Like so many, I got started with yoga because of an injury. I was training for a marathon to build fitness and offset the stress of my job. Unfortunately, my alignment wasn’t ideal and my knees and feet complained loudly.
I started attending a regular weekly class and was hooked. In the beginning, I wanted nothing more than cross-training and to balance my body for running. What kept me coming back was so much more than the physical effects. Not only did the postures, breath-work, and meditation techniques help keep me on the road and reduce my stress level, yoga philosophy encouraged me to embrace her body and mind with all its imperfections and then to look beyond them to the greater Self.
When I became a parent, my yoga practice became even more important:
- for building strength and flexibility,
- as relief for the symptoms of pregnancy and then the stresses of parenthood,
- as a reminder of the miracle of the human body and of my own resources and capabilities, and
- as a regular connection to my breath and true Self during a time of significant identity changes.
There was nothing more natural than signing up for weekly Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes with my daughter. The instructor their encouraged me to embrace my child in the same loving, non-judgmental way that my own practice did for me.
After thoroughly enjoying baby yoga classes during maternity leave and being unable to find one in the neighborhood that fit my work schedule, I stumbled on a listing for Itsy Bitsy Yoga facilitators training . . . and signed up. That turned out to be the first step on the path that lead to Breathing Space Family Yoga.
Professional Yoga Training and Teaching Experience
Jen is a voracious reader and self-taught jack-of-all trades and values learning from others and continually updating her skills. She has trained with the following kids yoga specialists to offer classes to families and children of all ages: Itsy Bitsy Yoga , Budding Yogis, YoKid , ChildLight Yoga, and Yoga 4 Classrooms. Jen completed her adult yoga teacher training at Willow Street Yoga in 2010 and trained in Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield.
Jen is a Yoga Alliance® Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RTY 200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCTY). She is also a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) through Infant Massage USA and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
In addition to working with children and families in Washington DC, Jen is excited to teach others to share yoga and mindfulness with children through ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms Professional Development Workshop.