Meet Cabrini Klepper

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cabrini Klepper.

Hi Cabrini, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a young yoga instructor with a drive to spread mindfulness, the origin of yoga, to others because it changed my life.

For years, I felt an unquenchable thirst to succeed in everything. I often felt overwhelming anxiety that I wasn’t doing or being enough; sometimes it paralyzed me, and I feared sitting still. My high school had 2600 students, and I was determined to distinguish myself. Some of my achievements included being Valedictorian, Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook, National Honor Society Treasurer, and Founder/President of the Yoga Club. I also ran a marathon in under 4 hours at age 16. Although I started a yoga club and began practicing, it never occurred to me yoga is made of eight limbs or pillars—only one limb is asana, the physical pose.

Fast forward to the year 2020—my junior year of college. I took the year off from the University of Colorado Boulder and enrolled in The Yoga Hive’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) via ZOOM. By this point, I realized I could keep trying to achieve but no achievement would fulfill me or grant me happiness. I kept thinking, “There must be a different way to live. I can’t live the rest of my life like this, or I’m always going to be anxious and discontent.”

My YTT leaders began by assigning us to meditate daily, building to 30 minutes a day. I HATED it at first, but, like the overachiever I was, I completed my meditation every single day. After a couple of weeks, I noticed the meditation rewiring my brain because I stopped beating myself up for missing a session. Funny, right? My self-talk grew nicer and more compassionate. In return, it made me more content with the moment. For the first time in my life, anxiety loosened its grip, and I could live in the present. Eventually, I started my yoga Instagram @YogaWithCabrini. I rewired my brain and felt content with life, and I felt people needed to know they could, too.

As both a yoga instructor and a recent college graduate, my view of my role in this world is to live like a modern yogi.

I’ve even written articles for CO YOGA+Life magazine (links provided via CabriniKlepper.com) about it. Living like a modern yogi essentially means acting from a place of love, being mindful, and being present. Additionally, I seek to directly inspire people with my classes and posts. If something resonates with someone, even one person, I view that as a win. I don’t think words and actions single-handedly inspire people. We are emotionally driven beings. Rather, inspiration stems from a culmination of memories, emotions, and other things happening in someone’s subconscious, which they unexplainably feel, causing resonation. I don’t think people realize when you’re a more-content person, you inadvertently make the world a better place by acting from a space of self-love and fulfillment instead of insecurity or fear.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I believe in life flow. Different regions and religions use different words to describe it, but the idea is ubiquitous. Being in your life flow means when you’re on the right life path, things fall into place. I am NOT saying to take the easy way. If I took the easy way, I’d have done online classes with all my friends. I’d never take the teacher training or start a yoga club because I used to be super inflexible. Lastly, I’d never audition for my first yoga teacher job with a broken elbow. In fact, I’d have never taught at all. I would still be trying to overachieve, living anxiously in the future, and trying to be perfect for my ego.

What I’m saying is I took chances despite my fears, and they worked out in my favor. If I act from ego or societal expectations, I fall onto the wrong path and feel like I’m swimming upstream. I feel in life flow when I act from authenticity, embrace the associated fear, and find ease with action.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
When I’ve saved enough money and sufficiently studied yoga in its entirety, my dream is to start my own holistic wellness studio. I want to create individualized paths for people to slow down and live in alignment—to cultivate inner harmony and strengthen their intuition. Most importantly, to create an open space to explore, play, and be present.

My current work circles around yoga and mindfulness, which encapsulates my values and lessons reflected above here. I do that by trying to live like a modern yogi but more directly through my articles, yoga classes, and yoga gram. I think my current work is trying to inspire people to be better for themselves and for others.

What sets me apart, in general, is my placed value on authenticity. I believe emotions and phases foster a rich, vibrant life of natural ebbs and flows. NO ONE is happy all the time because that would diminish the value of happiness. If I don’t feel inspired or down in the dumps, I will be completely transparent about where I’m at and what I’m working on currently. Vulnerability and openness to criticism take strength, but it helps to know other people could resonate with my experience and that struggle is an opportunity to grow, not of weakness.

What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I tried every activity possible. I’ve always loved trying new things. Now, I am outgoing and unafraid to make friends. However, when I was younger, I gravitated towards introversion, but I simultaneously loved pushing myself outside my comfort zone. A few things I dipped my toe into include swimming, basketball, soccer, dance, gymnastics, tennis, golf, guitar, theater, voice lessons, and debate.

I always loved things that enabled me to be most creative and think outside the box. I remember organizing a neighborhood talent show and recruiting my friends and parents to watch. I also adored exploring outside and climbing trees. I wrote songs and books and invited my friends to listen. I even remember using old boxes or construction site bricks and boards to build miniature stores on our cul-de-sac. I crafted many different art projects from painting to pottery. Naturally, I found my flow when I could be most independent and do my own thing.

As I grew older, like most kids, I tried to fit in more and do things conventionally to succeed or “be popular”.

Nowadays, I think I take more of my own approach to life, which really does work best for me. I’ve read articles asking adults to describe what fired their passion as kids, then using that as inspiration for adding more joy to their life now either in the form of play or a career. As I’ve said before: it’s unlikely you’ll find your life flow if you’re not living in authentic alignment with your true self.

Contact Info:

• Website: CabriniKlepper.com
• Instagram: @YogaWithCabrini