Welcome to Episode #32 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Jennie Jackson onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from New Zealand, born, raised, and teaching yoga in Auckland! She owns her own yoga studio, and teaches online and in person. Jen is a passionate advocate for the powerful practice of Yoga, including mindfulness, breathing and meditation. She has experienced how profoundly life changing these practices have been for herself and her students.

She was gifted a new lease on life after living with a degenerative disability and through a challenging journey of immobility and pain, was lucky to end up with a prothesis device that helps her walk & yoga pain free – which is truly amazing!  She has been a yoga teacher since 2016, but a dedicated practitioner since 1998. She specializes in restorative and accessible yoga for ALL.

Tell me more about Jennie Jackson

Jennie Jackson is a passionate advocate for the powerful practice of Yoga, including mindfulness, breathing and meditation. She has experienced how profoundly life changing these practices have been for herself and her students.

Jen found her self-confidence, self-worth and a desire to help others grow through Yoga.  She was gifted a new lease on life after living with a degenerative disability and through a challenging journey of immobility and pain, was lucky to end up with a prothesis device that helps her walk and yoga pain free – amazing! Jen has been a certified yoga teacher since 2016 and a yoga practitioner since 1998. She specializes in restorative and accessible Yoga for ALL, breathing, mindfulness and meditation. Offering group and private classes, courses and retreats in New Zealand. 

Her ‘Yoga for ALL’ philosophy attracts those that previously tough they ‘couldn’t’ take part, advocating diversity and inclusion, no matter what ability, size, age or state you are in, you are welcomed and catered for!

Jen has her own home boutique, small and little bit pink studio and an online studio with an impressive class library!  Also, she teaches chair Yoga at a Senior Citizens Hall and a very special wheelchair adaptive class at a university with 4th year students to assist.

What to expect in the Yoga In New Zealand episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

My conversation with Jen Jackson was so invigorating as we took talked about accessible yoga,  and how to make more inclusive for all bodies. I hope that this conversation made you realize that yoga is for every body, and it’s not actually just about the body.

We talked about helping others on their journey towards body peace and about celebrating the joy of movement!

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about cultivating a purpose and intention of being on a journey towards body peace, and being inclusive and compassionate every step of the way, then this is the conversation for you.

For the skimmers – What’s in the Yoga in New Zealand episode?

• A “new lease” on life after a degenerative disability almost ended in an elective surgery and how yoga came into the picture!
• What is accessible yoga? 
• An invitation on a journey towards body peace!
• The power of prana— sensing and feeling it even if you’re in a wheelchair, or have lost a limb
• A warning to yoga teachers to be careful of upholding stereotypes without awareness
• Yoga teachers upholding stereotype without even the awareness

Favorite Quote From Jennie Jackson

“It’s such a beautiful holistic, comprehensive philosophy that there’s so much more you can do with the breathing, the meditation, the concentration, the sense withdrawal the yamas and niyamas, there’s just so much to dive into without having to have that physical ability, but keeping in mind that asana is important part of the practice.”

Resources Mentioned:

https://accessibleyoga.org/

https://diannebondyyoga.com/

https://www.mindbodysolutions.org/

Connect with Jennie Jackson

www.theadaptiveyogi.co.nz

https://www.instagram.com/@theadaptiveyogi

https://www.facebook.com/theadaptiveyogi

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

JOIN ME FOR LIVE-STREAMED YOGA CLASSES! $15 is yours!

Episode #32 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast, Yoga in New Zealand with Jennie Jackson

[00:00:00] Lily Allen-Duenas: Namaste and welcome back to the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast. Today I’m joined by jenny Jackson. She is a yoga teacher from New Zealand and a studio owner. She teaches online and in-person and offers yoga. In New Zealand as well . Jen is a passionate advocate for the powerful practice of yoga and that includes mindfulness breathing and meditation. She has experienced how profoundly life has changed, because of these practices for herself and for her. She was, as she says, gifted a new lease on life after living with a degenerative disability and through a challenging journey of immobility and pain. But she was lucky enough to end up with a prosthetic device that helps her walk and do yoga pain free, which is. So amazing. She has been a yoga teacher since [00:01:00] 2016, but a dedicated yoga practitioner since 1998. She specializes in restorative and accessible yoga for all. I am over the moon. I am thrilled. I’m so happy at Jen is with me today and I can’t wait to share her story with you all. So thank you so much, Jen. 

[00:01:21] Jennie Jackson: Yeah, you’re welcome. I’m excited to be here. 

[00:01:23] Lily Allen-Duenas: Thank you again. Yes. I’d love to hear how yoga first, came onto your radar way back in 1998.

[00:01:32] Jennie Jackson: Yeah. Really first came onto my radar a bit earlier than that. I kind of forget when I go through my history of yoga I was traveling with my sister through Asia and we ended up in Nepal and just had the most incredible experience there. It’s kind of hard to explain. The moment we landed was just like, wow, this place is special.

[00:01:50] And so we sort of did our first yoga class there to get us. That was my first introduction, which was a pretty powerful place to experience it. And then I just went through my [00:02:00] travels and life happened. And then I found that here, back here in New Zealand when I was home and I had been feeling you might understand Lily I’m like, wow, what just happened? This is amazing that really can’t put into words, the feeling of that fist class, that something incredible. Just kind of, I discovered so, and from then on I dabbled in and out of it and had intense periods and then periods of not doing it and babies and all that sort of thing.

