Tiny Family Aylin Karadayi
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE YOGA EXPERT AND PASSIONATE COOK
Aylin in her kitchen in Zurich
...and with Aki, her Thurgau Miniature Schnauzer
I met Aylin through her partner Alp and have come to value her as my current yoga teacher. She corrects my posture with her in-depth knowledge and keen sense of humor. She also applies this to her culinary skills. It's a great compliment to our granola that she likes to buy it and devours it straight from the package. ☺︎
What are your morning rituals?
Get up, make a coffee, meditate in bed, take a bath, go out with Aki.
Which type of The Tiny Factory Granola do you prefer and how do you enjoy your granola?
Chocolate and honestly straight from the pack.
Who would you like to invite to (granola) breakfast?
Chocolate and honestly straight from the pack.
The Tiny Factory is for you:
The very best muesli, Swiss-made with love, a treat! 
Aylin in her yoga studio near the Grossmünster in Zurich
Katonah Yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga. My New York-based teacher, Nevine Michaan, is the founder of this method. Katonah Yoga draws on various strands of knowledge, such as Doism, geometry, mysticism, and even linguistics.
Katonah Yoga works with archetypes because they are universal. This makes the work in yoga less personal, allowing us to observe ourselves objectively, from above, so to speak. And when we succeed in doing this, we recognize blind spots, habits, and also our potential. We speak of the body as "the house" in which we live, and this must be kept clean, cared for, and decluttered from time to time. You see, metaphors are a big part of Katonah Yoga because metaphors are just as universal. For the practitioner, they open up a world of images in the mind that makes it possible to reach places that are physically difficult for us to reach. Katonah Yoga thus plays with the trinity of body, mind, and breath, helping us to understand the inner and informal through form and formality and, in turn, to inform the body through the elasticity of the mind.
Fortunately, that was also a misunderstanding: Aylin couldn't live without (granola) chocolate. ☺︎
What is the biggest misconception about a self-employed woman like you?
That anything is left to chance or luck. Everything is hard-earned, and what appears to be effortless on the outside is underpinned by extremely disciplined, repetitive, and long-term planned work. And I still think that women in any industry are expected to do more pro bono work, because we are care workers, and that is still a socially unappreciated and unpaid job. Oh yes, and the biggest misconception about a yoga teacher: that everything is nice and calm—complete nonsense.
What talent would you like to have?
I think I would really like to be a gifted poet who has to write to find peace in her heart.
Your favorite quote?
Francis Picabia: “The head is round so that thought can change direction.”
More information about Aylin and her services
