Meet Kiya Knight | Exercise Scientist + Fitness Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kiya Knight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiya, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Women’s fitness needs are different:

In 2010 I was teaching a Zumba fitness class on a remote beach in Costa Rica.

I noticed the women’s lack of hip and shoulder mobility making them feel awkward and out of rhythm with their own bodies.

So we used driftwood sticks off the beach to close the kinetic chain of movement in the upper body + activate more deep core muscles.

Instantly my dancers felt more powerful, safe, sexy and in control of their bodies + in synch w/ the moves.

All 10 retreat guests that year tried to check the sticks onto the plane and I realized a modern movement technology that empowers women to move their way was born.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
A woman’s body + movement needs are different than a man’s.

Women want: a compassionate, expert touch, an emotional release and a body they feel happy, safe, healthy, sexy and free living in.

When you feel good, you look good so we focus on mind + body connection through: mobility, stability, balance + deep core connection skills.

By establishing a foundation of breathwork we start with the #1 core human need for survival – breathing.

Commanding your breath unlocks your body’s hidden wisdom and prepares you to align with your higher potential.

By using the process: Activate, Align, Evolve we give your body what it really craves:

A hit of the neurotransmitter Dopamine… but from discipline, instead of pleasure.

So your fitness practice becomes a pleasurable daily ritual you can’t live without.

Active Internal Resistance Training or AIR is a modern movement technology designed for a woman’s body and her emotional needs.

The AIR Bar stabilizes and supports movement so confidence is built in every class and results are linear.

In 2018 my home burned in a California wildfire and I lost everything: home, jobs, car, things, clients, classes…

I spent the next two years living on trade in hotels and Airbnb’s in exchange for fitness classes.

And I taught myself how to put my 5 unique class styles online.

I was living in Mexico, rebuilding my business online so I could re establish my life in California when the lockdowns hit.

I was ready to support the community with an online membership and the equipment + resources to continue shooting, editing and publishing my fitness fitness online at a low monthly price most could afford… and if they couldn’t I gave it to them for free.

In 2022 I was able to move to a new high tech membership platform and am now working toward getting my own app.

This creates easier access to online classes for a bigger audience globally.

Our site can now be translated into 5 languages at the click of a button in the footer.

My mission is to create equal access to wifi, online learning and world class women’s fitness.

I teach you how to: use your breath to command your energy, activate + align your body, and reprogram your mind so you can recreate yourself in alignment with your ultimate design.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sunrise + coffee on the beach – breathwork session, start the day with light codes activation.

For fitness classes, karaoke, co work with other digital nomads and food I always head straight to Selina Hotel and they have two locations in Miami:

Gold Dust + Miami River.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My Mom who taught me about nutrition and fitness even while everyone was making fun and calling her a “health nut” behind her back. She held strong in her beliefs and I respect her wisdom.

My mentor Peg Hamlett at the University of Idaho who: taught me about the fitness industry, introduced me to people and opportunities that shaped me as a teacher and leader.

She also taught me how to get anything I want.

Les Mills, for being the gold standard in group fitness, my first fitness certifications which felt like the most epic kind of kindergarden and taught me most of what I still use to get an edge in my industry + the business model I aspire to.

Website: https://www.airbarfit.com

Instagram: @airbarfit

Twitter: @airbarfit

Facebook: facebook.com/groups/airbarfit

Image Credits
@skyview_17