Kimberly Wilson: THE Renaissance Woman from DC
by Lise Treutler
Allow me to introduce you to Kimberly Wilson, the yogi, fashion designer, writer, and friend to all! This woman, visiting Montreal from Washington, DC to teach a few workshops at Centre Luna Yoga in the Old Port, is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. She’s an incredible inspiration to people like me, who just can’t decide what they want to do or focus on!
I first heard about Kimberly through one of my yoga teachers, who met her at a Jivamukti training back in the spring. Soon after, a few of Kimberly’s TranquiliT pieces showed up in the yoga studio, along with vinyasa practice CDs and copies of Hip Tranquil Chick, Kimberly’s “guide to life on and off the yoga mat.” When the workshops were announced, I registered immediately, in part because I attend as many as I can (read: afford), in another part because my teacher commented that I’d really get along with Kimberly, but mostly because I was in awe of all she’s accomplished and wanted to learn from her.
Plus, she blogs like a maniac, so she’s obviously cool.
In DC, Kimberly owns a yoga studio where she teaches vinyasa flow classes based on her experiences and the ten teacher trainings she’s attended. (See, you really never do stop craving learning!) She also founded and designs the clothes for TranquiliT, a line of eco-friendly (think bamboo, soy, and organic cotton) clothing praised for its on- or off-the-mat versatility. And she wrote a book! I’ve been reading, pondering, and laughing along with HTC since I bought it two weeks ago.
While both yogis and aspiring designers will surely be struck by Kimberly’s beautiful work and well-deserved success, what got to me first — and is still being digested! — is how she “does it all” and seemingly has never had to choose where her area of focus should lie. I’ve referred to myself as a dabbler before, but never liked the connotations of the word: unfocused, lack of expertise in any one area… Not fair! What if I just enjoy creating art in different forms and learning all sorts of different things? Sure, I’m a far better cook than I am a guitar player, but I recognize where my strengths lie, and if they lie in a few different areas, why not go with the flow and see where each takes me?
If I’ve learned anything thus far from Kimberly (and indeed I have learned much), it’s that we don’t have to specialize. She’s completed teacher trainings in a number of different yoga styles. She started out as a yoga teacher and now has a lovely clothing line with a positive, eco-friendly message. She has a master’s degree in women’s studies!
By now, “Renaissance Woman” (or Man!) has become almost a cliché. But the term originated from the value the Renaissance Era saw society place on those individuals skilled in multiple arts. Why then must we specialize, choosing one course of life at a time?
At every Indyish Monthly Mess, I see all kinds of performers using a wide variety of “materials” (I use this term loosely), but they’re all ultimately artists. And just because someone sang a few songs at a café last night doesn’t mean they’re not a fantastic watercolour painter! By the end of every Mess, I’ve been touched and inspired by everyone participating in at least one way. I may go home a write a blog or a short story, or I may strum a few clumsy chords and write a song no one will ever hear.
Someday, maybe tomorrow, I want to be: a writer, a mixed-media artist, a yoga teacher, and a forest activist. What do you want to be?
Listen to this article
Published on: November 2nd, 2007
Terms Used: eco-fashion, hip tranquil chick, kimberly wilson, tranquilit, yoga
About: Lise Treutler
Lise is a Mile End-based freelance writer who concentrates on the arts, yoga, and environmentalism while finishing up a degree in environmental geography at Concordia. All of her electives are fine arts classes. She writes, she sings in the shower, she plays a bit o' the gee-tar, and she loves[...]
Browse Indyish Content:
Use the tabs above to navigate between Featured Blog Columns, Product Categories, Popular Tags, and Recent Comments.
Hi Lise!!
I really enjoyed reading your post on Kimberly!
I hadn’t heard about her until I attended her Hips workshop at Luna last saturday. I loved it, even if I couldn’t do all the poses because of a wrist injury. I then discovered her Website and blog…wow! What a great women, having accomplished so much! I absolutely love her views/philosophy on yoga! Merging hip and real life with yoga philosophy is what I thrive for and want to teach others!! Being a FULL time coordinator at La Gaillarde, a non profit eco-friendly/local clothing store, I have a very crazy/busy life and sometimes feel guilty not living a perfect Zen yogi life doing yoga 2 hours a day! Until I remember that I do apply yoga philosophy (yama and niyama)into my everyday life, and not only on the mat!
Reading about you and Kimberly, I totally recognized myself! I love books, yoga, have MANY passions (cinema, art, theatre, environment, fashion, health, veganism, Books, YOGA…) and I too feel unfocused and cant decide which career path to take! The choices and possibilities are too grand and all too interesting! (My present plan is to become a yoga teacher, but that could change reading a book or stumbling upon a Website! And its hard to wander if I could ever be a great yoga teacher if I have so many other interests?)
I wish I could live 10 lives so that I could study many subjects and master in one area each time. Its hard to hear from others that its time I choose ONE career! How possible!? (Althought I sometimes envy the ones who do, its seems simplier!)
I studied and worked for 6 years in theatre, volonteered for a vegan organization, now in the environment/fashion business while studying nutrition, anatomy and fitness, wishing to get my yoga teacher certification and teach within the next 2 years. (Time is ticking, life is too short, Im never a 100% sure of what I want to do, there’s so much to do/try and its driving me crazy!!)Then I remember(thanks to yoga) to calm down, breathe, indulge my passions, live a fulfilled life and see where that brings me. Thats why its been great to discover your blogs: to see that Im not the only one with this dilemma and that we DONT have to specialize in only one area! YEAHH!
Hey! I never thought I would end up as an entrepreneure in a eco-clothing store!(in spite of many discouraging me from doing so, including myself,cuz its not my field of study)
Well, I love it and Im learning great things daily, working for a wonderful cause with amazing people!
Hurray for renaissance women! Keep on living your multi-disciplined life! Its what makes us such passionnate persons!
Good luck with your careers…hope to meet you one day!
Annie, Montreal
Posted on November 4th, 2007 at 10:35 am [permalink]
annie, thank you for sharing! i remember you from the workshop (thanks to the wrist injury)… i’ll have to check out your boutique sometime soon!
Posted on November 4th, 2007 at 1:30 pm [permalink]
la gaillarde rocks!!
Posted on November 5th, 2007 at 1:36 am [permalink]
I loved your blog, lise. I am very excited because I am about to attend my first creativity workshop with kimberly. i am loving her book and can’t wait to discover new and wonderful things about myself. i’ll write again after sunday!
Posted on July 25th, 2008 at 11:12 pm [permalink]