mind, soothes my anxiety, and gives my body sensations that no other physical activity I engage in (and I try to do a lot of different things) provides—strength, flexibility, purpose, and grace all in one. I did not realize all of this until I came into contact with two remarkable instructors while living in NYC. Upon returning to MD, I did not have high hopes for finding a practice or instructor close to what I had experienced in such a large metropolitan city. I do think I had encountered Cathy before at World Gym but at that point I was not “open” to what yoga could do for an individual.
I remember my 1st class with Cathy. It was the Saturday 12:30 PM Power Yoga 2 class in which she reiterated “this is not a beginner class.” 🙂 That day started the beginning of a practice that I find essential to my well-being and day to day routine. Cathy is an awesome instructor! It is apparent to me that this is her life calling and I feel blessed to have her as a teacher. I learned a lot under other teachers but I know with Cathy’s voice and subtle suggestions I have grown a lot in my yoga practice. No class is the same and I’m slowly incorporating my yoga practice into my daily activities. As Cathy says, “yoga is also what you do off the mat!” I love that I can hear her helping a fellow yogi, and I am able to adjust in a pose as if she was personally talking to me. The breathing practices and encouraging words are always beautiful and grounding.
And I’m also SO happy to be in practice with such a wonderful, diverse, encouraging, welcoming, friendly group of fellow yogis. Cathy that also is a testament to your teaching, our class members rock!!!!
Sorry to be so long winded…
Thank you Angie…your so sweet! As I’ve told you before, I love to see you practice. I often see an expression in your face when you practice that is so pretty and pure. I think it reminds me of how I feel when I practice.Your dedicated to the practice…no doubt about that!
I really enjoyed reading about your passion for yoga and Cathy as an instructor! I agree with all that you said…..I also truly enjoy our group of yogis. We have unique personalities. My husband, Keven, and I find ourselves doing a yogi roll call after class to see who was missing. I think we all have stepped up our practice because of Cathy and because of our dedication to the practice. (By the way did you see Cathy’s post on her blog about how long she practices!) I find that I am getting better and better and actually I have come a very long way since I took my first class with Cathy. Keven and I enjoy talking about the different asanas at home and he has mastered the head stand without the wall now. I can see us all growing. As I told you after one of our classes. You rock that tree pose! LOL
2 hours or more!!!! wowza 🙂
Cathy, what a beautiful site! Congratulations!! Maybe I’ll give yoga another try because of your site.
Denise
Love the pictures Cathy!
Wow! I just saw “Yoga on the Hill Top” and those photos are simply awesome! I am definitely going to try to make next Monday’s class!
Oh Catherine Ann, this is Beautiful!! 14 years ago I listened on as you ranted and raved about Gaiam Yoga tapes with my sister. A few years later you told me about this bright idea. I remember the day that you decided on this teaching Yoga idea. Remember that you day? You told me that you had found a place that you could get certified to teach Yoga but it was in the middle of no mans land and I’m thinking well if that’s what you want to do you can handle it. What the heck she doesn’t need my permission… But you didn’t have an email address LOL.
Through all the potholes we’ve hit you’ve had this vision and you never steered off the course. You can really tell when someone enjoys what he or she is doing, its reflected in a way that I can only describe as passion. I’m honored to have witnessed this journey from the beginning, to call you my friend, but I’m not taking a class. Hehe love you Dumby!!
Oh Dummy! Thank you! I still have a vision of us working side by side someday, laughing and joking like the old days. Il make you into a yogi yet!!!
Ms. Valentine is an excellent teacher. I have
never left her class without feeling restored
emotionally, physically and spiritually. She
has taught me how to meditate, relax and perform my exercises properly. I pray this year she receives a double portion of prosperity and wellness. Try any of her classes u will enjoy them.
Ps Cathy have a great month of workshops wish I was there
Thank you Jubil! Know that I also feel the same when I finish a class teaching to you guys! Thanks for coming back to my class again and again.
Cathy, the Restorative Yoga sessions were so wonderful! I was especially stressed those 2 Mondays and within a few minutes, I was calm and relaxed.
You are a great yogi and are able to bring your passion to all of us.
Thank you!
Jane
Cathy, thank you and The National Harbor for the yoga classes. I had never tried yoga before your class. A friend encouraged me to give it a try for stress release and when I saw that the Peterson Company was offering it for free at The National Harbor I decided what better way to find out if yoga was for me! At first I was nervous as I am not athletic at all. But you made your classes easy enough for even a first timer. I looked forward to Saturday mornings. Thank you again for the wonderful introduction to yoga and I hope to be able to continue practicing yoga with you.
Thank you Jamie! Hope to see you in one of my classes soon!
I so miss Laura in our classes. Her candor, gregariousness and obvious dedication to her yoga practice always added an extra something to our classes and now we have a void. Sending healing thoughts your way, Laura.
Peggy R.
Lavender Retreat Reflections:
my intention yesterday was to figure out why I had lost my connection to my yoga practice. My vision was of Shiva –as Lord of the Dance, bursting out of a box—by our vision session I had refined my question to “what are the shackles holding me back from that connection I lost?” and that vision was my answer.
At the Lavender Retreat, some moments only aware of myself, and the sun, and the wind, and the wood deck underneath and the sounds of Cathy’s voice, and the music–
Cathy…Your site is amazing!!!! You are a gift to the world and I am happy that you have found your purpose. I am affirming joy and prosperity to your for the wonderful ways that you are changing our world. Abundant Blessings…Namaste
😊
Hi Lori! Thank you for the sweet words!