Meet Jennifer: Yoga teacher, Former magazine editor, and Self-described recovering perfectionist
<b>As any yogi will tell you, there is no typical yogi,</b> and Jennifer is no exception. Jennifer grew up outside Seattle, then moved south to California before returning to her roots in the Pacific Northwest. She decided to pursue yoga professionally after experiencing the practice’s profound impact on her own life and realizing her passion to share yoga’s benefits with her community. You can read our interview with her below. <div><br></div><div><a href="https://learnivore.com/users/sunbreakyoga"><b>Follow Jennifer</b></a> on Learnivore for posts on yoga, cooking and other interests. </div><div><b><a href="https://learnivore.com/instructors/customized-yoga-lessons-with-experienced-yoga-teacher">View Jennifer's instructor profile</a> </b><span style="font-size: 15px;">and message her to schedule a session. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;">How did you get into yoga?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer: </i>I was somewhat late to the yoga party. I’d tried a few classes, but there just wasn’t an instant connection for me. It wasn’t until after the birth of my son—now five—that I found and really fell in love with yoga. I had had a pretty rough postpartum experience. My son was colicky, and I was also dealing with chronic pain due to the delivery. At my husband’s suggestion, I took my little boy to a baby-and-me yoga class—if for no other reason than to get out of the house! So there I was, trying to balance in half-moon pose, and I looked down and saw my son smiling up at me. He wasn’t fussy or uncomfortable; he was just gazing up at me calmly, with a little smile on his face! And then I looked around the room and saw other mothers and their babies having similar bonding experiences, and I thought, this is my community. This is a place where I can take care of myself and take care of my son—everybody benefits. We started going to class several times a week, and it just grew from there. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;"> Have you always loved yoga, or have there been times when you have struggled with it?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer:</i> I was pretty intimidated during my first few yoga classes. I wasn’t naturally flexible, and I was under the mistaken impression that you had to be flexible to practice yoga. Fortunately, I had a great teacher who explained that you don’t practice yoga because you are flexible, you practice yoga to become flexible. This idea was very new to me: that yoga is for everyone, and that the practice can be modified to accommodate the individual—not the other way around. That has really stuck with me. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;">What keeps you at it?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;"> Jennifer: </i></span><span style="font-size: 15px;">So many things—but ultimately, it comes down to community. I love the energy that is created when people practice yoga together. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;"> If you were asked to give one reason why people should try yoga, what would be your answer?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer: </i>Self care. Among many other lessons, yoga teaches us this beautiful life skill, which is how to manage our stress, how to calm ourselves down. We’re not necessarily taught these skills when we’re young, and then we grow up and are generally pretty bad at figuring out how to manage stress well. Yoga helps with that—it gives you the tools to calm and center yourself, which is something you can use in any situation. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"> <b style="font-size: 15px;">What is your favorite type of client? (Yes, I know you love them all!)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer</i>: I love teaching busy people—the people who think they don’t have time for yoga, whether that’s the attorney who works 80 hours a week or the stay-at-home mom who works ’round the clock. They both tend to have the same challenges—they don’t think they have the time, or they feel guilty taking time to care for themselves. But these are exactly the kinds of people who benefit the most from yoga. No matter what your sphere, when you make self care a priority, you are better able to show up as your best self for those around you, and really come from a place of abundance and loving energy—not depletion—within your family and your greater community. That’s one reason why I’ve been adding more private clients to my practice, because then I can go to them and make it easier for them to fit yoga in, whether it’s at home during baby’s nap or at the office during their lunch hour. Wellness and peace of mind are not a luxury; they’re an absolute necessity if you want to live a full and happy life. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;"> What made you decide to start teaching yoga?</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer: </i>As I mentioned, my son was really colicky at first, and then he turned into this really happy, well-adjusted little kid—and it seemed to happen in the yoga class. Meanwhile, I became calmer and less stressed myself, my chronic pain all but evaporated, I grew stronger and, yes, a little more flexible, and I lost 50 pounds of leftover pregnancy weight. It was kind of a no-brainer—I feel compelled to share these benefits with as many people as I can. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;">What do you think sets you apart as a teacher? What do your students say?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer: </i>My students often describe me as nurturing and calm; I bring that mother side of me into my teaching practice, creating a positive and supportive space so that everyone can relax and focus. This approach helps me to stay attuned to my students. I enjoy taking care of people during class (for example, bringing them props to modify a pose or giving adjustments to help them find optimal alignment), so that they can then feel confident in taking care of themselves both on and off the mat. I love to customize the practice for each individual, whether that’s in a group setting or one-on-one.
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;">What are you learning now? </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer: </i>I’ve been teaching myself how to cook over the last several years. Recently, I’ve developed an intolerance to both gluten and dairy, so I’ve had to take those into account and modify my cooking accordingly. It can be a challenge to avoid those ingredients and still make delicious, healthy food that can be prepared quickly, but I’ve discovered that, as with yoga poses, recipes can be modified to suit your needs. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;">What would people be surprised to learn about you?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i style="font-size: 15px;">Jennifer: </i>That I’m somewhat type-A (and used to be much more so). I guess you could say that I’m a recovering perfectionist. Yoga really helps with that. People tend to think of yogis as being completely mellow and blasé, so sometimes they’re surprised to find that that’s not me. It might not be what you’d expect, but that careful attention to detail has proven itself to be a real asset to my students: I’m punctual and well-prepared for class, and that careful </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">planning is key to staying present while I’m teaching. It’s all about balance: I’m calm, but I’m also paying attention. </span></div><div><hr></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b style="font-size: 15px;"> Are you an instructor and would you like to be featured on our</b> "Most Interesting People in the World" <i style="font-size: 15px;">Series? If so, create an instructor profile on Learnivore, and post it to our Facebook page. We'll contact the people with the best profiles. Great profiles are complete, interesting, have confirmed students and reviews, and a few blog posts.</i></span></div>