Kat Casey
Kat Casey (she/her) founded Mala Yoga Center in 2016, with a vision to create a community centered space where people of all ages and abilities come together to learn and practice yoga.
In 2017 she started Madison area’s only After School Yoga & Mindfulness program for children. It has since then evolved into a year round after school program and summer camp enriching children with yoga, meditation and mindfulness curriculum.
In 2022, Kat Casey was named a Brava Magazine Woman to Watch for her efforts to make yoga a safe accessible space for all including establishing the Allyship Fund - a scholarship for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled people, offering three weekly free classes for Veterans, and her partnership with Trini Foundation - providing yoga scholarships for people in recovery.
Kat first began her yoga practice for personal healing over 20 years ago. She has completed multiple yoga teacher trainings, beginning with the Satchidananda Hatha Yoga tradition (Advanced Level 1 Training). She earned yoga teacher certification from Core Power Yoga in 2007, and in Prana Vinyasa in 2018. Her most memorable learning experience as a life student of yoga was in 2011 when she traveled to Mysore, India to study at the Ashtanga Yoga Institute.
Kat’s personal approach to yoga is a combination of healing, strengthening & empowering through practice. In her class you'll experience love and compassion, detailed instruction of poses, and modifications for all levels -from beginners to experienced through teachings that stem from traditional yoga.
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Training:
Yoga for the Special Child Advanced Level I with Certification in Hatha Yoga
Corepower Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga Institute
Prana Vinyasa
Why do you love teaching yoga?
I love holding space for people to find the answers within to heal, empower, & strengthen themselves. I love seeing students banish their own preconceived limitations, spilling tears on the mat & finding the eternal peace that always resides within.
What can students expect to experience in your class?
Love, empathy, & inspiration.
What is the greatest benefit of yoga?
Yoga peels away all the layers life puts upon us. Through practice we re-connect to that inner light that we were born with, that never leaves us, & that is always there.
Personal Inclusivity Statement
As a yoga studio owner, I have been gifted a platform. I feel it is my duty & responsibility to use that platform to hold space for underrepresented communities including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Differently abled, bigger bodied & low SES in the yoga community. My mission is to create a space where all feel welcome to show up authentically for their practice. I deeply honor & am grateful for the gift of Yoga that India has given to the world, & I am committed to honoring the roots, traditions & source of Yoga.