Following injury, yoga lineage, and the rigid path of conventional healthcare, I set out on an educational odyssey. From cadaver labs to a doctorate in Medical Sciences, I am discovering how fascia weaves us into the spiral web of Nature—holding the keys to movement, perception, and vitality.
ALL ABOUTÂ DR KAREN Â Â Â Â
    KIRKNESS
FASCINATED WITH FASCIA AND NATURE’S PATTERNS?
You bet. I help movement educators connect with the natural science behind rotational biomechanics, so you can focus on bringing next-level understanding into your offering as a teacher, therapist, and curious mover.Â
“SPIRAL MOTION UNLOCKS THE BODY'S INNATE INTELLIGENCE, ADAPTABILITY, AND RESILIENCE.”
Whether you're new to anatomy or deep in the world of fascia, Spiral Syllabus is here to fuel your curiosity. I blend research
with real-world application, offering training, mentorship, and
free resources—so you can start exploring the power of spiral motion today.
- WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \
- WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \ WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO \
MFA
ART, SPACE, NATURE
MSc
HUMAN ANATOMY
PhD
medical sciences
ERYT500
YOGA ALLIANCE
WHAT CAN WE
   DO TOGETHER?
- Explore the latest research on spiral motion in movement
and anatomy - Delve into the anatomical and embryological foundations
of spiral motion - Apply for my Foundational or Advanced Yoga Teacher
Training programs - Check out my Five Filaments Specialist pathway for self-paced learning options
- Join me for group Mentorship, an immersive Retreat or one of my online yoga classes
- Discover the principles of spiral anatomy in my book, Spiral Bound: Integrated Anatomy
for Yoga
KAREN AFTER HOURS
- The truth is: I pine for Autumn all year long
because MUSHROOMS. - My biggest body struggle has always been my
feet– fallen arches! - I struggle reading maps… truth is, lost in the woods
is OK with me. - I’ve healed from 4 fractures, 3 knee surgeries and
a punctured gut. - My kids teach me far more about self-regulation than I was ready for.
- I’d love to see the Aurora Borealis but I just can’t seem to get lucky!
Hi and welcome to Spiral Syllabus! I’d like to share a bit more about my story. My complex relationship with yoga began in the late ’90s when I first stepped onto the mat as a college student at the University of Central Florida. To this day, I wonder if I'd have survived my 20s without that Hatha yoga class with Charles, my appropriately stern yet encouraging teacher.
"yoga showed me that intensity could also be nourishing.”
From Hatha to Ashtanga... talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire! Daniela Ellis introduced me to the Primary Series and inspired me to step onto a path that would challenge, regulate, infuriate, inspire, and ultimately become my livelihood in every sense of the word.
In 2003, I graduated from uni and took a formative leap: my first yoga teacher training, with Paul Dallaghan at what was then Centered Yoga in Koh Samui, Thailand. That experience opened a door I didn’t even know existed, leading me to make four life-changing pilgrimages to Mysore, India, over 15 years. Each trip peeled back another layer of who I thought I was.
“art-space-nature-science-edinburgh-Mysore, repeat.”
After my first trip to Mysore, I moved to Scotland for the ASNE programme (art, space, nature, science, Edinburgh). Later, after opening my yoga studio in Edinburgh, I felt an irresistible call to study classical Human Anatomy at Edinburgh University for my second Master's degree, an MSc in Human Anatomy.
Studying classical anatomy as a mature postgraduate student in the dissection lab proved spiritual, academic, and deeply humbling all at once. I felt an instant connection between what I was learning in the lab and what I was teaching on the mat in practice. This integration of Eastern and Western body concepts shapes not only how I teach today, but how I manage all things from practice to parenthood, from play to prayer.Â
David Keil, Sarah Hatcher, and Dena Kingsberg became my foundational western Ashtanga teachers. While my practice has significantly evolved, I carry their wisdom with me still. They taught me that true teachers don't just show you poses—they show you yourself.
Later, as my body and life circumstances shifted, I found myself drawn to the next stage of embodied learning: Janet Balsaskas’ Active Birth method and Dr. Sarah Duvall’s approach to pregnancy and postpartum exercise. Training with them as a mother of two navigating the postpartum “new normal” felt like coming home to a new aspect of myself I was ready to meet.
"no triumphs or tragedies; only tradeoffs.”
We all change as the years pass, and the world changes too. The pendulum of global attention keeps swinging, from the advent of Lulu to canceling the Guru, to wherever we are now. Through it all, I look to Nature for guidance, comfort, and the confidence to keep moving no matter what challenges arise.
