Livin' La Vida Lokah: Caro Lokah 🐳🩵

Editor’s Note from Sally 💌

From the moment I met Caro at teacher training, she felt like home. Within our first few moments, she was offering my roommate and me a ride—“What’s up! I’ll give you a ride. Hop in the back!”—like we'd been friends forever. And just like that, a beautiful friendship blossomed that continues to inspire me deeply.

Caro is a beam of light wherever she goes. Her charisma and the sense of home that radiates from her heart draw people in effortlessly. She’s a seasoned teacher with over a decade of experience who truly lives her practice. With ChandraVida, she’s built a global web of community offering heart-led gatherings, workshops, and retreats that bridge time zones and borders.

I feel so lucky to know her, to learn from her, and to call her a friend.

I’m thrilled to introduce her to our Whaleness Club. You’ll feel it too—her compassion, her wisdom, her humor, and the power of her journey. Enjoy! 🐳🩵

Intro & Interview by Rich Awn

Some people just have it—that electric presence that lights up a room and makes everyone feel seen. Meet Caro Lokah. She is a natural, charismatic leader who radiates compassion and gathers community wherever she goes.

I recently had the joy of sitting down with Caro for a wide-ranging conversation about healing, movement, and her dharma. Her journey has taken her from the sunny coasts of California to the cultural heart of Miami, and far beyond. Everywhere she's been she's brought her curiosity and cultural depth. She offers a refreshing perspective on the world of wellness.

Having practiced with Caro and experienced her teachings firsthand, I felt that same grounded clarity in our conversation. Just as she does in her classes, she shared openly and generously—reflecting on her path from “bad kid” to self-aware teacher, and her devotion to building spaces where others can grow.

Join us as we dive into Caro’s world and trace together the lessons she’s gathered along the way—and how they continue to shape her dharma: to live with deep awareness and compassion, and to awaken that same spark in others.

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Richie: Caro! Good to see you! How are you?

Caro: I’m actually on the road—about five hours from Savannah, which is my home base right now. I’ve been on the move for a month and a half. Started in California, went to Albuquerque, just wrapped a retreat with Elly Kace in Woodstock. Now heading back to reset before the next adventure.

Richie:  Wow! You’re literally everywhere.

Caro: (singing “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego”) Where, in the world, is Caro Lokah yoga??

Richie: I’ve taken your classes and workshops—you teach with such clarity. There’s a high-level awareness behind your words. Where does that come from? What were you like as a seven-year-old?

Caro: I still dress like my seven-year-old self. Everything I wear is “YSL”—youth size large. I grew up as an only child of two awesome parents—I could make a friend anywhere and get along with any social group. 

I have ADHD and I’m dyslexic. I was even more hyper as a kid.

Through movement, I found stability. I found a no-judgement space.

That’s the funny thing about yoga: it teaches you to get out of your head and into your body. To become a human who can witness without absorbing everything. 

Into my teens, I was a “bad kid.” I started smoking at twelve and was into self-medicating. My parents were both sober and amazing, but I was caught in the culture shock of being a first-gen Colombian-American kid growing up in Miami—a big place that forces you to grow up fast. 

The “bad crowd” I was rolling with were also just kids trying to cope the best they could. In the early 2000s and late 90s, it was common to self-medicate with prescription medication. I found myself self-medicating constantly, which got me into trouble with the law.

When I was about fourteen, I was on probation and a counselor would randomly pop into my homeroom class and pull me into their office. I was the first person of the day at 6:30 or 7 in the morning and I reeked of cigarettes. After two weeks of this, she asked, “Hey, what's going on? You walk in here smelling like a bar. Should I talk to your parents? Should I be concerned? Are you coming from a club?”

I explained to her that school reminded me of jail and triggered bad anxiety. As an adolescent, my process for dealing with anxiety was chain smoking and prescription drugs. As I’ve matured and come to terms with my sensitivity and empathy, I’ve realized that yoga helps a lot. Having a dog helps a lot. Meditation helps a lot. 

The next thing this counselor said to me changed my life. She looked at me dumbfounded and said, “You don't like smoking; you like breathing. That's what makes you feel relaxed and calm. It's that. You hold it and you let it go. It's the breath that you like.”

Fast forward a few months, I was hanging out with older kids, 17 and 18-year-olds, who worked the desk at a hot yoga studio down the street from where I lived with my dad. The owner said, “You're always here, just take a class!” After the first class, I looked at the guy and said, “I'm going to do this for the rest of my life.”

Richie: The Ghosh/Bikram sequence truly is life-changing. Do you think you found yoga or yoga found you?

Caro: I was just looking for a way to find my breath.

Richie: That's amazing that this counselor was smart enough to point out that you like breathing, not cigarettes.

Caro: Shit. Her name was Paloma, maybe? I don't know, but she saved me. Big shout out to her because those were very impactful years.

