Meet the Manager: Kai Trinh

What is your role at CorePower Yoga?
First and foremost I am a yoga teacher at heart!  I am also the manager of the fabulous CorePower Yoga - Hillcrest studio as well as a Director of Teacher Training here in San Diego, CA.

How did you find CorePower Yoga?
I actually think that CorePower Yoga found me!  I was living in Los Angeles working for another yoga company when Trevor Tice, the CEO of CorePower Yoga, met me. He opened the doors for me to teach for CorePower Yoga in Minneapolis, where I’m originally from, and I’ve been with CorePower Yoga ever since. (Thanks Trev!)

What does a typical Thursday look like for you?
A typical Thursday for me consists of doing some reports for the studio first thing in the morning.  I usually get a half-caff Americano at some point thereafter. I get to the studio and work until noon and then teach my C2 class.  Then it’s all studio stuff – errands, account maintenance, etc.  I will often take the 3PM C2 class, which has become my favorite time slot to practice in. I head home around 6PM.



What do you love most about the Hillcrest studio?
I can’t pick just one thing that I love most.  I love the diversity represented in the students that come in to practice.  I love that the yogis here welcomed we with open arms starting from the day I taught my first class about one year ago.  I love that there is a palpable, cozy and lived-in feeling about the studio.  I love that the practice room holds a haunting vibration of OM long after we’ve chanted it.  I love that I can easily walk to the studio and that I am able to both live and work in the amazing community of Hillcrest.



What is your favorite song to play in class?
“The Wonder of it All” by Kristine W.  The music transports me to another place and the message is one I continually strive for.  It’s a different experience for me every time I listen to it.



Tell us something surprising about yourself.
I will cry if you start talking about real-life experiences involving UFOs or ghosts…

What is your favorite part of your job?
The best part of my “job” is meeting and getting to know so many different people that I never thought I would have.  The biggest fear I had to face when becoming a yoga teacher almost ten years ago was simply having to talk to people and now I thrive on it.  I guess when you boil it down I love that this “job” shows me that I can still move beyond what I think are my limitations.



What is your favorite dessert?
I’m definitely not a dessert person (I’d rather eat french fries) but my favorite would be warm chocolate cake underneath a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream.

What is your favorite yoga posture, and why?
Currently my favorite pose is handstand.  Because I haven’t mastered handstand I learn the most from doing it.