Student Spotlight: Pam Karlson

With over 2,500 classes at yogaview and more than 23 years as part of our community, Pam Karlson is a true yogaview rockstar! She has been with us since the very beginning, and her story is a beautiful reflection of what makes our community so special.

From discovering her love of Ashtanga to finding support through life’s most challenging moments, Pam shares how yoga has shaped her life both on and off the mat. When she’s not practicing, she’s rescuing migratory birds, tending her Chicago Bird Garden, restoring natural habitats, and finding countless ways to give back to her community.

We’re so grateful Pam is part of the yogaview family. Get to know Pam and hear her story in her own words!

Q&A with Pam Karlson

1. You’ve been a part of the Yogaview community since day one. What has kept you practicing and coming back over the years?

"I vividly recall my first class at yogaview - it was Tom & Quinn’s Ashtanga Led Primary on an evening after work. I called first, because I had been practicing Vinyasa flow at a studio near my Chicago home, but never practiced Ashtanga. Tom answered the phone and said “Come on over!”. I absolutely LOVED the class and practice. Tom & Quinn were fun, warm, welcoming and gave great adjustments. I was hooked! Also, it just so happened, it was yogaview’s one year anniversary that day and the class was followed by a party! I thought “Wow! This is a fun studio!” I've been a regular practitioner there ever since! I have always found the quality of the classes and instructors stellar plus the yogaview community warm & welcoming. I absolutely love Ashtanga, and yogaview has offered Mysore for the bulk of the 23 years I have been practicing there. So I was often able to get practice in early when I worked in the city, which was a great way to start my day."

2. How have you seen the studio and community change and evolve over the years?

"When I first started practicing at yogaview it was located on Clybourn Avenue in Chicago, very close to where I worked at the time. There was a big tree outside of the windows, so you felt like you were practicing in a tree house! It was a lovely view. In those days, we purchased class “cards” and turned them in when we took a class. (My sister still has one of the cards!) Then came the move to the bigger space on Elston & Webster, also a lovely space with views of the river and warm, tasteful decor. I’ve been rescuing migratory birds since 2004, so the bird theme in a couple of the rooms was a fun surprise- especially the “bird wall” in the big room! The Wilmette location also opened. I work in the Northshore now, so I practice at that studio more often these days. But the city location is where my Yogaview “roots” are. In the 23 years I’ve been practicing at yogaview, I’ve seen many teachers and students come and go. Many of whom I miss! But there’s a core group of us that have been there since the beginning, which is special, like family. Though yogaview is bigger now than it was in the beginning, I still get the same warm, welcoming vibe and consider it my yoga home."

3. How has your relationship with yoga changed or evolved since you first began practicing?

"I took a yoga class for a short time when I was a kid, but found it “boring”. Haha! After my second major abdominal surgery in 2001, I wanted to get my abs back in shape, so I started taking yoga at a small studio near my home. It was basic Hatha yoga, not “flow”. I enjoyed it, but about six months later, Erica Merrill came to that studio to teach Vinyasa Flow. Her class and the flow style, which I had never practiced before, blew my mind! I LOVED it. It was absolutely life changing. I credit Erica for opening the door to a true yoga experience, for which I then became a dedicated practitioner. I went from “wanting to get my abs back in shape”, to a full mind, body, soul experience through the practice. All encompassing. I feel my life has been so much richer through this practice. Later, when I found YV and Ashtanga, my relationship with yoga deepened even more. It is an integral part of my life and something I am very grateful for. I look forward to years of practice ahead, as I age. Due to some physical injuries over the years, I may not be able to get into the “full expression” of the poses like I used to, but practice is just as gratifying. (Incidentally, Erica & I became good friends after that life changing class! We share our love of yoga and cats - and my husband and I have been on 2 of her retreats: Costa Rica and Mexico!)"

4. You take all the classes, from Vinyasa (Levels 1-3) to Ashtanga! Do you have a favorite, or does each practice offer you something different?

"I do have a favorite, yes! I bet you can guess by now that it’s Ashtanga! Haha! I love Mysore-self practice, but also love a Led Primary. It’s nice to sprinkle in some Vinyasa Flow too! I enjoy the different sequencing of a flow - it’s fun! Even though the core of my practice has always been Ashtanga, which is practiced with no music, I still enjoy a flow practice to music. I’m amazed at what good playlists the instructors put together. I’m a big music fan, so it’s a treat to practice to a good playlist! For the last couple of years I also have been going to Yin yoga on occasion. I’ve enjoyed “slowing down” and finding the release of that style as well. It’s a good counter balance."

5. Has your practice and the Yogaview community supported you through any particular season or transitions in your life? If so, we’d love to hear about that if you’re comfortable sharing.

"Absolutely! Yoga and the YV community have definitely helped me through life transitions and monumental happenings. Close family member deaths, career transitions, injuries, surgeries. Life. One of the most profound was when I was the sole witness to a fatal pedestrian hit and run a few years ago. The victim was a recently retired Chicago police officer. I was on my way home from a YV class when it happened right in front of me as I was driving. The vehicle that hit him sped away from the scene. I credit my calm, collected, pragmatic state to having just practiced yoga. I jumped out of my car to stop oncoming traffic. With the help of an off duty paramedic who just happened to be the 1st car I stopped, we rendered care and comfort to the man. Despite our efforts, he unfortunately passed away in the middle of the street as I held his hand and spoke gently to him. It was a profound experience. I had my YV sweatshirt on (I had draped my coat over the victim) and I can’t help but see the symbolism in that. My yoga practice definitely helped me navigate that unbelievably challenging and devastatingly sad experience. I have to give a big shout out to Megan Dunne, Claire Mark, Bridgett Piancenti and Jessica Quinn for helping me through those initial days after the incident. Their classes were very healing and Jessica’s incredible bodywork/journey helped me process the trauma. On a side note, I was able to find the man’s family. We are in touch to this day. They are incredibly grateful he was not alone when he died- and that he was being cared for and comforted. I also credit yoga with helping me find the strength to follow through with law enforcement and see that the perpetrator was caught and convicted of the crime. Which he was."

6. When you’re not at yogaview, where can we find you? What do you enjoy doing outside the studio?

"I LOVE being outside as much as possible. Thus my career transition from behind a computer graphic designer/illustrator to outside professional gardener/garden designer! In addition to work and yoga, I tend my own Chicago Bird Garden habitat I created (I’m up to 127 different bird species documented plus 1 out of range subspecies). As a volunteer, I rescue migratory birds under licensed wildlife rehabilitation organizations, participate in habitat restoration work with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves (mostly at the Somme preserves in Northbrook), work native plant sales with not-for-profit environmental organizations and deliver groceries to food insecure/homebound clients. I’m also a public speaker and educator, advocating for habitat creation and restoration to help birds, pollinators and wildlife through native plants and ecological sound gardening/landscape practices. I also love birding, hiking, watercolor painting, cooking, travel, music and hanging with friends, family, my husband Mike and our cats!"

Thank you, Pam! We are so grateful for YOU! 💛