Driven by this same curiosity about how natural sciences can illuminate the body's inner workings, I wrote Spiral Bound: Integrated Anatomy for Yoga (Handspring Publishing). I consider this essential reading for yoga practitioners who want to explore how fascial anatomy connects with subtle body concepts.
“The body is nature wearing skin—once you see that, everything else makes sense.”
Writing my book and researching for my doctorate taught me something unexpected. Not only did I gain a deeper understanding of the physical body, but I also discovered the crucial importance of selecting for balance in our personal and professional lives.Â
Looking back, I can see the arc of what I call my "Yes years"—I said YES and grabbed every opportunity with both hands. This led to a supernova of insight and achievement; a successful yoga studio, a Masters in human anatomy, a PhD in medical sciences, exciting collaborations with my heroes...Â
“Evolution is the quietest revolution—it happens one adaptation at a time.”
It may sound impressive until you realize I was unconsciously racing against my biological clock, caught in the frenzy that confronts so many women as we age. As both a parent and creative movement educator, I've learned to let go and reimagine practice as a tool for self-regulation, resilience, and finding my rhythm.
Above all, I believe movement to be the most underutilized form of preventative medicine. And for the hurts we already have, movement can make or break our healing. As an avid cyclist and unhealed adventurer, for many years injury was part of my general addiction to intensity.Â
“It isn't about choosing tradition or innovation—it's learning to dance in the tension between them.”
I chased yoga as a performative discipline for a long time, caught up in the hierarchical structures that physical culture often normalizes: the pursuit of aesthetic ideals, the pressure to please teachers, the rigid adherence to a single “correct” form regardless of individual needs.Â
Multiple knee surgeries and soul crises of many flavors taught me that it wasn’t just my body asking for something different. My whole life needed a rhythm adjustment. Now in my late forties, I'm embracing the daily balance of parenthood.
I can’t practice the way I once did, and more importantly, I don’t want to. I’ve found myself drawn instead to the heterarchy of nature—metabolic systems without rigid top-down control, where adaptation and responsiveness reign.
"my practice is now a celebration of rhythmic rotation.”
Rather than constraining my learning with aesthetics or people-pleasing, I now ground my practice in principles from biology and physics that explain how anatomy forms and functions—from embryonic development through our adult configurations. Understanding tissue behavior and our place in the web of life has always fueled my curious exploration.
My driving mission as a teacher trainer and mentor is to help movement teachers bridge their background with the science, managing the ever-present tension between honoring "yoga" as an ancient discipline while acknowledging the critical discourse that questions our very use of the term.
I work with functional movement themes rooted in the spectrum of soft tissues, informed by my extensive study of the body through both research and practice. My mentors Joanne Avison and John Sharkey continue weaving the conversation about force transmission through tissue architecture, and I’m grateful to assist them as faculty on selected dissection retreats.
“Spirality isn't what I teach the body—it's what the body teaches me.”
While I'll always be an anatomist and a postural yoga enthusiast, my practice is rooted in movement. I view the body as a nonlinear matrix of rotation, centering my work on the spiral as nature's fundamental pattern. My contribution to the movement conversation is the Five Filaments—a fascia-aware system for translating biomotion into practical, rotational terms.
I develop this approach with my collaborator and translator, Celina Hwang, as we create the Five Filaments repertoire and lead retreats in French and English. I also contribute regularly to The Fascia Hub and maintain an honorary role at Hull York Medical School, my institutional affiliation for publishing.
My teaching practice centers on facilitation and empowerment—I encourage students to try, fail, learn, adapt, and repeat the cycle. My goal is to find a connection with each student for mutual discovery, learning how to find an appropriate path to progress in practice while honoring the body's current needs and capacity.
“Spirality is the signature of life itself.”
My favorite ways to explore anatomy include movement, body painting, model-making, and hands-on kinesthetic learning techniques. I love both giving and receiving yoga adjustments that I've crafted through personal experience, research, and creative exploration—always guided by what serves balance (building tone, mobility, healing) rather than what looks impressive. That said, I enjoy those fun moments where impressive movement can still be therapeutic!
I work primarily from my home in the Scottish Borders, where I live with my husband Simon and our two kids. We love spending time outdoors and staying healthy through play while connecting with nature. I teach a kids yoga class weekly and two adult classes in our local area.
“Parenthood teaches you that self-regulation isn't optional; it's survival, theirs and yours.”
Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of anatomy, explore movement through a fascia-aware lens, or simply find a practice that honors your body's wisdom, I'd love to connect with you. You can practice with me in person or online here, and I also offer mentorship and specialized training opportunities for those ready to dive deeper into this work.
