Carmen Kija is a 500-hour 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.

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Trained in Peru, India, and California, she began teaching in Los Angeles as a stand-up paddleboard yoga instructor before expanding into studio, private, and international teaching. Her studies took her to Mysore, India, where she spent three months at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute and the 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 studio in Woodland Hills.