Carmen Kija is an E-RYT 500 certified yoga teacher and founder of Kija Yoga. Her background in movement began in childhood through gymnastics and cheerleading, and later evolved into a dedicated yoga practice while working in politics in Washington, D.C., where she stepped into her first yoga class. What began as a way to reset soon became a complete shift in direction.

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Certified in Peru, India, and California, she began teaching in Los Angeles as a stand-up paddle board yoga instructor before expanding into studio, private, and international teaching. Her studies brought her to Mysore, India, where she spent three months practicing at the

K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute and the yoga school of Dr. Balasundra Srinatha. Rooted in traditional Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga, her teaching emphasizes alignment, awareness, and disciplined movement.

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Over the years, Carmen has led classes, workshops, and residencies throughout Australia, Bali, Thailand, Ibiza, and across Europe. In 2024, after extended time abroad, she returned home to Los Angeles and opened Kija Yoga, a

private home-based studio in Woodland Hills.