Karuna met Sri Gurudev in 1967. As a teen, she was initiated into Yoga meditation, received the Yogic name "Karuna" (meaning compassion and mercy), and taught classes of at the IYI in New York from 1968–1982. Karuna was responsible for maintaining IYI teaching standards in the early 1970s. She has traveled with Swami Satchidananda, staffed Yoga retreats, lived in the Integral Yoga Institute, and visited the Satchidananda Ashram. In 1986, she was awarded the title of "Guru Tattwa Ratnam" or "Jewel of the Guru's Teachings" by Sri Gurudev. She is certified by the Integral Yoga Institute to teach Intermediate and Advanced classes and teaches on the Flower Power Cruise. As Karen Kreps of Net Ingenuity, she builds WordPress websites for small businesses. She built the original sites iyta.org, swamisatchidananda.org, lotus.org, livingyogamovie.org and, for a decade, copyedited Integral Yoga Magazine.