Meet Kara

Hello!  I'm Kara.  I am the founder of So IN Body, located in Paoli, Indiana.​

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My Yoga Beginnings...

My first experience with yoga was in 1996, after I returned from a college term in the Dominican Republic.  While I was away, my boyfriend (now my husband), began doing yoga with a video as part of his training for a marathon.  His mom gave him the video.  I immediately was interested in trying it and started using his video to practice.

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The reasons that I began to do yoga were multifaceted.  I was 22 at the time, and had been diagnosed with depression a few years before during my first year of college. I had struggled with depression, anxiety, intense self-criticism, and perfectionism all through high school, and all of those things were highly triggered in my first year of college.

 

Although I did take medication when needed, I continued to look for a variety of ways to support my mental health, including spiritual practices, spending time in nature, and some exercise.  At that time I also used alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and emotional eating as some of my main coping mechanisms. 

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In early 1997, I had dropped out of college (which I finished later), and I was working at a Natural Foods Co-op in Goshen, Indiana.  I was desperately seeking for peace within myself.  One day on the bulletin board at the store I worked at, I saw a flyer for yoga classes being offered in the next town over (Elkhart, about 20min drive).  I also saw a flyer for Tai Chi classes.  I wanted to take them both, but didn't have the money, so I decided to start with yoga.  ​