A native Floridian, Karen took her first Yoga class with Mark Roberts in Fort Lauderdale. She loved the peacefulness and freedom she experienced-both inside and out. Karen later moved to California and searched for a Yoga class to continue her studies.  She was mesmerized by the power and beauty of Ashtanga Vinyasa and became a regular student at It’s Yoga, San Francisco studying with Johannes Van Vugt and Larry Schultz.

With no intention of teaching, Karen enrolled in their Teacher Training Program, in the Ashtanga lineage. A few months later she was teaching her first classes at Stanford University, and at the Palo Alto YMCA. She taught Ashtanga Vinyasa to large classes of ages 8-80. This diverse student body was a great inspiration on how she teaches to all levels. Later that summer, Karen moved back to South Florida, with the goal of creating a vibrant, creative, and grounded studio for Yoga classes, community and education.

After teaching solo for one year, Karen found a space of her own, brought in other teachers and opened Inspire Yoga in 2002 (changing the name to Red Pearl Yoga in 2004).

Trained in Classical Ballet for 12 years, Karen brings alignment, detail, balance and playfulness to her teaching. She has a Fine Arts/Photography Degree from the USF and has been a Visual Stylist for Neiman Marcus since 1993. She was a competitive skateboarder and was inducted into The Florida Skateboard Hall of Fame in 2011. She also opened Thousand Pound Egg, a lifestyle/gourmet retail shop. Hit her up for food and restaurant recommendations!

Take 5:

1. Favorite place to meditate?
   In the kitchen
2. How did you discover yoga?
   Raquel Welch book from the 70’s. Bikram. Feathered hair! Tights! Leotards!
   
3. What have you given up that is still tempting?
   Hoarding cool stuff.
   
4. Favorite food?
   Big, bold, n spicy.
   
5. Who or what inspires you?
   Our new studio neighborhood at The Hive.