Kate Ashworth - Drum Circle Facilitator, Meditation Teacher

Contact: k8ashworth@gmail.com

Education/Training/Experience: Kate has a Master's degree in Teaching from Union Graduate College, and is a NYS certified English Teacher.

Kate leads the drum program at Orenda, and also leads a weekly meditation class. Kate has been playing hand drums for the past 20 years or so, taking classes from a wide range of teachers from diverse traditions. She has been teaching hand drum techniques for the past decade or so, and loves the magic that happens when playing with others in drum circles. Her experience has taught her that rhythm is inside us all, and she enjoys the playful process of tapping into the energy of joy that drumming brings.

Kate had the remarkable good fortune to learn meditation at a very early age when her grandfather, a retired doctor, decided to teach the whole family transcendental meditation when she was only four years old. The practice has been an integral part of her life for the past 40 years, and she continues to explore, learn, and share with others as she goes.

Kate is also a devoted yogini who has been practicing yoga for over a decade, and has finally decided to pursue her yoga teacher training.

Influential Teachers: Drumming: Nataraj Houser, Middle Eastern; Daveed Korup, Sayeed Abbas, African; Steve Zone, contemporary improvisation, Meditation: Buddha., Yoga: Yodney Yee, Eric Schiffman, James Danoff-Burg, Andrea Fortuin.

Current Studies/Exploration: Kate is currently pursuing yoga teacher training on an independent study basis. As a drummer, she practices regularly to improve her skills, and is always looking for new techniques of drum circle facilitation to bring to the next drum circle. She is particularly interested in cognitive neuroscience and how the brain is changed through techniques such as drumming and meditation.