"In studying and working with Kaya for 6 years I have gained invaluable knowledge in the areas of spinal release, traditional teachings of yoga, and tools for quieting the mind. Kaya has been an inspiration for living a grounded, integrated, accessible, yogic life and to have that kind of example in my life - it's hard to put words to the value of that." - J.R., Artist, Yoga Teacher
Find me + my Yogic Lifestyle here!
What I do, and Who I work with.
I tend to attract students who have already experienced a fair amount of yoga, meditation or wellness modalities. They have been trying to "create" healing and transformation with a tendency to push, strive or struggle and are ready to let go of their wellness 'to do' list and find a simplified clear pathway to understanding and resolving the root cause of imbalance. They are deeply prepared for and craving something that can truly provide the depth of inner experience that comes from letting go at a very deep level, and the empowering knowledge that aligns them with both their own uniqueness and the oneness of existence. I also love working with yoga teachers to help refine their skill!.
About Kaya, Certified Yoga Therapist
I began my exploration of eastern studies in 1998 with Vedic and Buddhist philosophy and have been teaching spinal release yoga for 14 years. I've logged over 10,000 hours of training and teaching ayurveda. yoga and Vedic traditions. My approach to yoga is a gentle but deep restorative form that de-compresses the spine {think gentle chiropractic yoga!}, opening the whole body, expanding awareness and quieting the mind.
I knew I wanted to teach from my very first yoga class in 1999... something in me was so incredibly clear about it in the first shavasana experience... and I left a PhD program to pursue yoga studies with the intensity of a PhD candidate.
For 10 years, I engaged in full-spectrum exploration and training in the Vedic tradition with formal study and certifications in advanced Yoga Therapy, Ayurvedic Medicine, Vedic Astrology (Jyotisha), and Vedic Design and Arrangement (Vāstu) - scroll down for a list of certifications - in the US and India. After a decade of teaching teaching and study, I began teaching and mentoring other yoga teachers so they could refine and advance their skills to more effectively work with their students. I spent several years on the board of, and as a teacher trainer for a large yoga foundation and travelled on the east and west coast to teach teachers.
In 2011 I came back to re-focus my work with my local (Northern California) community of yoga students and teachers and I am currently the master yoga therapist and spinal release teacher at Emeryville Yoga Center and am on the faculty of 800 hour yoga therapy trainings at the Stress Management Center of Marin. My present focus is working with experienced yogis, healers, meditators and explorers of the body, mind and self to help them cultivate deeper experience and understanding of the underlying principles of this amazing tradition. I am registered at the highest possible level with the National Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500) and I have continued my studies in the direct presence of renowned Vedanta teachers including Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Carol Whitfield and Swami Tattvavidānanda.
I knew I wanted to teach from my very first yoga class in 1999... something in me was so incredibly clear about it in the first shavasana experience... and I left a PhD program to pursue yoga studies with the intensity of a PhD candidate.
For 10 years, I engaged in full-spectrum exploration and training in the Vedic tradition with formal study and certifications in advanced Yoga Therapy, Ayurvedic Medicine, Vedic Astrology (Jyotisha), and Vedic Design and Arrangement (Vāstu) - scroll down for a list of certifications - in the US and India. After a decade of teaching teaching and study, I began teaching and mentoring other yoga teachers so they could refine and advance their skills to more effectively work with their students. I spent several years on the board of, and as a teacher trainer for a large yoga foundation and travelled on the east and west coast to teach teachers.
In 2011 I came back to re-focus my work with my local (Northern California) community of yoga students and teachers and I am currently the master yoga therapist and spinal release teacher at Emeryville Yoga Center and am on the faculty of 800 hour yoga therapy trainings at the Stress Management Center of Marin. My present focus is working with experienced yogis, healers, meditators and explorers of the body, mind and self to help them cultivate deeper experience and understanding of the underlying principles of this amazing tradition. I am registered at the highest possible level with the National Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500) and I have continued my studies in the direct presence of renowned Vedanta teachers including Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Carol Whitfield and Swami Tattvavidānanda.
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Go ahead... scroll down and read my formal certifications, or go HERE to read a little more of my personal journey with yoga! I used to be pretty private, but walking around in front of my yoga students getting more and more pregnant in 2013 (with an extra 70 gorgeous lbs to boot!) has made me quite comfortable with being pretty open with you! |
Clinical Ayurveda + Ayurvedic Yoga
Mount Madonna Institute College of Ayurveda, 2006-2008
2.5 years study with Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Sarita Shrestha, Dr. John Douillard, Dr.Ram Harsh Singh, Dr. Vivek Shambhag and others.
