Kristin Leal

Kristin Leal facilitates the beauty of Truth to be revealed in your own heart. Her poetic capacity with the anatomical models of the east and west reveal a story of meaning, purpose and belonging in your bones. Studying with her is studying yourself with new eyes.

Soon after moving to New York City in 1993 to pursue her dance career, Kristin's friend dragged her to her first yoga class at the old Jivamukti Yoga School. While she had no idea what anyone was talking about she immediately fell in love with the poetry of meditation in movement. She studied with her first teachers Sharon Gannon, David Life, and Katchie Ananda for many years and hungrily went to every workshop and studied with every teacher that passed through town. She has completed numerous teacher trainings with Adrienne Burke (a senior Jivamukti teacher), Rodney Yee, and Betsey Downing, Ph.D. and her current teacher Yogarupa Rod Stryker.

In 1995, she graduated from the Swedish Institute for Massage Therapy and became a licensed massage therapist and Reiki practitioner. She has additional certifications in Thai massage, neuromuscular and myofascial release.

She has been honored to lead many workshops and teacher trainings around the world, and in 2005 Kristin created the Kaya Yoga 200- and 300-hour teacher trainings to share her passion for the miracle of the human body and the liberating potential of movement. She has been blessed to graduate over 1000 students to date.

Kristin has been honored to lead many workshops and teacher trainings around the world, and in 2005 Kristin created the Kaya Yoga 200- and 300-hour teacher trainings to share her passion for the miracle of the human body and the liberating potential of movement. In 2006 she was thrilled to meet yogi master Yogiraj Alan Finger and has created content for the ISHTA Yoga 200 and 300-Hour Teacher Training and co-created the ISHTA Marma Point Teacher Training.

In 2013, Kristin created MetaAnatomy, a series of workshops, classes and trainings that explore the dynamic beauty and poetry of who you are. Her hope is by combining the physical and energetic anatomies we help to form a richer view, experience and ultimately a celebration of our differences and an honoring of our connectedness.

She is co-author of the book The Yoga Fan (2003) and author of the books MetaAnatomy Anatomy of a Yogi (2014) and MetaAnatomy Body Poetry (2018). Her next MetaAnatomy book will be released through Sounds True Summer 2021.