About Caroline

Caroline Westling

Educator in Philosophy, Yoga & Meditation

With 20 years of experience teaching yoga, philosophy, and meditation, Caroline Westling is a well-recognized and beloved teacher. She has taught and trained future yoga teachers in many countries. In her home country of Sweden, Caroline has served as a specialized guest teacher in various teacher trainings, given public lectures and taught yoga in schools, prisons and senior centers.

Caroline is known for her authenticity, the structure of classes, always having a clear reason why she teaches sequences in a particular way, and for her keen ability to teach students individually while in a group and understand their unique needs. With an eye for reading and understanding energy and bodies, Caroline adjusts her teaching according to the students’ needs, making the practice uniquely suited for each student. She uses that approach for the asana teaching as well as students’ internal practice. She is genuinely curious about people and their thoughts, and the discussions she leads regarding yoga, philosophy and life are based on each student’s understanding.

Caroline’s yoga path began when she was a young girl with a deep interest in philosophy and the meaning of life. She was strongly influenced by her grandmother who shared the same interests and practiced yoga during Caroline’s youth. With her grandmother as an example, Caroline started practicing Hatha Yoga and maintained an individual practice for many years. She completed her first two-year teacher training in the Ashtanga yoga tradition, where she met her first Indian teacher, Sashikala Ananth, a student of Krishimacharya.

Caroline studied with Sashikala Ananth in Sweden and India. Caroline studied with several other teachers, many of whom were Iyengar teachers, and Iyengar is a tradition that strongly influences Caroline’s teaching today. However, it was in her teacher training at Yoga Works in 2006 that Caroline fell in love with sequencing and supportive alignment.

From there, Caroline went on to practice and study with Maty Ezraty, the founder of Yoga Works, who became her teacher and mentor. Caroline continued to study with Maty every year until her passing. Caroline’s early interest in philosophy is an integral part of her teaching. She has delved deeply into the study of Indian and yogic philosophy in India and Sweden, as well as Western philosophy, the history of philosophy, political and social philosophy and ethics at Linkoping’s University in Sweden.

Career Highlights

Caroline has put a lot of time and effort into her own education so that she can best serve her students. Some of her career and training highlights include:

2004 At twenty-five Caroline began teaching yoga in hotels and spas. This was, in part, because she was the restaurant manager for two hotels in Sweden.
2006 Caroline opened her own yoga studio in 2006 in Västervik, Sweden. She ran the studio for six years.
2006 Caroline started teaching yoga and hold lectures about health and living a balanced life in Swedish prisons. She did this for several years until the Swedish prison system started their own yoga program.
2006 Caroline also held lectures and taught yoga in Swedish schools, hospitals and senior centers.
2007 Caroline co-created and taught a 260-hour teacher training that was conducted in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and India for several years.
2007 Caroline began offering retreats at her home on Lake Hjorten, Sweden.
2012 Caroline launched YogaMakes, an online yoga education program designed to offer yoga to all regardless of location or circumstances. This was initiated cooperation with others and currently runs on her platform, carolinewestling.com.
2013 YogaMakes a Difference Free Education in Yoga was launched and took place first time in Stockholm. Later it was taught in Barcelona, Berlin and Amsterdam.
2013 Caroline started teaching in Yogayama´s 200- and 300-Hour Teacher Training in Stockholm.
2017 Caroline became Head of Yoga at Yogayama, Sweden’s largest Yoga school. Caroline was responsible for all yoga content and teachers, Yogayama’s studios, the franchise chain and education programs.
2017- Caroline develops and is responsible for the asana portion of the Yogayama 200- and 300-Hour Teacher Trainings, as well as mentoring the teacher trainers. Together with Sara Granström Powiecki, she still runs the well-reputed program.

Caroline currently spends her time and energy on retreats, group mentoring and online course development for yoga teachers. She focuses largely on philosophy, sequencing, and teaching teachers how to develop themselves, their practice, their teaching skills, and how to understand asana and individual needs of students, as well as philosophy and sequencing.

Testimonials

Caroline is an extraordinary yoga teacher whose humility and dedication shine through in every class. She consistently pays attention to details that others overlook, creating an environment where every student feels seen and supported. Caroline’s passion for yoga is truly inspiring, and her approach elevates each person’s practice, no matter where they are on their journey. I wholeheartedly recommend her trainings to anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of yoga - Caroline’s guidance is unmatched, and I look forward to learning from her for many years to come.

RITA

To travel to Korea and be met there by Caroline is one of the best trips I have made. To experience a country and a culture together with Caroline, who has a genuine interest in this country, and to be able to combine all of this with the yoga. Caroline is always completely present when she teaches, and it is a privilege to practice yoga for and with her.

ELLINOR L

I have had the privilege of practicing with Caroline for an extended period of time, and over time she has become a role model for how I can practice as a yoga teacher. The first time I met Caroline, she was the lead teacher in the TT training I attended through Yogayama in Stockholm. Always present in the moment. Here and now. Attentive, with structure, discipline, and precision, she guided our practice and built the classes step by step so that we all developed safely at our own pace and according to our individual conditions.

