Ariadne Antahkarana

Inventor of the World's first OVAL yoga mat:
Founder of Qi Yo Yoga, the first style that combines yoga with Qi Gong and martial arts
Founder of
Founder of

Ariadne is a teacher, artist and designer. She holds a in Design from Parsons School for Design, an in Anthropology and a in Yoga Education.

Ariadne worked for the European Red Cross Organization for many years. In 2011, she founded the CNW Movement, an international not-for-profit that supports projects aimed at unfolding a new human consciousness and creating a positive, sustainable future for all.

Designer: In New York City, Ariadne has held design positions at the Calvin Klein Collection, the Michael Kors Collection, Jason Wu, Giulietta NY, Derek Lam and Rebecca Minkoff. In Italy, Ariadne has designed for Tod’s She has worked on design projects for , Zac Posen, 3.1. Phillip Lim and Narciso Rodriguez. In 2006, she won the Uniqlo Design Award in Shanghai. Her design work has been featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, L’officiel, WWD and other top periodicals. In 2014, Ariadne founded the Lora Nova lifestyle brand. (See her Design Portfolio)

Artist: Ariadne has held many art exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York City, Italy and Bulgaria. Most of her works are large scale paintings. She has also explored theater and dance, taking part in total-theater productions staged by the Overground Arts Alliance in New York City. She currently examines creative strategies that promote the understanding of movement principles in relation to design.

Writer: Ariadne has authored and published a book of poems, The Roads of Life, and has written articles on art, design and sustainability. She is also the co-author of the books on the Qi Yo Multiversal Yoga.

Teacher: Her passion for sharing knowledge has led Ariadne to lecture on sustainable design at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. In the fall of 2012, she taught a sustainable design course at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Since January 2013, she has been co-hosting the Yoga Teacher Trainings around the globe.

Traveler: Ariadne has traveled the globe, visiting all seven continents, which has allowed her to gain an eye for the international perspective and share her deep love of yoga with people across the globe. In 2008, she co-founded a travel company, Qi Yo Travel , with which she travels, researches, and helps communities around the globe.