Meet Karisha

How it happened...

I was never an exercise junkie. I never felt the need to calm my nervous system or gravitate to things that were trendy or even anything that involved spandex leggings. The idea of connecting moving and breathing was foreign. 

Then one day in the spring of 2019, all of that changed. 

For a while, I felt I was out of sorts, not really sure what it was. All I knew was things were feeling "off". 

That year had been a little struggle. I was dealing with an injury somewhere in my knee and an orthopedic doctor immediately told me I needed surgery without suggesting other methods of healing. I couldn’t manage my weight and I began feeling anxious and depressed. Life began to feel very frustrating, so I did what I had done my whole life when faced with trials. 

As a Christian, I began to pray about the situation I was facing inside my body and mind. I asked God for healing, direction, and for clarity throughout the unknown and the doubts that I was experiencing. 

Not long after, I had seen an advertisement for my town’s local yoga studio. It was an Intro to Yoga Poses class series, where I could learn to breakdown and have proper form in poses while connecting my breath with the movement. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but after more prayer and discussion with people I trusted, I decided to sign up and bail out if I discovered it was not for me. Much to my surprise, after 6 classes, I started feeling different. 

I thought I knew about yoga. Back in college, I had occasionally watched DVDs that had routines, but I really wasn't connecting the dots. It seemed to be a lot of interesting positions with heavy breathing, but this class hit me differently. I was discovering proper body form, intentional breath, and learning how to combine the two. I was gaining focus, flexibility, clarity, and strength. This practice was giving me joy and felt meaningful and healthy!

Fast forward three years, several hundred classes later, and after much more prayer and discernment, in January of 2022 I decided to take a yoga teacher training course. This included 200 hours of the true origins and philosophy of yoga, a breakdown of poses with anatomy, intentional breathwork, sequencing, and much more. At the time I signed up, I had no desire to teach, but I felt I was being drawn to learn more about it.

This was not something I took lightly. It was a huge time commitment and I wanted to be sure the things I was going to learn didn't contradict with who I was. But, being of sound mind, firm in my Christian beliefs, and seeing several doors open in Godly fashion, I felt secure that properly educating myself would be a way to help others see what yoga was truthfully about, and how it was a healthy practice that didn't have to be feared. 

I trusted my instructors and what they were teaching, and I was confident that the knowledge I was gaining wasn't something misdirected. But with 5 months of intense instruction, I was not only learning the real deal of yoga, but also life lessons in grace, understanding, and forgiveness.

After gaining my certification, I quickly got the itch to teach in some capacity, although working full time and managing a family made it difficult to think about a regular studio gig. I loved the idea of special pop-up classes or “retreats” where others could get away from life for a day of restoration and relaxation and leave feeling better in their bodies.

I knew in my heart that God had led me to this wonderful full body experience. I not only wanted to bless students in secular classes, but also in holy yoga (movement and Biblical scripture) classes too. The education I gained was something that was only going to help and benefit others and it is something that does not stop with 200 hours of instruction. I am continually learning and looking for ways to give to others with yoga.  

In the end, I never had surgery on my knee. The pain began to heal as flexibility was gained. I learned how to move my body and my breath in unison, which in turn helped with depression, weight loss, and muscle mass.

Since gaining my teaching certificate, I have also acquired a 50-hour Yoga Faith Yin certificate, a 40-hour Chair Yoga certificate, and several teachings on various yoga styles, including Kids Yoga, Restorative, and some Ayurveda self-care practices. The depths of yoga are vast and intriguing. 

Although I can't convince everyone of the wonderful gifts yoga can bring both physically and spiritually, I can continue to do what I feel I am being led to share with others for their selves and their souls. Maybe I will come across another person who feels the way I felt years ago. 

These days, you can catch me at my new in-home studio, which is perfect for private lessons or a few friends wanting to have a meaningful time together. For a day of self and soul care yoga, food, fun, and giving yourself some love, check out my upcoming events on the home page or sign up for email alerts so you won't miss out on all the good things to come. 

I would love to connect and maybe soon you'll join me on the journey. 

In peace and gratitude...

Karisha