Meet Kathryn Samaltanos | Yoga Instructor, Artist, Teacher & Co-Director, Seed Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathryn Samaltanos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathryn, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I find that my work life balance is a practice that I have to be mindful of on a daily basis. I wish I could say that over time I have mastered this art, but I there are still have to remind myself to stop checking emails at the end of the day. I have learned that it requires healthy boundaries and a deep sense of knowing that when my needs are met I will be better prepared to meet the needs of Seed Studio.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I moved to Durango, CO in 2011. That is when I met Heidi Craw, my now business partner. We worked for the same person for a brief time before venturing out on our own. We are both artists and have children who are the same age. When our children were five years old, we started to notice the increase of technology infiltrating their world. At the same time, there was an increase of children with anxiety and suicides by young people in our community. As parents we found this alarming. It seemed like there was a disconnect between the immediacy of the digital world and the slow unfolding of our natural rhythms. I also have an extensive background in yoga, meditation and holisitic healing it seemed like a natural fit to combine creative expression with mindfulness practices. So we created a small summer program for children that blended process art classes with the social-emotional practices of yoga and mindfulness meditation.

In 2016, became a non-profit so we could broaden our reach to the youth in our community and work with in the 9-R school district. Since then we have grown our organization into a 501 (c) (3) that offers weekly morning pre-k classes, after school classes for kids ages k-8th grade, week long summer camps, adult classes and workshops. In addition, we have a program called Collaborate, where we align with other local youth oriented non-profits to create public art.

As for many, our biggest challenge, was during Covid especially when we had to shelter-in-place. Many businesses and non-profits were forced to close their doors. We were fortunate, because we were able to pivot to an online platform. And it became clear that our families needed our support as we all tried to navigate such a stressful time. We began creating art kits filled with supplies that our families could pick up from our studio at their convenience, we then moved our art, yoga and meditation classes online. As a result, we were able to continue to support our families and continue our mission. We also moved all of our summer camps outside, this was a lot of work but it was another game changer for us.

I’ve learned to stay open and to be flexible to our approach. I believe that our creativity inside and outside of the studio has been our saving grace. I am proud and grateful that we will be celebrating our 11 year Anniversary with a fundraiser event on October 1st.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Outdoor Adventures: Paddle boarding on the river at Oxbow Preserve or on Lake Night Horse
Hike Engineer for wild flowers
Bike/Walk/Run the river trail

Food & Drinks:
Cuevos Tacos Food Truck at Lolas on 2nd Ave for lunch
Happy Hour at Union Social House on North Main
Chang Thai on North Main for dinner
Drinks & Live Music at The Nugget Mountain Bar

Relax:
Durango Hot Springs Resort

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been inspired by so many people throughout my life but I’d like to give a shout out to my mom, Irene K. Samaltanos, for planting the seeds of yoga into my consciousness early on in my life,
to my spiritual teacher Guru Singh Khalsa who nurtured my spiritual growth and guided me to trust in myself and to
my Co-director/business partner Heidi Craw who has worked by my side through the highs and lows for the past 11 years.

Website: seedstudioart.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seedstudiokids/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seedstudiokids