Hi, I'm Katie Hemphill: a Health & Embodiment Coach, Yoga & Meditation Teacher, and Heart-Centered Warrior for redefining our relationship with Nature (nature "out there" and nature "as you are, right here").
I recognize the deeply challenging times we face today, and I recognize the negative impact this has on our own, human selves, and the greater planet we are part of.
Here, now, it is my deepest desire to show you a better path forward: Out of the widespread chaos and overwhelm that forms the matrix of our modern world, and into a brighter world held together by fully embodied, connected, nourished, individuals, all making intentional decisions that move us forward.
Upward Slopes is a space of devotion in connection to aligned action for a brighter, more beautiful ascension journey.
What is an ascension journey? Most simply, it forms the fabric of a masculine model (the model the rules our modern world) wherein we are taught to view life as an upward climb.
A climb: wherein there is a point in space and time where you stand, here and now, holding both intention and attention for that which may be better (or otherwise desirable) up ahead.
I created Upward Slopes in 2020 based on a deep questioning of the ascension models that are firmly rooted in our modern world. I created this space so that we can question these models, allow the dissolution of what is ready to die out, and create space with intentional action for the creation of that which is truly worth working for.
My journey as a mountaineer and ultrarunner may have started based on a desire for grander and grander achievement, but the path that has unfolded from this space is one that continues to shift all I understand about the human experience and our ability to best show up in the world: shining or own light as we come into connection with the greater systems we are part of.
With Mother Nature as my greatest teacher, I bring together a broad set of philosophies and modalities that center on cultivating an embodied path through life. In this space, we get to step into deeper connection with the fullness of who we are as human beings as we connect into the greater ecosystems that we are part of.
A long journey out of my own head....
Classically trained as a Biomedical Engineer (B.S.E., M.S.), I decided to take my research skills and desire to know more about human health with me on my own path: one that led through years of independent study and, eventually, the creation of The Reprogrammed Systems Approach to Healthier Living.
From here, I got stuck! Because I was living life so fully in my head, all I could experience was anxiety and overwhelm as I searched frantically to turn my ideas into real solutions. In this space, I drove myself down a path of burnout and depression and never was able to help a soul.
After learning SO MUCH about how we can heal from harmful patterns taught to us by a rather destructive society, I decided to take this framework to a new space: one that would enable us all to more fully embody intellectual concepts and to apply them in ways that truly support our unique needs & desires as the complex human beings that we each are.
Today, I bring seemingly polarized fields together into a unique approach designed to heal our world on a multi-systems level:
- our own selves (body and mind)
- our communities
- our planet
Living life true to our own nature
When I first got started, I viewed life as a series of isolated problems to be solved, choosing to focus on optimal solutions to human health that bucketed us all into one category (a human body) and stripped away our unique needs & desires.
These days, I recognize how limited this view was, as I now see health and the unique lives we live as intricately intertwined.
On top of this, I view life as a human being to be a true gift, and with the time I am given you will tend to find me out in nature: running, climbing, exploring, being 🙂
Sometimes, I even take things to the extreme, pushing the limits of my body in different ways (like running 100 miles in 35 hours through the mountains of Colorado).
Other times, you'll find me in quiet solitude enjoying a sunset across the mountains or listening to the wind through the trees in the forest.
All of you is so very welcome here! And that includes your unique path through it all as we cultivate space for your healing and your best ability to show up to help heal this world.
Yes - here, it's about you and your needs & desires.
AND
And, it's about the health of this beautiful planet we live on.
Here, can we learn to recognize ourselves as one node in an infinite expanse; an interwoven web of life?
Our planet is hurting, just like we hurt.
Our plant shines, just like we shine.
Can we learn to see the interconnectedness of it all and make fully embodies choices from this space?
Yoga - On and Off the Mat
I spent my twenties immersed in yogic philosophy. I was in love with the wisdom that shone through the pages I read, and I knew that I needed to get into practice so I could experience the transformation that this wisdom tradition promised.
But I faced a serious problem! Any time I unrolled my yoga mat and stepped into a series of postures, I found myself instantly crippled with anxiety, and often times even going into a full state of panic. My whole being screaming at me to be anywhere but here.
Ultimately, I found my way to a series of yoga teacher trainings where I promised myself I'd get to the root of the issue. I did, and what I found shocked me, then sent me on my own journey where I could finally experience the healing and other deep transformation I was seeking.
Here, I offer you all that I've learned about cultivating our own embodiment practice. Maybe that involves the currently accepted movement practice that plays out on a sticky mat in a climate controlled room; or, maybe looks a bit more like my own practice.
