Meet Our Team: Carrie Klaus, owner/director

Carrie klaus

ERyt 500, YACEP, Ayurvedic Yoga specialist

owner/director element yoga

How long have you been practicing yoga?

I've been practicing yoga for almost 17 years

How long have you been teaching?

I’ve been teaching teaching for almost 15

What brought you to your first yoga class/experience? And what kept you going back?

I started yoga after my second daughter was born. I was a stay at home mom looking for a way to get out of the house, move my body, and relax. I took a class at the YMCA and was hooked, but I just knew there was more than the physical practice offered at the Y. It was my curiosity about the "more" that kept me seeking out yoga, and it's that same curiosity that keeps me on my mat today.

What inspired you to become a yoga teacher?

i've had a lot of great teachers in my life and it was them who inspired me to teach, and it is those teachers that continue to inspire me to grow and improve.

Describe how yoga has helped you live better, and how you think your teaching can help others live better.

There is not one aspect of my life that my yoga hasn't influenced, from the foods that I choose to eat everyday to the hobbies I gravitate to, everything is an extension of my yoga practice. Yoga has made me a better wife and a better mom, and an all around better human being. I'm not perfect by any means, but that's the point -- yoga helps me step back and observe how I'm reacting and responding to the world, and helps me make better choices when I need to. I think my teaching style, with both its anatomical and philosophical focus, helps people be able to translate the practice off of the mat and into their daily lives so they can live more healthy, thoughtful, and happy lives.

Tell us a little more about yourself. Do you work outside of teaching yoga? What do you enjoy about your job?

Is this a trick question? I'm a wife, a mother and a business owner, of course I work outside of teaching yoga -- I just don't get paid for it! On top of teaching several classes each week I spend a lot of time creating content and programs, and doing the "business stuff" that keeps Element Yoga running.

Tell us a little more about yourself. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

You'd think I wouldn't have any free time as much as I teach, but that's another benefit of my yoga practice -- it's taught me great time management skills, and helped me develop a work/life balance that affords me a lot of time to enjoy life! I love to cook, read, and knit, and despite my busy teaching/work schedule I make time to do all three of those things every single day. I also love to travel, and I'm fortunate that I get to travel often. Some of my favorite places are the desert southwest, the pacific northwest, Ireland, and anywhere that's near a mountain!! I also love to camp (in a tent, on the ground, in a sleeping bag -- no glamping for me), hike, and ski. In the summer I like to go out on our boat, find a quiet cove on the lake, anchor the boat and float all day. I'm learning about gardening from my yoga friends, and I've been enjoying that. I LOVE listening to the music of The Grateful Dead and dancing. And I enjoy lazy summer nights on my back porch playing cards with Rob. My life is full and fabulous.

Tell us a fun or interesting fact(s) about you?

I can name all 50 states in alphabetical order, is that fun?