All events and courses are hosted on our Mighty Network, Yoga Club. You can join this space without buying a course to participate in community events or connect with others.
Community Events (free, one off and open to all, recordings available for 24 hours)
Oṃ Jyotir Ahaṃ I am Light. Friday December 6 1 pm CST. Learn the role of the maha vakayas or 'great utterances' from the Vedas. We'll combine movement, prāṇāyama, and mantra. I will ask you to move, but in an accessible way.
Kavachaya Huṃ I am protected from within. Again, combine movement, prāṇāyama, and mantraḥ. January
Rudra Gāyatrī (1) japa February.
Rudra Gāyatrī (2) japa March.
Philosophy Courses
Yoga Sūtras book three is currently running and will meet Sunday mornings, except major holidays, until November 2025. Because this text is non-linear and oral tradition based, you can join at any point. However, this study requires a commitment on the student’s part; it isn’t okay to ‘try it out’ and then leave the group. You can join, but a 1:1 convo with Karin is required to orient you and ascertain whether this is the right fit for you.
Retreats
February 14-16 Bhakti: The yoga of love. Yess Yoga.
Summer Solstice (June 20-22 2025) Laying Sūtras on your body: applying yoga philosophy to yoga āsana.
Vedic Chant
if you have previously studied a mantra with me but would like to join the community, you can join for $20. All courses are based on $20/per session. "Intermediate" indicates that you are familiar with the rules of Vedic chanting from either attending "Intro to Vedic Chant" or 2 previous mantraḥs. You should have developed the capacity to have a personal practice of at least 20 minutes a day and be comfortable chanting in the group and sending in recordings. If you do not yet have this, intermediate courses will feel overwhelming. No worries! There's lots of other things you can join.
Sūryanamaskāra mantra (beginner) Tuesdays December 3, 10, 17. 10 am CST. Learn about the symbolism of the sun in the Veda and glean an understanding of health/prevention of suffering. Set yourself up for the dark season.
Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu (intermediate, ish. Like doing 108 sun salutations is probably not the best intro to yoga āsana, but it has happened and people have been okay, this is a smattering if it's a first go at chant. But you can handle it!) Thursdays December 5, 12, 19. Call on the divine in the most ordinary and even challenging of situations, coming to understand how this very life is the sacred path rather than an elsewhere.
Agni sūktam - finding your inner fire (beginner) Tuesdays January 7, 14,21, 28 February 4, 11. The Veda are arranged according to importance and meaning, not linearly in time. The first line, and therefore the most important or 'first' utterance, is "I worship fire." Explore the role of will power and developing strength on this path, and the teachings of light.
śivamanasa puja (intermediate)Thursdays January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Building an inner alter, marrying your mind to the divine and resting in the ocean of compassion
Śraddha Sūktam - faith in your path (beginner) Tuesdays March, April. Dig a little into the concept of 'faith'. That is a poor translation for the concept śraddhā, but the concept is central to the yogic path. Hold space for both critical thinking (celebrated rather than blind faith and dogmatic devotion) and our own spiritual wounds as you explore the role of belief, commitment, dedication in this tradition.
viṣṇu sūktam - (intermediate) Thursdays February - March 2025. I think of Viṣṇu as he-who-shows-up-when-needed. It is the pervasive, penetrating nature of divinity, the aspect of the divine that loves and befriends humanity and calls us to the spiritual and personal heights. In this hymn, we learn how Viṣṇu is constantly creates the path by which we can reach Nārāyaṇa, who is the ultimate source, the truth of who we are, and the final destination of all souls. Viṣṇu infuses the whole universe, unveils its laws and maintains the universe under these laws. Learning this hymn is akin to aligning ourselves with the universe’s natural order and feeling a sense of rhythm, potency, belonging, and harmony. True balm for a world in which the majority of us are lonely, lost, and feel powerless.
puruṣa sūktam - (intermediate) Thursdays April - May 2025 . This hymn presents puruṣa as consciousness or intelligence or spirit acting through the world. It works through acknowledging īśvara's glory in the world, and coming to understand that this very Puruṣa is the innermost self. The entire knowledge of the upaniṣads is in this one hymn. Chanting this hymn helps us to negotiate the ways we over or misidentify ourselves, oscillating between too much ownership and a sense of powerlessness. Chanting this sūktam helps us establish a relationship with Īśvara and can become a great healing, inspiration, and understanding for aspirants on the path of yoga.
