Yoga on the Road

Ranae Scott – Student Story

Ranae Scott has been living on the road to rock climb and live simply for three years. After graduating from the 200hr Yoga Teacher Training from the Vancouver School of Yoga in the summer of 2017 she started teaching yoga in an open field under the Stawamus Chief in Squamish and soon after started her project Dirtbag Yoga.

“I love teaching yoga outdoors and offering it in a public space and I’m really passionate about expressive movement and making pathways to health and happiness. Dirtbag Yoga is all about that. I’m bringing yoga to my community and making it accessible and affordable.”

Ranae usually teaches a variety of 1 hour hatha-based or flow classes with a suggested donation of $5. “I might do a morning Yoga to energize the spirit, or an evening restorative class for climbers and athletes who work super hard during the day to release and relax.”

Ranae believes it’s important to think of yoga as a method to explore your own body and your emotional and mental health. “A lot of times you go to a studio and there is a fixation on performance, or the physical expression of the pose. Alignment is important, to an extent. But teach alignment so it’s about the sensation in your body, as opposed to how the pose looks. Every body is so different.’

Ranae Scott Rock Climber Originally from Portland, Oregon, Ranae has a background as a dancer, dance instructor and choreographer. “There are many similarities between yoga, dance and rock climbing,” Ranae said. “You have to be open to your body doing things differently than others, and cultivate the self awareness that goes with that. They’re all also all forms of moving meditation, and depend on refined focus. Your entire being must be present, your body and mind must work in concert. Dance and yoga have always been the most direct paths to bliss for me.”

In looking for a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training, Ranae said it was important to find a holistic program where she could become a really good teacher, rather than a better practitioner.

“You can always learn more about your own physical practice. What I liked about the training at VSY was that I graduated feeling competent in teaching. There was minimal practice, and it wasn’t necessarily fixed on any one school or lineage of yoga. It covered everything from the history and philosophy of yoga, to anatomy and biomechanics of popular poses, to how to prepare speciality classes, like prenatal and restorative. I loved the girls I was learning alongside. We had a really great group and the teachers really facilitated that connection, which was so important.”

Ranae is now in Bishop, California with her partner where she plans to continue rock climbing and Dirtbag Yoga, as well as teaching at local yoga studios.