Lotus Spirit Yoga
grew from a passion for
self-evolution and a deep desire to help and serve others
Jessica
My yoga teacher training began in 2017, I have completed over 500 hours of training with Raj Patra the co-owner and founder of Yoga For Life. The lineage of yoga that I follow is Universal Yoga, created by Guruji Andre Lappa rooted in ancient Himalayan Yoga traditions. The classes I teach align with Universal Yoga principles which incorporate Hatha, Vinyasa, mudra, pranayama, bandhas, Maya Koshas, the Chakra system, visualization, and meditation.
My teaching style is firm and direct with an emphasis on proper alignment, so that the intent of a posture is safely achieved, and on anatomical cues so that you know why you are doing something and where you should be feeling it.
All levels of ability are welcome here, my philosophy is that everybody can do everything I teach, it will just look different for each person. The only limitations we have are those we put on ourselves.
In addition to teaching yoga I am a full time graduate student studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling and am a part time Counselor at Volunteers of America Oregon. I incorporate yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices in my counseling work with clients. I have an extensive background in education, human development, and fitness holding a BA in Education and certifications in personal training and group fitness.
The Mission
Our mission is to build a community of practitioners that can connect through their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone is welcome regardless of perceived skill level, the only thing needed is an open heart, open mind and a desire to grow from where ever you are at. Lotus Spirit Yoga is a safe space for everyone that has a body they want to move in creative and healthy ways. It is an inclusive space that honors and celebrates all ages, ethnicities, genders and cultures regardless of experience or perceived skill levels.
Questions
I’m not flexible can I do yoga?
Yes anybody can, and doing yoga will help you become more flexible while also increasing muscle strength so that you decrease your chances for injury as you age.
What if I can’t do some of the moves like everyone else?
Yoga asanas, or postures, look different in every body. Some people can get more twisty due to hyper mobility of joints and others are less twisty due to bone shape. The key is to focus on your own growth in the practice and not compare yourself with others – this is a good practice on and off the mat. There are ways to modify and intensify every asana, I can help you.
Whenever I go to a studio there are so many people I feel like the teacher can’t even help me, can you?
Lotus Spirit Yoga group classes are limited to 5 students at a time, small class sizes allow me to give each student more focused attention. If you desire extra help you can also schedule a personal session with me and we can customize your practice.
Why do I need to be so aware of my breath?
Pay attention right now to your breath, notice where you are breathing from. If you are breathing short shallow breaths from your chest you are signaling to your nervous system that you are in distress causing your mind and body to be in a state of stress, think fight or flight. Long deep smooth breath from the diaphragm, or belly, signal that all is safe everything is fine, relax and be content. We want to train ourselves to breath long smooth breath and we put focused attention to this in our yoga practice.
What if I have injuries?
I am not a licensed medical professional so I would first recommend that you seek out advice from your doctor. If you are cleared to do physical activities I can help you with modifying postures so you continue to build strength and recover from your injury.
I think I might be too old to do yoga?
Age is a mindset, I have met 20 year olds who limit their abilities and 80 year olds who tackle the trickiest postures with a smile. Move your body through yoga and feel a sense of vitality in your body, mind and spirit.