Kat Smith

Kat Smith (UVY co-founder and founder of YogabyKat), has been practicing yoga for 24 years and teaching for 22. Her initial training was in Ashtanga with Manju Jois, son of Pattibi Jois who originated Ashtanga yoga. Over the next decade, she took multiple workshops with Ana Forest, Beryl Bender Birch, and Richard Freeman. And then of course she met the lovely Leslie Carleton and benefitted from Leslie’s exquisite attention to form and formidable body of knowledge.

Kat’s teaching style is informal. She very much believes that yoga is for every body, that flexibility is not at all a prerequisite, but can sometimes be a byproduct, and that it is essential for each person to craft a custom practice best suited to their unique body conformation, athletic history (are you a runner? A gymnast? Do you work all day at a desk?), and personal goals.

Kat has practiced through pregnancy, two shoulder reconstructions, foot surgery, and most recently, a hip replacement (none of these conditions caused by yoga). Every pose has many modifications, and blocks and straps work wonders to provide safe access to otherwise challenging poses.

She can’t wait to meet you in class or online.