Karlin was around 8 years old when she first flipped through her mum’s Yoga for Health book, a classic from the 70s, fascinated by the shapes.
Through her teens and twenties, Karlin came back to yoga when life grew turbulent. Yoga became her place to land, a way to stay connected to her body even when her mind felt scattered and heavy.
By her thirties, practice had become rhythm. Yoga was no longer just something she did. First it was play, then refuge, and now it’s simply how she lives.
There were many turning points along the way, including the development of a daily yoga practice while living in Nelson and Queenstown, shaped by teachers who inspired her dedication. Another turning point came at Anahata Yoga Retreat in Golden Bay, where Karlin lived for eight months, within native bush, under wide open skies, on top of a crystal mountain. Days moved with bhakti yoga, karma yoga, fire ceremonies and kirtan. Her vipassana practice, already established before she arrived, continued there alongside daily life on the land. Sharing time and space with Yin Culture included helping facilitate yoga teacher trainings and other events. Yoga wasn’t practice separate from life. It was life.
Returning to the city, the contrast hit hard. The noise, the urgency, the overstimulation we’ve all learned to live with, it was suddenly impossible to ignore. That contrast confirmed something Karlin has carried ever since: our nervous systems need quiet, movement, space and nature to truly thrive. Yoga is one way back to that.
Teachers and mentors along the way include Swami Karma Karuna, Sarsha Hope, Rachel Land and many others, each leaving their mark on her practice. She’s trained in Hatha, Vinyasa, Yoga Nidra, Restorative and Pranayama practices. Kundalini yoga has also shaped her work; she’s drawn to kriya, mudra, mantra and breath as tools for vitality and energetic clarity. Her teaching blends movement and breath with somatic awareness, helping people feel stronger, clearer, more at ease in their bodies.
At the heart of it all: yoga isn’t about performing. It’s about listening. Remembering the clarity, vitality and calm that’s already there.
Karlin has taught over 1,000 hours across Wellington studios and offers Yoga Nidra Journeys every second month. These are restorative classic Hatha Yoga sessions guiding you through movement, breath practices and then stillness, into deep rest.