Medhā Sūktam -(beginner) May, June the power of neuroplasticity, baby. The triad of śraddhā-agni-medha is said to encompass the whole of the yogic process, and these three hymns are generally considered the most important ones for beginners to learn. The role of our past and subliminal impressions can tyrannize our present. In a truly yogic manner, our work is not to remove the memory but to complete them, to fulfill ourselves, to enrich our minds so that memory becomes a helper and support, rather than a terrorist.
Bhāgya Sūktam (intermediate) Thursdays June-July 2025 is a morning mantra also known as prātaḥ sūktam or morning hymn. "Let us call Bhaga, who is strong and victorious, powered by all that is true, right and good to come and displace misunderstanding and all falsehood in us. Bhaga has a wealth of Truth. Bhaga can come to us and manifest for us the knowledge and energy we need (and oh do we need it) for this Truth. May the dawn bring to us Bhaga. This Ṛg veda mantra features the famous words Bhagavān and Bhagavantaḥ, used to signify the supreme person in later times, especially in the Bhakti literature.
Bhū and Nīḷa Sūktams - Hymn to Mother Earth (beginner) June - July 2025. The very earth is recognized as divine in this praise hymn. We come to see, celebrate, and appreciate the natural and social world in this glorious song that ultimately takes us right to the peak of spiritual ecstasy, from the oceans to the sky.
śrī sūktam - a hymn to Lakṣmi (beginner) August 2025. Lakṣmi is probably second only to Gaṇeśa in popularity as she is seen as the goddess of wealth, abundance, and manifestation. My teachers have insisted that that is a shallow understanding of her very real power. The only real wealth is spiritual wealth. Let's look a little more closely at what wealth really is, the role of shame and undeservingness in our mentality, and practices of unfolding delight.
Intro to Vedic Chant - September 2025. Vedic chant is the original yoga. I find it has revolutionized my practice and helped me connect a lot of dots. Coming to understand and work with it has not only answered most of my questions about yoga, but has given me a profound sense of spirituality. Vedic chant is open to all, but you need to have a teacher to understand it. Come learn the basics, and from here you can go everywhere and anywhere.
Gaṇeśa Sūktam - (intermediate) August - September 2025. Come to understand the role of Gaṇeśa and Indra in the Vedas, and teachings to bring forth and cultivate our inner best to work through obstacles and continually develop on our spiritual path. (Prepare for a ritual of parāyanam of Ganesha AU and Gaṇeśa Sūktam during the annual Ganesha Chaturthi festival.)
Dūrga Sūktam (intermediate)- September 2025 meet the fierce aspect of the divine feminine and her capacity to carry us across absolutely all difficulties in life. Dūrga is a refuge and her particular skill or śakti is saving those who are imperiled.
āyurmantra and āśīrvāda mantras (beginner) October 2025 understand health from a Vedic perspective, including the functioning of prāṇā (life force) and a blessing to chant for those who are in our care.
Mahalakṣmi astakam (intermediate)- an 8 verse hymn of praise for the goddess of delight October 2025
Nārāyana Sūktam (intermediate) November very similar in 'content' or philosophy as the Puruṣa sūktam, this hymn takes the concept of the Ultimate Truth or Supreme Reality all encompassing Divinity and gives us a heartfelt, poetic way to approach it. Where the Puruṣa Sūktam teaches us Puruṣa as our all encompassing reality, the Nārāyaṇa Sūktam is heartfelt poetry, an emotional and devotional personalized address to the same all-encompassing divine.
Nārāyana Upaniṣad (intermediate)December- January. This Upanisad teaches us how to meditatively approach Nārāyana as the absolute jewel in the center of the teachings.