About Dr. Karina Smith
Karina Smith is a Melbourne based Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Yin Yoga Teacher, Teacher Trainer & Educator.
After a lifetime of dancing and years of working on productions, shows and festivals, yoga was an unexpected beacon of self care and restoration. This was a time when her relationship to movement shifted from performative outcomes, to something private and sacred that was there to nourish her mind and body.
It was only a year after commencing practice at the Australian Yoga Academy in Prahran that she knew that she wanted to do the yoga teacher training they were offering.
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Over the course of a year, Karina immersed herself into the training diving deeply into all the incredible rich offerings of this ancient practice.
Following her learnings at AYA, Karina continued to pursue her yoga studies both internationally and in Australia. Her extensive studies include two respective 350hr Teacher Trainings (The Australian Yoga Academy and Shantarasa Institute, Gujurat India), and has been fortunate to be a student of both Bernie Clark and Paul Grilley in North America.
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As a teacher for more than a decade, Karina has taught at numerous studios in her home town of Melbourne Australia including Yoga Flame, West Side Yoga and Estuary, and is currently a lecturer for The Australian Yoga Academy; mentoring students, and encouraging their teaching skills development.
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In 2018, Karina launched her own 50 Hour Yin & Functional Anatomy Teacher Training.
This new offering was the chance to combine all of her collective learnings as both a student and teacher of yoga, and also as an emerging Doctor of Chinese Medicine. Fully accredited by Yoga Alliance Australia, she continues to run her Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings regularly in person, online and now offers a modular version of the course digitally.
Her love of Yin Yoga revealed a deeper fascination for the human body and anatomy led Karina to pursue Chinese Medicine. After graduating in 2019, she now runs her own clinic in Newport, Melbourne Australia where she offers acupuncture, herbal therapies, moxibustion and cupping treatments for her patients.
With a particular passion for women's health, through Chinese Medicine Karina aims to be able to support women to have a better relationship with their menstrual cycle.
Her combined loves of Yoga and Chinese Medicine make up the Yin & Yang of her work, a desire to improve the health and lifestyles of her students, patients and clients alike.
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Training & Credentials
B.A Health Science Chinese Medicine Studies; Acupuncture and Herbalism Majors.
350hr Yoga TT with Australian Yoga Academy
350hr Yoga TT with Shantarasa Institute, Gujurat India
50hr Yin TT with Jen Crescenzo
50hr Yin TT with Bernie Clark
50hr Yin TT with Paul Grilley
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Health Science studies in Podiatric Practice
B.A in Contemporary Arts Dance Major