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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.