Veda Recitation and Yoga Philosophy Courses
It’s easy to find yoga āsana classes online or locally; use those resources. It’s harder to find lineaged mentorship; that is what I offer.
Learn more below.
Beginner level! November - January. Yoga is big on lists. As you learn you understand why and how lists work. The First Thing always carries the whole within it like a seed carries a forest or an inbreathe carries all possible articulation. This list (śraddhā, Agni, Medhā) is primary, essential learning if one wants to understand the yogic path. śraddhā is generally considered 'faith'. Agni is our willpower, divinized to fire. And Medhā is the transformed, oceanic mind.
A four month advanced study of the Veda for those who have come a long way and want to both commemorate their experience and preserve the sanctity of their work going forward. Familiarity with the rules of recitation and an established personal practice are assumed, but beyond that this course is for anyone who values the power of learning
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Beginning in January! The core text of yoga philosophy explored in the way it was intended to be transmitted: in community over a period of time.
Several folks have studied books 1-3 with me over the last four years. In January we’ll begin book four, which is also a review of books 1-3. In other words, this is the perfect time to begin.
Once we complete book four, I will retire this teaching for awhile. Maybe forever.
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I will be offering a free course as well as further sūktams/upanisads in 2026.
What students are saying:
“Learning from Karin over the past 7+ years has not only changed how I move and breathe, it has transformed how I relate to myself, to others, to the world, to sound, to silence, to yoga and Vedic chant that are the threads and weavings of Karin’s teachings through the Desikachar lineage. Her teachings ring true to the lineage because of her own experiential knowing and wisdom. Karin is not just someone who has “taught” me things but rather a mentor, a challenger (provocateur!) and a witness to my growth. I have learned to move with more than just my body, to listen with more than just my ears, to inhabit the teachings, and to see yoga and Vedic chant not as separate but as a place where breath becomes prayer. Karin teaches with rigor, with care, with reverence, a little mischief, and a lot of heart/love for her students and for yoga. ”
-Robin Simmons
Meet Your Teacher
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Meet Your Teacher 〰️
Karin Lynn Carlson has been teaching yoga since 2009. She is part of the living Desikachar lineage, and has been authorized to hand on Veda Recitation, Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, The Bhagavad Gita, and several Upanisads. Karin has a unique gift for making the timeless clear in today’s world. Karin upholds lineage and honors the tradition of yoga, without upholding patriarchy, spiritual bypassing, or the harms of exclusionary dogma. She is an author, a dog mom, an auntie, a feminist, and a punk rocker. She really likes good food, world literature, and cultural studies.
Karin lives in Minneapolis on Dakota land.
Real, - and reasonable - yoga
“it is indeed true that by practicing yoga we gradually improve our ability to concentrate and to be independent. We improve our health, our relationships, and everything we do.”
TKV Desikachar
Yoga is relationship. And it is personal.
The main tool of yoga is a personal practice; something you do on your own. In order for this to work, we tend to need mentorship. A regular conversation about your practice (or your teaching) can help you feel seen. It can keep you on track. It can open doors and provide resources. Sign up for a 1:1!