But you can call me Jess, I am a 200 Hour Certified Yoga Instructor based out of Colorado. I started my yoga journey at a young age when I was introduced to gymnastics. Our practice would start with a small stretching segment to warm up and end with a cool down stretch. These were some of my favorite times because at a young age it taught me to drop into my body. It also taught me through habit and practice my body would begin to do things I didn’t know were possible. Later in life yoga reappeared but this time it was a Hawaiian woman on AM tv. My mom would be getting ready for work, and I would find myself scrolling through the television until I found a channel with morning yoga. This Beautiful Hawaiian woman showed me that stretching was so much more then a warm up and a cool down. Years past and yoga took a back seat as I began to start maturing. Like many teenagers finding out who I was took priority, Leading me down many roads that had dead ends and many mistakes. Yoga reentered my life when I needed it most.
Yoga opened a place in my heart that I was deeply scared to acknowledge. Yoga showed me that I was far more then damaged goods, That I deserved kindness, love, compassion and forgiveness.
A series of bad relationships, resurfaced past trauma and depression left me feeling lost in my early twenties. I found yoga when I got a gym membership which had complimentary yoga classes. Once I started taking yoga classes again I began to realize how disconnected I had become with my body and the world within myself. Yoga is much more then just stretching and breathing its a true form of healing. I wanted to make yoga more then just a personal practice, I wanted to show others what it had done for me and create a safe space for others to experience what its like to come home to the body and let go of the stories we hold so tightly to.
Every time I step onto my mat I begin to realize how beautiful this human experience. How grateful I am to have found a way to move & unwind the stored pain in my body. A way to release & stop running.
I began my 200 Hour Teacher Training in early 2019 at Holistic Yoga School in Fort Collins Colorado. Holistic felt like a second home, A place of true growth with people who genuinely wanted to see me succeed. I learned how to teach Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Pranayama breath work and guided meditation. After completing my teacher training I set the intention of leaving the country to teach full time, I wanted to fully immerse myself. Soon after seeing this intention I found a work trade in Panama looking for a Yoga instructor, I left in September of 2019 then came back to Colorado in Late January of 2020. My time in Panama was beautiful and full of so much growth but I wanted to return home to further my education in yoga. When I came back to Colorado I started teaching at a few gyms and studios which I still teach at. These include Soul On Fire, Chuze Fitness and YogaSix. Since returning back to my hometown of Colorado I learned how to teach Yin Yoga, Sculpt and Power Yoga. Out of the many class styles I teach Vinyasa Power seems to be my favorite. I often hear when people tell me they have tried yoga is one style, The reason they did not continue is because that style wasn’t for them. My mom once told me as a child that ” You won’t like every flavor at the ice cream shop, You can see one that looks appealing by the name or color but once you try it you may not love it but that doesn’t mean you don’t like ice cream. It means you haven’t found your flavor yet. ” I feel this also applies to yoga. Some styles of yoga are slow patient and restorative others are fast paced movement by breath heat building. It really depends on what your body needs and how you like to move. I have found throughout my yoga journey my favorite style of yoga has changed depending on my mood and energy levels. I have noticed flexibility in my body and I have experienced great shifts of energy as I move. I truly believe there is a form of yoga for everyone. Lets find your together!
Love & Light
Jess