Richie: Big time. You mentioned starting your own studio. Was that down in Miami?

Caro: Yes. I owned a studio in Miami for about six years. I opened it when I was 24, with my dad as my business partner for most of it. As a 20-year-old, it was a lot. I wanted to party and feel like a 20-year-old but had to be in charge of a whole community. 

Unfortunately, COVID happened, and we lost it. I was 30, and I felt done. I fought so hard; I pushed so hard. When I opened the studio, it was during the Bikram time as a licensed franchise. After a year or two, everything changed. I was curious about Ashtanga, which I'm really into now.

Richie: Do you recommend being proficient in multiple lineages as a teacher?

Caro: Yes. My partner at the time taught Ashtanga, so we started adding those classes and ended up with a cool community of different yoga styles. The reason I’m clear when I communicate while teaching is that I was lucky enough to start doing this at 14. I grew up alongside people who are big in yoga, like David Swenson, Benjamin Sears, Isaac Garcia, and Brandy Lynn. 

I was that weird 15-year-old who said, “Hey, this is kind of cool,” and of course, they invited me to hang out and train with them. They taught me that there's no point in doing yoga to get flexible if your mind is so linear. It’s not cute to be acute; be loose and obtuse. The idea is to be like your joints—smiling, at soft and round angles. That’s the perspective we want.

Back in the day, yoga depended on where you were and who your teacher was. I feel like a bridge when it comes to yoga. I understand there's not just one way, but many different methods to achieve something, depending on the student and community. The more you learn, the more you can gather in your yoga.

That's why I love to travel. I get to teach and practice with all types of bodies from all backgrounds. For instance, students in South America don’t always have the privilege to buy a mat and get into a classroom, so they have a different perspective than people in the States. Coming from a recent trip to India, the students practice way differently and more relaxed than in parts of Europe. It’s cool to travel and experience that. 

The first thing I learned is that you’ll get nowhere if you walk into a room acting like you know everything. Traveling and being open to the world's diversity has taught me more than any teacher in the Asana community.

Richie: Having been a business owner, committed to a life as a teacher and a lifelong student, do you feel you’ve arrived or that you’ve still got a lot of work to do? Where are you at right now?

Caro: I definitely don't think that feeling of arrival is anywhere near. I'm aware that my dharma, my true job, is to build communities. I don't think it's ever going to stop because once a community is created, it has the potential to grow and connect with others. We would call this effect “Christ-like” or “Krishna-like”—creating light for everybody's consciousness. 

You can only be enlightened if everyone around you is enlightened. It’s interesting that you ask—because this year, I decided I'm ready to set roots again and maybe open a second brick-and-mortar “Lokah-tion.” I have a business partner, and we’re looking at spots in Savannah, Georgia. 

I’ve come to realize that the way I think now is not the way I'll think months or years from now. My mind and body are always developing and changing. I’ve realized—that's what makes you a yoga person—observing things around you and growing through experience.

Getting caught up in everything happening around you can leave you hopeless or confused. Being able to absorb as much as I can and sharing it is my goal. For now, my objective is to keep growing positively. 

Richie: I recently interviewed our friend Jiva Smith, a community leader and meditation coach, who believes we should think of our lives in a thousand-year arc. We should place ourselves within this period—past, present, and future—and use that awareness to determine our dharma.

At this moment in your arc, do you feel the energy you're attracting, radiating, and amplifying is allowing you to travel however you want and live the life you desire?

Caro: I was a little bit lucky just because I grew up in this (yoga) world. After my studio closed, I moved to California and worked odd jobs for the first time in my life. It was the first time I had to wear shoes for five hours straight, and it was strange. Luckily, my studio owner friends who survived COVID realized they didn’t have anyone to teach, so they invited me to come for a month or two and take over. 

It’s a hard industry. The best advice I can give is to make a plan. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else. There are no books or rules for this industry. See what community attracts you and decide what community you want to grow. Focus on the folks that listen to you and want you there.

Richie: Hell yeah. What about sustaining yourself financially? 

Caro: Sometimes, maybe one out of ten jobs, I’ll have an incident where the studio can’t pay enough or it’s not my ideal rate, and we have to negotiate. Be open to negotiation. You have to be reasonable with yourself sometimes. 

When I go to studios that can’t match my rate but want a community feeling, I’ll ask them to help me advertise my events for the next month or two. There are so many ways to make this work. Ask yourself what your priorities are. Do you really need that matcha every morning? It doesn't have to be like that forever; just for a little bit until you realize your client base. Build a strong platform and keep growing.

Right now, I’m trying to make this YouTube thing happen as well. Keep looking for different ways to grow. That’s maybe the most important thing to understand about this career. It’s not like a regular nine-to-five. You have to be awake and involved. If this isn’t your lifestyle, it’s going to be harder.

Richie: Excellent advice. How about community building or retreat planning?

