Are you living an inspired life? Do you teach yoga with more emphasis on the spiritual practice than the physical? Do you want the depth of your yoga knowledge to equal your passion for its practice?

I totally hear you! I do, too!

It can be overwhelming to find your own unique voice in today’s yoga crowd while still remaining true to the heart of the practice and the authenticity you love about it.

I’m Alanna, and am here to help you fix that.

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My goal is to provide you with the teachings and tools you need to embody the wisdom of yoga and spirituality to embrace your authentic life. With a grounded, practical wisdom, influenced by an interest in the deeply spiritual, your life should be filled with things that connect you to your soul every day. Oh, and you should be able to thrive as an instructor while sharing your gifts with others.

If this sounds like your calling, you’re in the right place.

Here’s what you find at AlannaK.com

AlannaK.com is my home on the web. It’s a hub for my three academies: The Modern Mystics Academy®The Kaivalya Yoga Method® Teacher Training Academy and Upward Facing Business Academy™.

The Kaivalya Yoga Method® trains you to become an exceptional yoga teacher and this isn’t your average training. This is a comprehensive higher education in yoga…all done online, and on your OM time. My elite team of mentors and I work hard to impart highly individualized and unparalleled scholarship…with a friendly, compassionate, and authentic touch.

When you’re done, The Modern Mystics Academy® is where you find access to exceptional continuing education, with additional certification programs in your favorite subjects like: the chakras, astrology, and the tarot. Because I know you’re not just a “yoga teacher.” You’re on a journey to becoming a spiritual leader. And, I’m here to help you.

My pledge to you: I’m here to give you everything you need for your spiritual practice.

So that you can thrive, and help others with your gifts.

Click below to learn more about each of these three academies

I’m Alanna Kaivalya, Ph.D., and I’ve created these online courses because they are the resources I wish someone had made for me oh-so-long ago.

What I mean is, I know what it’s like to be a dedicated yoga teacher looking for passionate, credible, authentic folks to learn from who are ready to bring it and have the wisdom to do so. When I first started practicing yoga, I was hungry and desperate to learn more. This was nearly two decades ago before the yoga scene was flourishing. I lived in the middle of the country…far away from all the teachers I loved and admired and the studios where I wanted to practice.

For years, I suffered…and studied…reading any book I could get my hands on, trying to dig deeper into yoga. This is a field that really requires a guide; someone who can help you make all the right decisions in your practice, and lead you down the rabbit hole. Even the most dedicated yoga teacher needs a helping hand, and in the early days of my career, I wished I had one.

In 2005, I became the very first yoga teacher ever to have a podcast (2 million people have listened to the Modern Mystic Podcast since!). And, I did it, because I wanted to offer others a connection–a lifeline–to classes and teachings they might not otherwise be able to receive. Whether they were in far-flung places of the globe, or couldn’t afford to hop on a plane and take 4 weeks out of their life to study yoga, I wanted to make sure they had access.

That was the beginning of my passion for online learning. From then on, I have continued to pioneer online learning in the field of yoga. And, I have never ceased to ensure that everything I offer online carries the same integrity, depth, connection, credibility, and comprehension as if you were sitting right here in the room with me.

I am here to connect with you and give you access to the highest quality resources in the field.

No matter where you are, I am right here for you.

So, what exactly makes me an expert in yoga & spirituality?

2001

I took my first yoga teacher training. Well, not really. I was actually apprenticed to my first yoga teacher for a few months, and started teaching classes with him. For me and yoga, it was love at first sight. As soon as I graduated college, I started teaching yoga full time…in order to go on all the interviews for the “real job” I was planning on getting. Well, that “real job” never materialized, and yoga and me decided to make an official go of it.

2005

A friend told me about podcasts. When he told me anyone could make one, I went straight home…and launched the Modern Mystic Podcast. That was the birth of my passion for online yoga education, and it has never stopped. I met amazing people through that podcast, and as a result was invited to teach in fun places like Colombia and Australia.

