The balance of strength & flexibility is the essence of Yoga
Patsy Gaetano
Yoga instructor
Patsy Gaetano can’t imagine life without Yoga. It’s pulled her through some very difficult times and has imparted stability, longevity and direction to her life. It’s given her so much that she’s chosen to make Yoga her career so that she could give back to others with her teaching.
Patsy teaches Restorative Yoga, Yoga for Menopause and others with UNM Continuing Education. Restorative Yoga uses lots of props (mats, straps, chairs, blocks and weights) to support the students in achieving the pose. Poses are kept for longer periods of time, giving the student an opportunity to fully break down tension, to become more flexible and to unwind layer by layer.
“One of my favorite parts about teaching Yoga is at the end of a class when everyone is sitting in Savasan, and I can feel how powerful and positive the energy flowing through the room is. I don’t even need to look. I can just feel how good everyone else feels, how at home they are at that point, ” says Patsy.
Patsy’s work with Yoga for Menopause has enlightened her about our culture, the expectations people face and what happens to women when their bodies reach this stage. “Most women are so exhausted, they can’t heal properly. In order to regain strength, to build bone density, they have to learn to relax,” says Patsy.
Patsy also uses her knowledge of Ayurveda to meet her students’ needs more completely. She assesses each one before class to see what they might need. “I make adjustments to help each student. The size and duration of Continuing Education classes allows me to really focus on individual needs, to really get to learn how I can help each person week after week,” says Patsy.
“A big part of Restorative Yoga is finding ways for people with some sort of ailment or difficulty in their body to engage in more active yoga poses.
“I’ve learned to work in strength-building while working on flexibility. That balance of strength and flexibility is the essence of yoga.”
She remembers when she could count all of Albuquerque’s Yoga teachers on one hand. Along with a few other longtime teachers of Yoga in Albuquerque, Patsy was influenced and inspired to teach by their instructor Herb McDonald — Albuquerque’s original proponent of Yoga — or as Patsy refers to him, “Albuquerque’s grandfather of Yoga.”
Patsy moved to New Mexico 18 years ago to pursue an art career, and achieved great success as a mixed medium weaver during one of Santa Fe’s boom times. Her business grew to employ twelve people, which put Patsy under an enormous amount of stress. This was compounded during a time of family crisis and she became overwhelmed. Seeking answers, Patsy was intrigued by the reputed benefits of Yoga and wanted to try it. Patsy picked up a UNM Continuing Education catalog and chose a beginning Yoga class.
What she discovered in Yoga was so much more than stretching and breathing. Through Yoga, Patsy found a source of the strength and resilience she needed to meet the demands of her busy life. Patsy had found a way to ground herself and feel better. Yoga improved her ability to deal with her emotions and tension and gave her the energy to meet the constant pace her life required. Even more, Patsy found her calling.
Patsy Gaetano experiences the deep release this Restorative Yoga pose can produce.
Discover what Yoga can do for you in Patsy’s classes with Continuing Education.
Patsy’s current classes may include:
| Health & Relaxation |
| Core Flow: Yoga Pilates Fusion |
| Restorative Yoga |
| Yoga Basics 101 |
| Yoga for Menopause |
Note: Titles above link to our online registration site, which does not post courses after they are held. Course lists are updated at the beginning of the semester. Depending on when you click a title on the list above, some items may have already passed. You may always refer to the course index or to the printed course catalog for course information.
Teach a class with us
Have you spent a lifetime of learning on a favorite subject? Is there something you can do that nobody else can do? You can teach a class with UNM Continuing Education!
Turn in a course proposal. (PDF file to download, instructions on the file.)
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Contact
For information call 277-6320 or email ddel@unm.edu
