Smita Khatri is a lover of MOVEMENT! She enjoys sharing with others her passion for dance and yoga. Joyful movement is healing for the mind, heart and spirit. Through her classes, Smita encourages participants to tune in to the body and breath; to discover ease, freedom and individual expression in each movement; and most importantly, to enjoy and play!

Smita began learning and performing Indian folk dance at the age of 5. Since 2007, she has taught Bollywood dance and Indian folk dances (Bhangra and Garba/Raas). She has explored many other expressions of dance over the years. In 2018, Smita began teaching Nia, a holistic cardio-dance movement class that combines modern dance arts, martial arts and healing arts. And in 2021, she began teaching Creative Dance for Kids. Smita loves to guide children ages 2 to 7 in exploring the elements of dance.

Smita’s dance classes have reached dance studios, fitness centers, community centers, senior centers, schools, creative arts centers, holistic retreat centers, non-profit organizations, and large festivals and events in the United States (California, Hawaii, New York, Colorado, Maryland and Washington DC) and abroad (Greece, Scotland and India). Some of the venues where she has taught include the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, Findhorn Foundation, and Honolulu Museum of Art. She also taught dance to adults and children as a volunteer through an organization connected with the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India.

In addition to dance, Smita also teaches Yin Yoga, Gentle Somatic Yoga, and Yoga for Kids. One of her more meaningful life experiences was sharing meditation and gentle yoga as a volunteer with the Jail Education and Transition Program at Boulder County Jail from 2015 to 2017.
​
In 2023, Smita was invited to join the teaching artist roster of the Maryland State Arts Council. She considers herself a lifelong learner and continues to seek out learning opportunities to support her own wellbeing as well as her teaching. Smita has completed several graduate-level courses in Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT), including DMT for Children and Adolescents as well as Laban Movement Analysis. She has participated in a handful of 5Rhythms dance workshops over the years, and also completed a dance intensive through the Dance Exchange’s Winter Institute in early 2020. In 2026, she participated in a 3-week training in Dalcroze Eurythmics at Carnegie Mellon University. Smita’s other trainings include a 200-hour Hatha Yoga teacher training completed in Kerala, India (2016), Nia white belt training (2017), and 30-hour Yin Yoga teacher training (2019).

Smita has practiced Hanna Somatics and Feldenkrais movement for many years, and these have informed her approach to movement. She also enjoys swimming, walking in quiet places, and improv comedy.