Meet Kristy Austin | Yoga Teacher, Speaker & Wellness Facilitator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristy Austin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristy, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
The most important thing I’ve done as a parent is show my children that challenges don’t have to define us.

I haven’t always had the easiest path. As a single mother raising four children, there were many moments when I didn’t know exactly how everything would work out, but I kept showing up. I learned that children listen to what we say, but they learn even more from what we do.

I wanted my children to see resilience in action. I wanted them to see someone willing to keep learning, growing, trying new things, and getting back up after setbacks. Whether it was building my wellness business, pursuing opportunities that scared me, or simply navigating life’s everyday challenges, my goal was never to be perfect. My goal was to be present, honest, and willing to keep moving forward.

Today, seeing the compassionate, capable, and determined people they are becoming is one of the greatest gifts of my life. If I’ve taught them anything, I hope it’s that they are stronger than they realize and that kindness is never a weakness.

What should our readers know about your business?
My work is centered around helping people reconnect with themselves through yoga, breathwork, mindfulness, meditation, sound healing, and meaningful conversation. Whether I’m teaching a class, speaking at an event, facilitating a workshop, or hosting a podcast, my goal is always the same: to create a space where people feel seen, supported, and empowered.

One of the things that sets me apart is my belief that yoga is truly for everyone. Many people assume they can’t do yoga because they’re not flexible, have an injury, are living with chronic pain, or don’t look like the images they see online. I always smile when I hear that because my own body has given me plenty of reasons to quit. Thankfully, my spirit never got the memo.

At 19 years old, while giving birth to my first son, I broke my tailbone. It wasn’t exactly the welcome-to-motherhood gift I had in mind. Along with pinched nerves and severe muscle spasms, I was unable to walk for six months. I also live with scoliosis and experienced diastasis recti after my twin pregnancy. I’ve faced my share of physical challenges, and I know what it feels like when your body isn’t cooperating the way you’d like it to.

Those experiences shaped the way I teach. I want people to know that yoga isn’t about touching your toes or twisting yourself into a pretzel. Sometimes yoga begins with something as simple as taking one conscious breath. If you can breathe, you can begin. Even if that’s all you can do, you start there.

Ironically, my yoga journey didn’t begin during one of the best times in my life—it began during one of the hardest. I was going through a divorce and watching the life I had built unravel. I lost my business, my home, and my car, all while trying to raise a teenager, twin toddlers, and an infant. Everything felt like it was being turned upside down.

One day, I hiked to the top of Camelback Mountain. Sitting there, I felt the breeze on my skin, listened to the birds, and found myself taking deep breaths and stretching. It was a simple moment, but something clicked.

I realized that was exactly what I needed.

The breath.

The movement.

The stillness.

Without realizing it, my body was already asking for yoga.

That’s when yoga found me.

I didn’t find it.

At the time, I wasn’t looking for a career. I was looking for a lifeline. What I didn’t realize was that the practices helping me navigate one of the most difficult seasons of my life would eventually become the foundation of the work I now share with others.

That experience sparked a deep curiosity. I wanted to understand not just the physical practice, but the philosophy behind it. I began taking every yoga class I could find, attending every teacher training I could afford, and reading every book I could get my hands on. I wanted to learn everything I could about yoga and the many ways it supports healing and transformation. That path eventually expanded into breathwork, meditation, sound healing, frequency work, and other healing modalities that continue to shape my life and work today.

Building a business while raising four children as a single mother has not always been easy. There have been challenges, setbacks, and plenty of moments when the path forward wasn’t clear. But I’ve learned that resilience isn’t built when life is easy. It’s built one breath, one step, and one choice at a time.

What I’m most proud of isn’t a particular achievement—it’s the people. It’s the student who realizes they are stronger than they thought. It’s the person who arrives feeling overwhelmed and leaves feeling hopeful. It’s the reminder that no matter how alone we may feel, we’re often just one conversation, one breath, or one small shift away from finding our way back to ourselves.

One of the things I’m most excited about right now is the launch of my new wellness app, Calm Connect. The vision is simple: to make supportive, accessible wellness tools available to more people, wherever they are. Not everyone can attend a class, retreat, or workshop, but everyone deserves access to practices that help them feel more balanced, grounded, and connected. My hope is that the app helps people create small daily habits that support their nervous system and remind them that wellness doesn’t have to be complicated.

