MEET YOUR TEACHER · SUNDAY SOUL
John Hale
Breath. Awareness. A deeper connection with yourself.
John teaches Sunday Soul on rotation with The Yoga Pad’s teaching community. Check the live schedule for his next class and the current teacher lineup.
John spent years overseas as a monk, grounding his practice in meditation and mindful awareness. He continues extensive yoga training across the Kansas City metro, broadening his skills and deepening what he brings to his teaching.
IN JOHN’S WORDS
A journey through yoga and meditation.
In March 2026 I completed a 200-hour foundational Yoga Teacher Training program led by Sue Park at Breathe Yoga KC. My formal yoga practice began about six years ago. My yoga practice and teaching is also informed by a meditation practice that I began twenty-five years ago in the Zen tradition. As a Zen practitioner I lived in residence at The Missouri Zen Center and Tassjara Zen Mountain Center in the Ventana Wilderness near Carmel Valley, California.
In 2016 I began a journey through India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand that opened me up to Vipassana meditation and the Buddha’s direct teaching. In 2018 I was ordained in the Sri Lankan Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. In 2024 I left my Monk path in order to expand my growth to more fully include Western body/mind therapies and Yoga.
The current spark of inspiration I’m finding in yoga involves the shift of consciousness that takes place when we bring awareness to breath and body movement in vinyāsa and ashtanga yoga and the possibilities for deeper self acceptance and the clearing of energy blocks in the body/mind. I see myself as a servant to those who participate in my classes. As a teacher I am tuning into each student with a strong interest in guiding them to find a deeper connection with themselves.
In my spare time I enjoy exploring fun and refreshing ways to express myself through my fashion statements.
Sunday Soul with John
John is one of our rotating Sunday Soul teachers. Dates, class times, availability, and the scheduled instructor are shown in the live schedule—not every Sunday is led by John.