About Karuna

I started my Yogic journey in 1997, through books, as a way to find relief from the severe depression

I suffered as child into early adulthood. I was literally crying everyday.

I felt like my soul had vacated my body and I was just moving through my life as an empty shell,

just going through the motions.

I was so deeply depressed that thoughts of suicide brought me feelings of relief. I would pray for death.

I was the worst feeling I've ever had!

After teaching myself Yoga for about a year from a book,

I decided I should go to a Yoga class to make sure I was practicing correctly.

That's when I found my first real Yoga instructor, whom I resonated with, and took every class I could from her.

Ela encouraged me to do an intensive 6 month personalized Yoga Teacher Training with her in 1998.

I had absolutely no intention of teaching!

I just wanted more knowledge because the practice was shifting my life perspective dramatically

and I was finally feeling happy again! So she literally changed the words and asked if I wanted to do a

6 month intensive with her to go deeper into my own practice.

Now that was something I could get into!

One day, Ela called me and asked for a favor.

How could I refuse my beloved teacher?

But when she asked me to sub her Yoga class later that afternoon,

I panicked and used every excuse not to teach!

She was able to persuade me, and after that first teaching experience, I wanted more!

​So I started learning everything I could about the vast subject of Yoga.

Through my own Yoga practice, nutrition, and therapy, and a

short bout of taking a low dose of anti-depressants to re-boot the serotonin uptake in my brain,

I managed my depression to the point where I never feel that way anymore!

I was asked to speak on the topic of Yoga + Depression for Om Zone radio show in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2011.

It was really scary to be so vulnerable about the levels of deep depression I went to.

But I did it because I wanted others who were feeling like I did, to know there are tools we can use to

find that union of our body and soul again.

To become WHOLE again!

I have been formally trained in Ashtanga and Anusara Yoga, Pre + Post Natal Yoga and

Trauma + Therapeutic Yoga

by such humble, knowledgeable, dedicated teachers,

and have been passionately teaching and developing Yoga mastery for over 2 decades.

I am Yoga Alliance certified at the experienced level and also

a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider.

That means I can provide you with YA CEU's toward

your own YA certification renewal, when you study with me.

In 2010, I completed the Prison Yoga Project Teacher Training with James Fox.

This is a major story in itself! haha.

I'm blessed to have been one of the first 6 Yoga Instructors

to train with Connected Warriors Program

to start a Yoga program for combat war veterans in Rhode Island.

I've travelled the world, feeding my passion for exploration and adventure, seeking wisdom,

deepening my personal sadhana (practice) and finding fulfillment in ritual,

teaching international retreats, sharing the practice of Yoga,

and it's sister science of health and well being through Ayurveda.

I enjoy leading retreats in sacred places in nature around the world.

I think it is so very important to connect with our environment

as well as learn from people of other cultures.

When I lived in Mysore, India in 2003, I studied pranayama, meditation,

Sanskrit, Vedic chanting and Advaita Vedanta.

Under the guidance of Guruji Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and the Jois family,

I deepened my understanding and practice of Ashtanga Yogasana and

the ritualistic ways of worship in South India.

One of my most memorable life experiences was living in an ashram on the Ganges River in India.

It changed my life on a profound level because

I then realized how everything I did had a subtle effect on me.

This revelation changed the way I viewed the world, what I ate, and how I live.

It planted seeds within me that are watered and nurtured daily through my own practice.

I owned and directed a Yoga studio in Bend, Oregon and

later held the position of Senior Yoga Instructor in Santa Fe, New Mexico

where I taught weekly classes and workshops.

I enjoy teaching people in private sessions and retreats
because this allows me to customize the practice for peoples individual needs,

on a case by case basis, while connecting with people on a more intimate level.

I've taught Yoga in many different countries, which has taught ME so much!

I adore working with people from diverse backgrounds worldwide.

The beauty of this work is that it is UNIVERSAL and

works for everyone when dedicated to this practice.

I've not only led international classes, workshops, retreats, immersions and Yoga Teacher Trainings

but I also teach individuals who are
dying, going through trauma, or deeply depressed.

I've designed and taught Corporate Wellness Plans, taught,

the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and the staff at Outside Magazine,

to private lessons with celebrities and musicians and mentoring young adults.

My love for Yoga and it's power of transformation that people experience when they practice it,

led me to delve deep in to Ayurveda!

This is one of the many reasons why I am drawn to study Ayurveda.

I started my formal studies of Ayurveda in 2010,

in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at Dr. Lad's Ayurvedic Institute,

and became certified to give Ayurvedic Spa/Bliss Treatments.

I graduated from the Ayurvedic Health Counselor program

at Sacred Stone Academy for Massage and Ayurveda (SAMA)

in Newport, Rhode Island, my home state!

After graduation in 2015, I was an adjunct instructor.

In 2021, I got certified as a Panchakarma Specialist at the Maharani Academy.

I find powerful medicine through the teachings of

Yoga + Ayurveda + Aromatherapy

which is why I've built my business around these 3 pillars of natural health.

I offer people a customized, applicable, comprehensive approach

to their own health and wellness so they can learn to live life to its fullest potential.

I am devoted to being a living example of how transformative sadhana can be.

The mysteries and benefits of Yoga + Ayurveda unfold for me on a daily basis.

I have continued my studies throughout the years by attending trainings and workshops worldwide

as part of my commitment to deepening my understanding of this multifaceted practice.

I am humbled on a daily basis and grateful for these eternal gifts from my gurus.

When I was living in Bend, Oregon, way back in the early 90's,

I was first asked to model various Yoga postures for an organic clothing company.

Since then, I have been enjoying being a model for various Yoga-related ads, art and projects.

I've co-authored a beautiful, artisan, coffee table Yoga book, being the featured Yoga model.
Radiance Particles of Silence is my 1st self published book available on amazon.com.

I strive to uphold tradition, so my classes are taught in a classical manner

with a lightness and joy that is infused with Vedic + Hindu mythology and wisdom.

I pay particular attention to the fine details of alignment and am skilled with verbal cues

which aide each student more deeply into each pose.

Yogic philosophy is woven into the fabric of each class to create a storyline or theme,

containing universal and timeless wisdom.

I had a fortune cookie that said "You will meet people that will radically change your life!"

The very next day I met 2 people that have radically changed my life!

They have become my dōTERRA mentors, friends, family.

My journey with dōTERRA began in April of 2014.

I integrate these natural remedies into my work with oftentimes extra-ordinary results!

I am now a Platinum rank leader in dōTERRA, am an enthusiastic Essential Oil Educator

and an inspirational leader and mentor to my worldwide business partners.

I AM actively building this business with an incredible group of people.

If you are curious about how to serve others and create a residual stream of income or

want to work with me in this regard, please connect me.

I am grateful to all of my teachers who have blessed my path with their guidance and inspiration.

I am driven by a deep and sincere desire to share what I have learned and what I love

with others who wish to participate in this spiritual journey.

I express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to be able to carry on these

centuries old traditions of wellness and healing throughout my lifetime.

I bow down to all my teachers, those living, and those passed,

and to you lovers, the fringe walkers, you wild ecstatic dancers of this celebratory life

that we walk together!

Om Shree Maha Maya Ki Jai

“LET THE BEAUTY OF WHAT YOU LOVE BE WHAT YOU DO”

-Rumi