With warmth and calm, she shows that there are different paths toward yoga and that consistent practice makes all the difference. Warm and caring, she spreads a sense of calm in the room where the warmth, clarity, and stillness settle gently within after each class.

I have also had the privilege of learning more about yoga philosophy together with Caroline. It has been a luxury to deepen within the world of yoga and, from a human perspective, to reflect and speak about philosophy, life, and the yogic tradition also beyond the mat and the yoga room. Caroline is for me a great inspiration and mentor, so grateful for that!

ANNA L

Being a student of Caroline is to be seen and gently guided in yoga, exactly where I am right now – in body and mind. With small, well-adapted and attentive instructions, she helps me deepen the experience and safely arrive in the world of yoga. She creates the conditions for me to feel as well as possible, both during and after the session – whether it is 20 minutes long or extends over several days of retreat.

Caroline teaches with great dedication, an impressive attentiveness, and a precision in technique that inspires confidence. All of this is carried by a warm and genuine heart – the warmest I have experienced in the yoga world.

ANNETTE Z

My meeting with Caroline was through the 200-hour yoga teacher training. After that, I continued with her in advanced courses, participated in her retreat, and attended her yoga classes.

During the 200-hour training, I learned the interplay between muscles, movement, and development through her gentle and systematic pedagogy.

Caroline has opened an entirely new world for me. There is a time before and after Caroline in my life.
The students who attend my classes are grateful for my teaching, and I know that what I say is what I learned from Caroline.

Caroline listens carefully, truly sees you, and guides you based on your individual conditions.
She has an ability to break down every element of a yoga posture into components that are accessible to everyone and to all types of bodies. She also gives you the words that make it possible to speak about it and to teach it onward.

SUSAN S

I have had the privilege of practicing with Caroline for many years, both in regular classes, Teacher Training and on retreats. She teaches with clarity, professionalism, and great skill — guiding strength, flow, flexibility, and deep relaxation with equal presence. What truly sets her apart is her warm and welcoming heart. She genuinely cares that her teaching brings real value, whether you are a yoga student or a yoga teacher studying with her. Her presence creates a space that feels both safe, inspiring, and deeply meaningful.

JESSICA F

Caroline is an outstanding experienced yoga teacher. She teaches to practice yoga in a structured and neat way, step by step: what to do, in what order and why. She transmits the passion of being pedagogical. She prepares herself very well, she observes the students carefully and she is constantly reflecting upon her own work. She’s got an exceptionally quick understanding of the poses taken by students, especially concerning the energetic distribution in the bodies. Her yoga sequences are inventive and clever. At the core of her transmission resides the safety of the practice and the alignment with respect to each student’s possibilities. Humbly and generously, she shares her deep and broad knowledge, both regarding the physical practice and the spiritual and philosophical practice. She inspires her students to deepen their yoga practice in all directions. Her teaching reaches way beyond the yoga mat.

CÈCILE B.L.

Caroline is one of my absolute favourite teachers. She has a great ability to set my body up for specific asanas. With props and fantastic guiding, she makes advanced positions more available. It’s like she is communicating with my body instead of me and my head. In addition to her great understanding of energy in poses, she is so well rooted in the
tradition and philosophy of yoga that I can really rest in her space and feel safe.

NENNE A

I met Caroline through my teacher training at Yogayama. She is an inspiration and an amazing teacher. Caroline has taught me a lot, both about teaching myself, but also about my own path and yoga practice. Her knowledge and passion for sharing the yoga path is inspiring. She shares her knowledge generously.

CHRISTINA KB

I love Caroline’s yoga teachings. She has very well-structured classes with beautiful sequences. I like in particular her restorative classes and her foundation classes with props. Her classes are clear, with easy to follow instructions. She emphasizes a safe practice with precise alignment and a beautiful connection to the breath. Caroline teaches from the heart with a deep understanding from her own experience, always with compassion and some humor.

FRANZISKA S

Caroline has an ability to make a person feel seen even in a large group. She is clear in her instructions and assistance. There is also a sense of security to be able to practice with Caroline, who places great importance on doing poses safely and leaves nothing to chance!

Ellinor L.

When I started practicing with Caroline things started to fall into place. She helps me by truly seeing me and my struggles. She does not give you shortcuts and the answers—she makes you find them yourself. She is there to support you on your way without hesitation, and with patience because Caroline knows it´s my practice and my pace that will put me on my path. She helps you find the tools to find your own strengths, both in your asana practice and also in your philosophy practice.

Anika FB

Caroline is a very enthusiastic and well-prepared instructor. You have no doubt about her passion for yoga – it’s her life. She is a technically skilled instructor, she’s has “an eye on each finger” – in her class you feel that you are seen. Her gift is that she has the ability to always make you feel safe and well taken care of.

MONA D

Their message is clear, solid and truthful. The Asana practice is safe, they know bodies by just looking at them and they help you to go further from where you are today.

BELÉN A