her story

my first time doing yoga was with my mother when i was in middle school.

she was taking these hatha yoga classes at this place called unity church here in houston.

i would go with her and just sit there mostly.

some days i would participate, but i did not understand what we were really doing .

i played basketball growing up and my dream was to play in the wnba .

i was also very business savvy as a kid and wanted to open my own business .

i got into a very toxic relationship in high school, and everything began to change for me.

i lost a lot of my friends, my mom and i’s relationship wasn’t that great, and i quit playing basketball after 14yrs.

i had no idea what i was going to do next,

so much of my life was revolved around basketball. i knew nothing else.

i got my first job the summer going into my junior year at mcdonalds.

i started to gain weight for the first time in my life.

i never had to worry about my weight or my body because i had been an athlete my entire life.

i started running the bayou in houston

it didn’t matter what time of day it was - first thing in the morning, middle of the day in the summer, or when the sun was setting.

i really enjoyed running, so much so that when the school year started back up, my nana offered to take me to the gym across the street at 5a so that i could continue running and keep my routine before school. she didn’t want me running in the dark so early in the morning. it would only take me 20 minutes to run two miles. she would drive me and sleep in the car until i finished. i will always remember this and be grateful.

after running for a few months and losing weight i started working out using the nike training club app.

i would do these workouts after my run in my room.

i have always been pretty disciplined because of basketball and i made a promise to myself that i would always take care of my body, because i never wanted to be obese, like some people in my family.

it wasn’t until i got my second job at pappasitos cantina did i get invited to do bikram yoga.

my manager ruth asked if some of us wanted to go with her and i said yes.

i was pretty open to trying new things.

i went to the yoga class and everything changed.

i loved the heat

i loved the teacher

i loved the discipline

i loved the breathing

i loved the challenge

and most importantly, i loved that i wasn’t in competition with anyone but myself. i didn’t have to compete in the class.

yea, i may aspire to do a posture like someone else in the class, but no one was judging or rating my practice based off if i could do the pose or not. it was about showing up and being present. it was about being calm and making it through the class, which was challenging, especially in a 105 degree room, holding the postures for almost a minute or longer the rest is really history from there.

i practiced bikram yoga seriously for about two years.

i stopped practicing after that and found myself over weight and depressed again.

one evening, i decided to do some shrooms by myself, a small dose and found myself thinking about what would make me happy.

i found myself getting up and doing some of the bikram yoga postures

it was so challenging

i was sweating within minutes, but i felt so good after doing them it was then that i decided i was going to commit my life to practicing and teaching yoga.

i wanted everyone to feel the way i felt in that moment.

i wrote down a five year plan for myself and forgot about it honestly.

my five year plan was: year one - practice yoga as much as possible, so i know that i am serious, year 2 - get my yoga teacher certification, year 3 through 4 - teach as much yoga as possible, year 5 - open a yoga studio on a main street in the city.

i am proud to say that all of this came to past. it still blows my mind till this day. i do not have my studio anymore, but that was a time and another conversation for another day :)

it is now april 2025 that i am sharing this with you.

i have taught close to 6,500 classes over the last nine years and it is one of my greatest honors to be able to share the magic of yoga with my community.

i continue to mature in my teaching and am still as enthusiastic about sharing the practice as i was that evening in my house when i committed.

yoga changed my life and continues to help me shift and move through all the things that come up for me day to day.

i am purely a better person because of my yoga practice and the community i so graciously get to be part of.

something i am realizing, is that there is more to life than just practicing yoga.

practicing yoga alone, going to class, doing the postures, doesn’t make you a good person…

you become a good person by doing the right thing.

doing the right thing for me is following your heart,

being honest,

being open,

being vulnerable,

doing the tough shit that no one wants to do.

its not easy, but i think its worth it in the end.

it allows you to move freely in the world.

you don’t have to worry about this dark shadow following you,

instead, you learn to integrate your shadow.

our shadow is really how we connect to others on a deep and spiritual level.

all of this influences my teaching and i think its safe to say that a lot of recurring students come back because of my ability to be vulnerable and honest.

it gives them permission to do the same .

i look forward to practicing with you!

thank you for taking the time to read all this if you did.

if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

i am here to assist you on your journey.

it will not be easy, but i promise you it will be worth it if you commit.

peace!

jnae bless <3