If you’ve attended any of our Purrs & Poses Cat Yoga events then you already know who I’m talking about today.

It’s my good friend and also my favorite yoga instructor Ahlia Biondi. And this blog post is a the story of how we met and the deeper connection she has with Cat & Craft.

How Ahlia & I Met

Ahlia and I met randomly back in the fall of 2016. Andrew and I had just moved to California and I was feeling overwhelmingly LOST. By lost I mean I had just quit what I had previously thought was my dream job, left all my friends and family, and moved across the country to a city and state where I knew no one but my husband Andrew.

I had big dreams to create something new and meaningful through our transition to the West coast, but dreams are never easy to bring to fruition – they often require periods of challenge and even a few of what I call “dark nights of the soul” in the process.

I’ve been practicing yoga since 2007, and throughout the years it’s been my go-to when I need to work through something both mentally and physically. It was through exploring yoga studios and classes in the area when I one day lucked into Ahlia’s huge smile and infectious happiness.

She had a light and energy about her that was immediately contagious (and on top of that she taught a killer vinyasa class). So I kept coming back to her class and soon after she mentioned she would be hosting a 200 hour teacher training in Bali Indonesia.

Aside: I had wanted to get my yoga teacher certification for years but had always managed to find some excuse as to why I didn’t have the time – usually related to my job. Well, here I was with no job, no direction, and spinning around what I could possibly do that would help cats and connect people, so I basically went straight home and told Andrew I needed to go spend a month in Bali with a total stranger. And because Andrew is awesome he agreed and was in full support of the idea.

Paying Attention To Signs

To make a long and life-changing story short, had it not been for joining her for those 30 days in a completely magical place, I would not have found myself in downward dog one morning in a hut in the jungle asking Source / God / Universe, whatever to give me a sign. A sign that pursuing some form of cat cafe with cat yoga was the path I needed to take.

That sign immediately appeared in the form of two white fluffy cats bounding into the hut and directly across my yoga mat. Not kidding.

Turns out they belonged to the owner of the property, and they hung out with us for the entire time so I was able to get photo proof of them after class. Not one to question the Universe, here we now are! : D

Ahlia’s teaching for us this Sunday and again on Sunday Oct 20, so grab your spot now here.

Lastly, you can learn more about Ahlia’s story and her work here on her website.

With Love and Light,

Caroline