

Kara Weimer is a long-time seeker, devotee, initiate, practitioner-meditator, and teacher with over 30 years of study and 25 teaching. Her holistic studies embrace the comprehensive aspects of living yoga and cultivating devotional intelligence. Her in-depth studies in Traditional Yoga include Advanced Himalayan Prānāyāma & Meditation - Siddha Haṭha Yoga, Rāja Yoga, (Babaji's) Kriya Yoga, Surya (Solar) Yoga & Hansa Yoga, Yoga Vinyāsa, Bhakti Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Sanskrit Philosophies & Ayurveda - including Marma Chikitsa & Shirodhara. She has spent time at ashrams in India and follows Sanatana Dharma.
A devoted practitioner, she maintains discipline practices, personal studies through the scriptures, important books & texts, studies under Master Acharyas & in the Guru-Shishya tradition. She is an initiate in an ancient Himalayan Yogic Sampradaya under the guidance of His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda, a highly realized Himalayan Vedic Siddha Monk/Sanskrit Scholar. The holistic curriculum under His Holiness (Self Enquiry Life Fellowship/Hansavedas/Sambhala) encompasses Indic Philosophy and Himalayan Siddha Yoga including the Himalayan Kriya Yoga System of Meditation, Sanskrit Wisdom Teachings, Yoga/Sankhya/Vedanta philosophy in the Shruti method, Ayurvedic Wellness and High Pranic living based on the soli-lunar calendar, Mindfulness, Nyasa, Yoga Vinyasa Krama, Vedantic Aham Graha Meditations, Himalayan Pranayama, Mantra & Meditation.
Kara has also studied and received initiation with other Nath Siddhas & Meditation Masters Yogiraj Siddhanath & Swami Sarveswarananda. She traveled to India early on in her studies to see her first spiritual teacher Sai Baba, residing at his two ashrams and also spent time at the Anand Ashram (founded by Swami "Papa" Ramdas) with Swami Satchidananda. She has studied with other Sanskrit Adepts, Yoga Masters & Master Teachers, notably Western pioneers Magaña & Walt Baptiste, Ashtanga Vinyāsa (Pattabhi Jois') with senior teachers including Clayton Horton of Greenpath Yoga - and most importantly her ongoing studies in the Yoga Vinyāsa Krama system (undiluted teachings of Sri T Krishnamacharya) and Sanskrit philosophy with Srivatsa Ramaswami, who studied with Krishnamacharya one on one for over 33 years & Pam Johnson, one of Ramaswami's first American students.
"I believe in being very transparent about my studies and emphasize how important deep inquiry into someone's background is as well as using discernment when one is navigating through the modern supermarket of commodified, misrepresented and exoticized practices. My credentials mainly come from discipline daily practices, ongoing studies and in depth learning from authentic lineages and adepts of undiluted, Sanskrit based teachings. I have participated in yoga certifications and teacher trainings in modern formats, but I do not see those as qualifying one to be a competent teacher or to properly represent the tradition. Certifications and teacher trainings are a modern invention and do not replace years of dedicated study and daily application that is necessary to embody a vedic art. Those trainings, even if taught through an authentic source, only help prepare one who already has a strong foundation, practice & comprehension of the body of knowledge. Any discipline takes many years of study before one would be ready to teach - and one does not delve into an art for the sake of teaching, but for the sake of mastering ones potential and living the art. I started practicing for my personal physical and spiritual development (as it should be) with an insatiable thirst and yearning for the Divine. Through my own personal experience, it's hard to relate to the modern yoga paradigm where anyone can receive credentials easily without years of discipline practice, deep self-inquiry and other yogic methods & wisdom bestowed by a bona-fide lineage. The Vedic arts and sciences are comprehensive and require self-discipline and years of study and training in the philosophy and practices with tutelage under a guru and lineage - otherwise the true essence is lost. Teaching for me has been an ongoing evolution of refining my unique voice and involved unlearning certain modern influences. My 25 years of teaching have included yoga studios, health clubs, wellness centers, senior centers, retirement homes, schools, retreats, private gatherings, local businesses & government staff and running personal small studios. Presently, I am taking a more traditional approach to present Yoga as a system, as the practices build upon one another and can be catered to each individual - rather than the modern drop-in model, class format - Presented in relationship to the larger body of vedic wisdom and it's complimentary lifestyle practices."
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"My teaching approach is grounded in the directive - yoga is a super science - it shouldn't be practiced casually. "
Having been trained extensively with Himalayan yoga adepts in ancient esoteric meditation disciplines using the breath as the guide for transformation and self-empowerment, she emphasizes the importance of the breath and integrating yogic practices & philosophy into daily life. She is a committed and devoted student and humbled by the vastness of Vedic wisdom and the saintly, compassionate sages who disseminate the teachings.
Knowing the importance of maintaining a personal daily yogic/ayurvedic regimen, her goal is to guide, give the tools needed and empower students to build sustainable home practices of yoga and wellness. Her teaching is compatible with new and long time students & teachers who are looking for something authentic and deeper than a workout, new trend & fleeting experiences that don't stick and ready to commit to a regular practice. She presents daily regimens as accessible & practical to fit into daily life without watering them down. Being a single mom & facing her own challenges in life, she know it's possible to embrace healthy living and daily practices.
Kara has also been practicing massage & bodywork for over 30 years. Trainings include Alive & Well Institute of Conscious Bodywork, Lifestream Massage School, World School of Massage & Thai Healing Massage Academy. She is also certified in Reiki and studied wellness coaching. With a lifetime love for dance and movement, she spent her childhood devoted to dance, performing with the Appalachian Youth Jazz-Ballet Company & later years studying middle-eastern dance and performing with Magaña Baptiste's San Francisco Royal Academy of Belly Dance Troupe.