May 8, 2017

Meet Kate Duyn Cariati of Light On Lotus Yoga in Mar Vista

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Duyn Cariati.

Kate, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started teaching yoga in New York City at Laughing Lotus in 2004. As a dancer, the Lotus Flow style of yoga strongly resonated with me. In 2007, I moved back to San Francisco (I had lived there previously as a student at Mills College) for the opening of the Laughing Lotus in San Francisco.

For the past 8 years, I have been living in Venice & Mar Vista leading teacher trainings and teaching at the following locations: Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, Equinox, Yogis Anonymous (where I continue to stream online classes), Google, Manhattan Beach Yoga Loft, Goda Yoga, and YogaRaj.

It had been a dream of mine to open a studio with a joyful, soulful and uplifting vibe that specializes in Lotus Flow since moving to LA, and when Exhale Center for Sacred Movement closed last year I knew it was definitely the time. I had fallen in love with the small-town, neighborhood energy of Mar Vista and wanted to stay close to home and my son, and I didn’t want to drive around town from studio to studio anymore. The perfect space that fit my vision opened up on Grandview after searching high and low for almost a year and Light On Lotus was born!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Finding the right space was definitely the most difficult challenge along the way, and I spent a great deal of time and money on spaces that ended up falling through. My friends would tell me when I got discouraged that the right spot was out there waiting for me to find it when the time was right, and they were correct! I just had to keep showing up.

Light On Lotus Yoga – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Light On Lotus truly is a community driven, neighborhood yoga studio. We aim to serve the needs of the local population and offer a wide variety of classes and workshops including kids’ classes, kundalini, sound baths, restorative yoga & meditation. Every month we pick a new charity (leaning into local branches) to generate funding for through our “Love Saves the Day” class. It warms my heart to see so many people rolling up on their bikes and connecting on the bench out front or on the balcony off the studio. Our classes are a great blend of physicality and spirituality and each one of our instructors brings their own personality and passion into their classes.

It feels like you are going to your artist friend’s sunny and airy loft to practice yoga, rather than studio or a gym. I hear very often that it feels like home, and that’s exactly what I was going for. I had a lot of fun designing the space and it felt very fulfilling to transform it into a light-filled, goddess-loving yoga center.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
The slow and steady build we have seen so far seems like success to me at this point in the process. At 7 months old, I still feel like we are in our infancy, but have created a strong community and presence in the neighborhood and the energy is flowing, I’m grateful for that!

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