You can learn more at studio.com/kristy/calmconnect

If there’s one thing I want people to know about me and my brand, it’s that healing doesn’t require perfection. You don’t need to be flexible. You don’t need fancy leggings. You don’t need to touch your toes. You simply need a willingness to begin.

Sometimes the smallest step—or even a single breath—can change everything.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came to visit Phoenix for a week, I’d want them to experience more than just the tourist attractions. I’d want them to experience the magic of the desert.

We’d start with an early morning hike up Camelback Mountain. Not because it’s easy—it definitely isn’t—but because there’s something special about watching the sun rise over the Valley and being reminded how small our problems can feel when we’re surrounded by something bigger than ourselves. Plus, if we survive the hike, we’ve earned breakfast.

Another day would include tubing down the Salt River in search of the wild horses. There’s something magical about floating down the river with the desert all around you and suddenly spotting horses wandering along the shoreline.

We’d spend time exploring the Desert Botanical Garden and, if we had an extra day, we’d head to Sedona. The red rocks never get old, and there are few places that inspire reflection quite like Sedona.

Since wellness is such a big part of my life, I’d also introduce them to some of my favorite healing spaces. We’d visit a meditation, yoga, or sound healing experience and definitely spend some time at Optimyze, where I teach Breath + BioCharge classes. Between the cold plunge, sauna, red light therapy, BioCharger, and hot tub, it’s one of my favorite places to reset, recharge, and reconnect.

For food, we’d absolutely stop at Flower Child and The Giving Tree Café. Both offer nourishing meals in beautiful environments, and some of the best conversations in life happen around a table with good food and people you love.

And for a little adventure, I’d take them to explore Kartchner Caverns. Walking through those ancient caverns is a powerful reminder of how much beauty exists beneath the surface—both in nature and in ourselves.

What I love most about Arizona is the contrast. We have a vibrant city surrounded by ancient mountains, rivers, caves, and desert landscapes. It’s a place where you can spend the morning hiking, the afternoon floating down a river, and the evening watching a sunset that looks like someone painted the sky by hand.

If I’m being honest, though, the places matter less than the people. Some of my favorite memories haven’t come from checking destinations off a list—they’ve come from sharing experiences with people I care about. That’s what I’d want my friend to leave with: beautiful memories, a full heart, and probably a few sore muscles from Camelback.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If I had to dedicate this shoutout to anyone, it would first be to my children. They have been some of my greatest teachers. Becoming a mother taught me more about patience, resilience, unconditional love, and personal growth than any book, training, or certification ever could. They inspire me daily to keep learning, growing, and becoming the best version of myself.

I would also like to thank my mother, Tina Austin, who planted many of the seeds that would later grow into my life’s work. I remember her hiding vitamins in my food and practicing yoga in our living room long before wellness became mainstream. Looking back, I can see how much she influenced my passion for health, healing, and caring for others.

I would also like to thank my father, Steve Austin. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate the strength, resilience, and determination that run through our family. Those qualities have helped me navigate life’s challenges and continue moving forward, even when the path wasn’t clear.

A special shoutout goes to my sister, Coco, whose love, support, encouragement, and inspiration have been gifts throughout my life. Some of my favorite memories, biggest laughs, and most meaningful experiences have been shared with her, and I am grateful for the role she has played in my journey.

I’m deeply grateful to the teachers and mentors who helped shape my path, including Sangeet K. Khalsa, Sevak Singh, Ronee Kipnes, Marianne Wells, Patrick Reiner, Victor Togunde, and Audrey Guedelekian. Each shared wisdom, encouragement, and perspective that influenced not only how I teach, but how I live.

And finally, I’d like to thank every friend, family member, student, client, and even those I’ve met only briefly along the way. I believe every person we encounter leaves an imprint on our journey. The person I am today is, in many ways, a reflection of the kindness, lessons, support, and love I’ve received from others.

None of us walk our path alone, and for that I am profoundly grateful.

Website: https://Kristyaustinyoga.com

Instagram: @iamkristyaustin & @kristyaustinyoga

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Twitter: @iamkristyaustin

Facebook: Kristy Austin Yoga

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kristyaustinyoga?si=6bUI1eYChXy4JRjm

Image Credits
Steven Fellheimer photography