Hi, I' m Karla Jolie, and I took my first yoga class thirty years ago while in college.
I had been suffering with mid -back pain for months, and I saw how much yoga classes were helping my best friend and walking buddy. I began attending them as well, and the classes brought not only relief from back pain, but other surprising benefits--like more calmness and less anxiety and more energy.
I was so inspired by how deeply beneficial it was, I trained to teach yoga after finishing my BA in education. I've studied, practiced, and taught ever since.
My approach has become quite practical and therapeutic over these many years. A focus on gentle strengthening, great range of motion in the joints, and soothing the nervous system are staples of my lesson plans. When I became a mom thirteen years ago--and had three children within 6 years--I was even more determined to seek out the most essential, beneficial practices for myself and my work.
My first teaching certificate was in Kripalu Yoga. I was also influenced by Gary Kraftsow's therapeutic style of teaching. After I had a good deal of experience, I wanted to understand how to help students more individually. This led me to take a 4 year training in Structural Yoga Therapy. Here, I learned assessment techniques and how to design a tailored practice. I studied how to use the tenents of Ayurveda (the sister science to yoga) to customize a practice to the individual.
Over the years, I've worked with many students in a variety of settings: after school classes for teachers, classes for hospital staff, college staff and students, senior classes, and teaching many types of workshops.
I've also founded and run two studios, and I ran a teacher training program for dedicated students.
As a forever student of yoga, I'm constantly studying from a therapeutic lens.
I am an amateur illustrator and love to draw Sketchnotes. I organize my yoga class ideas and themes using these notes, and share them as resources for further learning with my students.
In 2020 when classes moved to Zoom, I was surprised to find I really enjoyed the format. Students were and are more consistent in their practice and it takes less time as there is no driving. They like how much freedom they feel to go at their own pace.
My husband and I are homeschool parents, and spend a lot of time on the renovation of our house and property , including occasionally chasing after chickens.
I love walking our sweet dogs or curling up with a cup of tea, a book, and one of our cats on my lap. We love to travel with our three kids and learn about U. S. history ( and dinosaurs!)
I hope to create classes that both tangibly and subtly help others refill and refuel.
If you resonate with this approach, I invite you to participate in this friendly community by joining my email list--or even better--my classes.