Classical Hatha Yoga
Ayurveda and Yoga
Pranayama
Lifestyle Counseling
Herbal Medicine
Pulse Analysis
Women's Health
Digestive Health
Food and Nutrition
Yoga & Pranayama
Ayurvedic Psychology
Anatomy & Physiology
xxS\]anskrit
Ayurvedic Studies with Dr. Sarita Shrestha, 2009
Digestive Health and the Large Intestine
Women's Health, Conception, Prenatal and Postnatal care
Vedic Studies
Vedic Vidya Institute & Hart deFouw, 2006-2010
Jyotisha (Vedic Astrology)
Hasta Samudrika (Vedic Hand Analysis)
Vaastu (Vedic Structure, Arrangement & Design)
2.5 years study with Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Sarita Shrestha, Dr. John Douillard, Dr.Ram Harsh Singh, Dr. Vivek Shambhag and others.
Classical Hatha Yoga
Ayurveda and Yoga
Pranayama
Lifestyle Counseling
Herbal Medicine
Pulse Analysis
Women's Health
Digestive Health
Food and Nutrition
Yoga & Pranayama
Ayurvedic Psychology
Anatomy & Physiology
xxS\]anskrit
Ayurvedic Studies with Dr. Sarita Shrestha, 2009
Digestive Health and the Large Intestine
Women's Health, Conception, Prenatal and Postnatal care
Vedic Studies
Vedic Vidya Institute & Hart deFouw, 2006-2010
Jyotisha (Vedic Astrology)
Hasta Samudrika (Vedic Hand Analysis)
Vaastu (Vedic Structure, Arrangement & Design)
Restorative Yoga Therapy
Master Yoga Academy, 2001-2009
8 years & 2,000 hours training in Svaroopa® Yoga with Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati
Svaroopa® Yoga Certification
Embodyment® Yoga Therapy Certification
Yoga Therapy for Treating Pain
Yoga Therapy for Neck & Shoulders
Pregnancy Yoga Certification
Deeper Yoga Certification
Yoga for Hyper-Flexibile Students
Gentle Yoga Certification
Yoga for your Back Certification
Patanjali Yoga Sutras & Bhagavad Gita
Western Anatomy and Eastern Subtle Body Theory
Pedagogy Certification for training Yoga Teachers
8 years & 2,000 hours training in Svaroopa® Yoga with Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati
Svaroopa® Yoga Certification
Embodyment® Yoga Therapy Certification
Yoga Therapy for Treating Pain
Yoga Therapy for Neck & Shoulders
Pregnancy Yoga Certification
Deeper Yoga Certification
Yoga for Hyper-Flexibile Students
Gentle Yoga Certification
Yoga for your Back Certification
Patanjali Yoga Sutras & Bhagavad Gita
Western Anatomy and Eastern Subtle Body Theory
Pedagogy Certification for training Yoga Teachers
Associations
Teaching Faculty
Yoga Therapy Training Faculty, Stress Management Center of Marin
Master Yoga Therapist and Teacher, Emeryville Yoga Center
Yoga Alliance
E-RYT 500 - highest accreditation
Committee Member - Yoga Teacher Training Standards Commitee
IAYT Yoga Therapist
Member of the International Assoc. of Yoga Therapists
Approved as Lead Yoga Therapy Training Faculty in an Accredited IAYT Program
Yoga Therapy Training Faculty, Stress Management Center of Marin
Master Yoga Therapist and Teacher, Emeryville Yoga Center
Yoga Alliance
E-RYT 500 - highest accreditation
Committee Member - Yoga Teacher Training Standards Commitee
IAYT Yoga Therapist
Member of the International Assoc. of Yoga Therapists
Approved as Lead Yoga Therapy Training Faculty in an Accredited IAYT Program
One of my favorite short messages from my teacher, renowned Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Here he answers briefly the question - why should one study the teachings of the vedic tradition.
Contact Kaya at kaya@yogawithkaya.com
Classes, workshops and sessions in Restorative Yoga Therapy, Yoga, Ayurveda, teacher Mentoring and Yoga Philosophy in the Bay Area (Emeryville), Northern California and by phone. With advanced training in Svaroopa® Yoga, Kaya has also spent over a decade in deep formal study of classical Hatha Yoga, the Vedic Tradition, Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Yoga. Students attend Kaya's classes and sessions from Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, and Marin. Her approach encourages easeful deep relaxation, simple self-care tools, letting go of core spinal tension, and the discovery of the truth of being that is waiting to reveal itself.
Classes, workshops and sessions in Restorative Yoga Therapy, Yoga, Ayurveda, teacher Mentoring and Yoga Philosophy in the Bay Area (Emeryville), Northern California and by phone. With advanced training in Svaroopa® Yoga, Kaya has also spent over a decade in deep formal study of classical Hatha Yoga, the Vedic Tradition, Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Yoga. Students attend Kaya's classes and sessions from Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, and Marin. Her approach encourages easeful deep relaxation, simple self-care tools, letting go of core spinal tension, and the discovery of the truth of being that is waiting to reveal itself.