2009

Someone asked me, “What do you call your style of yoga?” And, as a tongue-in-cheek response, I said, “The Kaivalya Yoga Method®.” Of course, it stuck. You see, at age 22, I changed my last name to Kaivalya…not yet truly knowing what it meant. Turns out, it’s the title to the fourth chapter of the yoga sutra and is a synonym for enlightenment. That’s a pretty high bar to set for oneself. I figured it would be a good goal for all my yoga students, too. Probably even more important? This is the year Roxy the Wonderdog and I found each other.

2010

After traveling around the world leading retreats, and writing several teacher trainings for top studios across the nation (yes, I’d been hustling), I settled down to write my first book: Myths of the Asanas. My love affair with mythology had been percolating for a decade. You see, my first yoga class ten years prior just happened to coincide with a pesky “core requirement” class in college that I didn’t want to take on the religions of South Asia. Turns out, that’s where my love of Hindu mythology was born. I’d been teaching about the myths of yoga throughout the years, but once again, I wanted to create a resource for people where they could access all the myths their yogi hearts desired.

2012

Mythology had me in its grip, and in other news, I started to feel a little disenfranchised by what I saw as the “yoga industry.” Not all of it…just some parts. I didn’t identify with the way yoga was portrayed—with its emphasis on physical form, and reluctance to move past it. Not to mention my penchant for the deeper (non-asana) aspects of yoga had always ignited my soul…and I needed to learn more. I went back to graduate school for my doctoral degree in mythology. It was an excuse to learn more about how to make yoga work for us modern day practitioners.

2014

My second book is published. Did I mention I’m a singer, too? Yep, always loved kirtan. And, because I was born with a hearing impairment, there’s something particularly resonant for me about the power of mantra and music. I use this passion as an excuse to write a book about the mythology behind our favorite chants called: Sacred Sound. Oh, side note, I’m still in grad school! #overachiever

2015

They said it couldn’t be done. So, I did it anyway. In five short months, I zipped through my dissertation efforts and successfully defended my doctoral degree. The truth is: I had something to say, and I wasn’t going to waste any time waiting to say it. My dissertation centers around yoga as personal mythology: an answer for modern day people who have lost a spiritual connection, and practical ways they can address that. Oh, and I make a strong case for moving yoga education into higher education. #dreams (by the way, I also launched my 500-hour online teacher training this year. #busy)

*side note: Roxy attended every lecture of graduate school. You may happily refer to her as “Dr. Dog.”

2016

The opus of my graduate work is published as my third book: Yoga Beyond the Mat. This is the clincher, folks. Into this book, I poured my heart, soul, and experience in yoga and all the things I discovered that make it work. It’s all in there: yoga psychology, mythology, chakras, alchemy, ritual, enlightenment, and most importantly, bliss. The best things I’ve discovered over the years are distilled into this one piece of work, but I’m not done yet.

Today

The Modern Mystics Academy® and The Kaivalya Yoga Method® bring to life all the things I’ve learned, and all the teachings I hold sacred. Right now, The Kaivalya Yoga Method® is a 500 hour online training, while the Modern Mystics Academy® has another 250 hours of higher education in yoga ready and waiting for you to explore. This is the place, and now is the time. The material and the technology have both arrived to allow me to present this to you with as much authenticity and authority as if you were standing right in front of me.

Let’s do this.

This is my mission:

To help yoga teachers embody their knowledge, up-level their skills and create more impact in the world, and give you clear pathways to earning a living with your spiritual practice and help others with your gift.

If you’re ready to up-level your yoga teaching practice, reach for the stars, balance your chakras and embody spiritual wisdom, then you’re in the right place.

Here’s a heads up: This is serious education. I’m not here to water the teachings down, or to go “lightly” on my offerings. If you’re ready to do the work, then I will leap over tall mountains to give you everything you need to thrive in your yoga career and become a spiritual torchbearer.

Where else you may have seen Alanna…

Alanna has been featured in The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Yoga International, Yoga Journal, Elephant, Varney Co., History, 24 Life, Well & Good,  YogaDownload