OUR TEACHERS

There are no teachers, only students. I began my yoga practice in earnest around 2000 and have taught since 2005. I was inspired by my teachers genuine way of being FOR their students and that is what I am, FOR you. I am FOR your growth and your learning. I am FOR your empowerment and your healing. I am for your light and your shadow. I teach self-awareness and self-empowerment through the intelligence of the sacred alignment principles of Yoga. I have had many teachers, a few of them have stayed in my heart. All have stayed in my mind. These are notable. Karen Abbott, Bikram Choudhury, , Dave Farmar, Baron Baptiste, and Susan Bass. 

I am a certified Co-Active Coach, graduated from CTI’s Co-Active Coaching and Leadership programs in 2005, have taught thousands of yoga practices and eight 200-hour teacher trainings.   I have studied Ayurveda at the Sarasvati Institute of Ayurveda & Yoga Therapy and continue on the life long journey of learning.

My Teacher/Leader Stake is to hold space for you to step up to your edge and grow into your yoga practice in Big Bold ways. I invite you to come and find yourself on your mat.

 

My stand for YOU as a yoga teacher and coach is to BE A CATALYST. Yoga is a platform for self-empowerment, expression, and discovery. Through the lifelong practices of asana, meditation, and self-inquiry, I invite you to step into your biggest, most powerful self, realized in creation. I’m more interested in who you ARE in the pose than in how you look in the pose. I see my students with compassion and curiosity rather than judgment or pressure. I will use my voice and self-empowered being to encourage and lift you up. I have received incredibly powerful mentoring and coaching in my life and I am convinced you can’t keep what you have without giving it away.

If you are brand-new to yoga, please consider taking my monthly beginners workshop.. We will go over the basics so that you feel empowered to step into your first yoga class. I closely identify with the struggles of a beginner. I deeply admire the courage it takes to begin.

Training and credentials include:
300 hour certified Baptiste Power Yoga instructor;
Enrolled in Baptiste Fit to Lead training;
40 Days to Personal Revolution trained facilitator;
I completed the yogaRIOT 200-hour teacher training in 2017
I have assisted, facilitated, and taught three-200 hours teacher trainings
certified Yoga 12 Step Recovery space holder;
certified Imagination Yoga instructor;
65 hours of Sanskrit intensive language study;
Enrolled in 500-hour yoga philosophy training through Yogic Studies;
Bachelors Degree in Religious studies, a certificate in Women’s Studies, minor in multicultural queer studies from Humboldt State University;
Over 2,000 hours of practicing and teaching yoga
Completed graduate-level courses in Aromatherapy science
Professional chef and caterer

My precious teachers are Annie Ory, Baron Baptiste, Paige Elenson, Nikki Myers, Stone Cairns, Dr. Antonia Rupple, April Dechagas, Seth Powell, Deborah Addington, and the Alanon Fellowship.

Testimonials:

When I think about someone who has impacted and changed my life through being in proximity to their life, I think of Kari. I met Kari when she was the instructor of one of my first Yoga classes. She was welcoming, warm, and created this sense that invited people to the idea that they belong here and are wanted here. Because of that, I returned again and again and again and am still practicing today. I always have the sense that Kari believes in me and holds me in unconditional regard.  Kari has taught me how to live a life with values and committed action to those values, to return and “begin again”, and to “be up to something bigger than myself.” I am grateful for Kari and the community that has been so vital in my wellbeing, my recovery, and my ability to give and hold space for others.

~Sheena Ino

I reconnected with Kari in October of 2016 in Portland Oregon. Autumn had just really begun to paint the town red and gold and the air was crisp. What I didn’t know when we met was how drastically my life would change because of her. Kari must have seen my better self hiding behind a wall of uncertainty and doubt surrounded by a moat of alcohol to keep the curious at a distance. She welcomed me for who I was and offered the opportunity to explore what I was capable of accomplishing through the art of yoga. I was suspicious at first but all it took was one 60 minute practice to flip on a switch inside of me that could never be turned off again.

One practice became hundreds and I felt like I found a place to learn to be comfortable in my own skin. Kari opened this door and taught patience, perseverance, and inspiration into my daily life. I found the courage developed from this practice over the years  to make other positive changes in my life: I quit smoking, I quit drinking, I worked on my mental health, I started a business, I built a loving community, and more.

I learned through Kari that you can actually turn your life into something worth loving if you put in the sweat and energy to get into that final resting pose. Savasana as the celebration of your hard work.

~Conner Jones

I met Kari during a time of transition in my life. New home, new people around me, and I had recently lost my job of 7 years. Feeling ungrounded and seeking something I didn’t know the name of at the time, I went to YogaRiot with a 2 week Groupon. That was pretty much my introduction to yoga, outside of classes at the gym. Kari was a strong, confident, gentle teacher. As I followed Kari’s guidance, I learned to move with my breath, in that wonderful heat. Her tone of voice, from gentle to fast and confident, encouraged me to go deeper than I thought could be possible. I lost weight. I gained physical and emotional strength. 

Something I am so grateful for and appreciate so much about Kari is the words she uses during practice to guide our poses physically and the words of wisdom, and not just that, but the passion behind them. That alone has been life-changing. 

~Karla Dominguez

My name is Jerrelle Wilson but I also go by Jerreal Flow. This name is symbol of not only how I teach but also how I live my life. I find it imperative to teach students the real things about yoga. As I teach students about alignment, breath and postures I also teach them about the flow of life inside and outside of class.

As a black man who was raised playing football, running track and doing everything besides dynamic stretching, it surprised it me how much I loved yoga. Yoga has given me the opportunity to showcase that you can break the mold with consistency and dedication. I want to share the opportunity with the world.

I finished my first teacher training in 2015 at I AM YOGA Wellness in Turlock CA. It was here that I learned about hatha, vinyasa, restorative techniques and how in-depth yoga can be. I would soon move to San Diego and begin truly learning how to teach.

In 2018 I had the opportunity to do a 300 hr teacher training in Bali, Indonesia. This training was immersive and taught me more about the subtleties of teaching and the differences between yoga and building a foundation on mobility and strength.

Combining all of these trainings over the years has given me a unique perspective on how to teach and apply it individually to each student. Thank you for allowing me to create a space for you to grow and connect with your breath, body and mind.

My name is Stone Cairns. I work with world changers. I believe the Universe bends towards Justice and we all have a part. I first came to yoga through the practice of ahimsa, commonly but incompletely thought of as nonviolence. For the past three decades, I’ve been a nonviolent organizer in the streets and in the office.  I’ve taught at colleges and in many more church basements – and here at yogaRiot.  These days, I coach others to take creative, life-affirming actions to win the world we want – one of ease, grace and justice. Look for my workshops and offerings around self-inquiry, spiritual alignment and community engagement.