Caro: Another piece of advice is to educate your community and help each other out. The reason people in other industries work better is that they know how to be nepotistic—hire your friends. We have to change our mindset. Coveting a good job and not telling anyone about it isn’t going to serve you or the community. Be nepotistic. Bring the homies in. 

Specifically regarding your community of students, educate them that a public class is just a public class. Be clear that there’s not enough time to give individual attention in the same way a one-on-one assist does. Let students know the importance of booking a private session once a month or every other month, at least three times a year, to touch base on their practice.

The next topic is retreats—go on retreats! If you’re thinking about a vacation and this is your lifestyle, book and support the industry. Put money back where your heart is. View your teachers as healers and community leaders. They’re important, but we rely on you as students. Go to a retreat or event, maybe a day retreat. If there’s no retreat available, ask a teacher you like how much it would be for them to come down for a weekend to teach you and your friends at an amazing Airbnb with great catering. Think outside the box. You're a student, so give us ideas.

Richie: Mega download. Thank you for that. I wanted to touch on your other life as a musician. How’s that going?

Caro: Some people know I used to be in a rap group called Basside. We had several albums produced by Sophie, a big amazing DJ who is unfortunately not with us anymore. At the time we split up, my dad passed away, and my knee broke. I had to get into meditation and mantra because I literally couldn't walk or perform. 

Last year, we got back together, and it’s been awesome. We've been best friends since we were twelve. Our first song got big when we were 16 and was popular for a couple of years. We have three new songs produced by Drummy.

Elly Kace, who you know as an opera singer doing mantra, she and I both studied with Krishna Das. We both have similar stories; I went from rapping on stage in a thong and a wig to doing mantra and reminding people to breathe and stay still. It’s funny how it all goes in loops.

Richie: Do you think the modern image of yoga and meditation is too polished? Is this polished image alienating people who may otherwise be interested in practicing?

Caro: A little bit. The seed that ripens into the fruit of Asana is kindness and compassion. It doesn't matter how long you can sit in meditation, how loud you can kirtan, or how amazing your handstand or backbend is if you're a jerk. All of this doesn’t matter if you’re cutting people off in traffic. I want to show people what yoga really comes down to—being polite. Look people in the eyes. Have conversations without being so defensive.

My question for many yoga influencers is: “Are you really this polished? Are you as kind in the street as you are perfect in your chaturanga?” Being a good person matters at the end of the day, especially given today’s political climate. As a teacher, you have to have compassion and be aware not to let your ego get in the way. Sometimes people need to take a break, sit down, and stop moving to re-energize, reorganize, and re-center themselves. It’s powerful to have a teacher who gives you the space to grow.

Richie: That’s so great. It’s been amazing, this whole interview. You’re the best. Tell me, where will you be in the next month or so?

Caro: I'm on the road! The best way to find out where I'm popping up next is to check me out on Instagram @caro_lokahyoga.

Even better, check out my website at https://chandravida.com where you can sign up for my mailer. At least twice a month, I send a little email about my adventures, where I’ve been, where I’m going, the people I’ve met, the things I’ve learned. Soon enough, they’ll be on YouTube where “The Lokah Road Show” will be up and running.

I’m focused on YouTube lately because most yoga videos are tutorials and that needs to change. I realized that nobody shows the back of the house of the yoga world—how we really walk the walk and talk the talk. I want to show the world what yoga people are like behind the yoga class.

Check me out. I love to connect. I want to be your Lokahl (😆) yoga homie, your homegirl, so hit me up! I'm here to help.

Richie: This is amazing. I’m absorbing all of this. I can't wait for our listeners and the world to embrace all this information from this incredible interview.

Caro: Thank you so much. I can't wait to see you out there.

Richie: Yes, thank you. Join the Whaleness Club? 🐳

Caro: Absolutely. The whale is big enough for us all.

Richie: That’s what's up. Impeccable. I appreciate you.

Caro: Love you, homie. Peace. Take care.

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As our mega-download of a conversation came to a close, the feeling of empowerment, a renewed sense of purpose and connection, surged through me just as if I’d taken one of her classes. Caro’s vibrant energy and the wisdom she shares through her ever-evolving journey are a testament to resilience and self-discovery. No matter the obstacles we face, there is always room for growth and transformation.

In a world that can feel chaotic and divided, Caro’s devotion to community and compassion rings loud and true. It's clear that her mission transcends the yoga mat; she is dedicated to fostering connections that uplift and inspire, demonstrating that we are all part of a larger, interconnected tapestry. Caro travels the world sharing this dharma. Be sure to check out her offerings, and follow her journey on Instagram.

I invite you to take a moment of reflection, and let Caro’s story inspire you to breathe deeper, connect with more compassion, and move through life with a more open heart.

After all, as she so beautifully said: "The whale is big enough for us all."

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Rich Awn

Edits by Sally Choi