About:

Ben Kalra is a dedicated teacher and practitioner of Yoga. He’s based in North Carolina, and travels widely to lead trainings and retreats across the U.S. and abroad. He’s taught over 4,000 classes and completed over 1,500 hours of formal in-person training. He’s a certified Katonah Yoga® teacher, and his primary mentor is Abbie Galvin of The Studio in New York City.

After his initial 200-hour training, Ben immersed himself in the study of Asana, mobility, and functional movement. He later completed a 300-hour advanced training with Serge Bandura and Gloria Baraquio, which deepened his studies in meditation, pranayama, mantra, and the sacred texts. He went on to complete another 300-hour advanced training with Jonah Kest, which further developed his tools in Vinyasa Yoga. Over the years, he’s spent time with many styles including Adaptive Yoga, Awakening Yoga, Baptiste, Iyengar, Jivamukti, and more.

Ben’s approach is both serious and lighthearted; he believes the best dharma talks leave room for a bad joke. He views Yoga as a slow-burning liberation practice that dismantles the obstacles of the mind to reveal the true Self. His favorite verse in the Bhagavad Gita is 2.40: “On this path, effort never goes to waste and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.”

When teaching Asana, Ben explores the architecture of the body: backbends expand the lungs, forward bends nourish the kidneys, twists refresh the abdominal organs, props provide scaffolding, and adjustments open new perspectives. He uses an array of blocks, straps, sandbags, blankets, and chairs to help students meet the practice with depth and creativity.

When the mat is rolled up, Ben enjoys photography, baking, walking, and poetry. If you’d like to connect, you can reach him here.