[00:02:28] So I’m sort of settled into more of a really regular practice probably about 10 years ago. But sort of had lots of fun playing with all different of styles yeah, it’s now become a daily part of my life. 

[00:02:40] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, amazing. I can’t believe your first class was actually in Nepal. That’s so cool. I took my yoga teacher training. My 200 hours was in Katmandu in Nepal, I was so lucky. And then I was able to return to Nepal. Again, a second time and I did a monastery a meditation [00:03:00] retreat at a Copan in Katmandu. And then I was teaching yoga in Nagarkot at a little mountain hotel for a couple of weeks. 

[00:03:07] Jennie Jackson: Yes. I feel like I’ve been there and I just met with my Buddhist teacher yesterday and she’s actually relocating to that monastery you just spoke of. 

[00:03:16] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, that’s incredible. She’s relocating to coupon. 

[00:03:19] Jennie Jackson: Yeah. Yeah. She’s been my Buddhist teacher here and she’s off there now too. And she’s very excited. She said it’s really powerful, beautiful place. 

[00:03:27] Lily Allen-Duenas: It is the views are just stunning from the monastery. It’s definitely perched up above the city and it’s quiet. It has isolated while still being within walking distance of little shops on the hillside, but it’s a really great spot. So what an amazing place to first do, very first be introduced.

[00:03:49] Lily Allen-Duenas: How would you tell our listeners more about you and your journey? I loved also sharing your bio, with our listeners here in the intro about your new lease on life. And if [00:04:00] you’re comfortable to speak about it, I would love to hear more of your.

[00:04:03] Jennie Jackson: Yeah, thank you. I was born uh, quite severe disability in my feet, so my feet were um, the common word for it is club um, They were kind of stuck up on my calf. So I had a lot of surgery and a lot of plastic casting and um, one side was worse than the And by the time I was about five. bile. So a lot of time in and out of hospital and sort of doctors telling my parents, I probably wouldn’t or walk properly, but they did a really good job. And I was very lucky. My mum was a nurse and my dad was amazingly supportive. I got really good care. And then I was kind of, okay. I was always lagging behind physically and quite a lot of pain growing up, but I managed and got through life. And then when I hit my mid thirties, when I had my baby, my child is now 15. Things worse and worse and worse. the fix of all the surgery and the degeneration of my whole ankle was just going I was pretty [00:05:00] close to a wheelchair. So I was on a walking stick a lot.

[00:05:02] I could hardly iced. it was really affecting my mental health as well as really not having much fun at all. So I was having appointments uh, an elective amputation and I just thought a lot of people with my condition do I just had enough of it, just take it off. And then luckily through Facebook, I was in a support group for my condition and someone had discovered this amazing uh, leg device. And so I followed the path down um, rang her and talked to her. She an American and then I rang a lot of different people around the world, spent about six months deciding shall I, shan’t I?.

[00:05:37] Cause it’s, for me, it was really expensive. It was a sort of a $20,000.  uh, and for the device and to go and get it all done. Anyway, we took the plunge and went up to Seattle and Washington and the U S and got fitted with us incredible device. It’s a cross between a prosthetic. And a orthotics.

[00:05:59] So [00:06:00] does the walking for you, but you get to keep your leg, you strap it and your your foot gets footed into it. So that’s completely custom made and just completely miraculous. And then I could just walk like a normal um, So from then that was my new lease on We did this big trip around the statesand Alaska all the national parks and just had a fantastic time. And I’ve since being back to the Himalayas to um, do some more yoga there and lots of hiking and Annapurna Range uh, and then came back home and did my yoga teacher training.

[00:06:29] I just got the spark of energy and I can do it kind of and started to get into yoga and specifically adaptive yoga. So I had really good empathy for people that were going through physical challenges. Up until then I really had to be creative and learn how to do yoga without standing on my um, That’s kind of the short story of a summary, kind of a fun, the new lease on life. 

[00:06:55] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, yeah. Wow. Jen that’s I can’t believe how much you’ve endured, like [00:07:00] how much you’ve pushed through. And it sounds like it. Probably, I mean, maybe ebbed and flowed, but it sounds like it was pretty severe for a lot of your life.

[00:07:07] Jennie Jackson: yeah, it what really was, and it’s funny because right now I’m being reminded of it because my device needs repairs. So it’s currently on its way to the states from New Zealand, again, to be fixed, I would probably go up if it strange times interesting COVID times. Uh, But I can’t get back into my Um, But I’m sending it up to be repaired. So I’m experiencing right now, again, what I used to go through, which is a great reminder of I’m just so grateful to have received this device. I feel so Yeah, I’m going to have a hard couple of months, but I know that there’s reprieve in sight, which is just amazing because I work with quite a lot of wheelchair clients who they’re never going to walk again.

[00:07:49] So I feel so, so lucky that I found this device and I’m to, to use 

[00:07:54] Lily Allen-Duenas: I’m just so grateful that you were able to find that and not do the elective surgery and then go [00:08:00] hiking in the Annapurna is like high five.

[00:08:02] Jennie Jackson: Yeah. I know. I was pinching myself every day still. It’s like, oh my gosh. 21 days in a row walking, it’s just unheard of for Yeah. Amazing. 

[00:08:12] Lily Allen-Duenas: So you’ve mentioned making yoga more accessible. Can you tell our listeners how yoga can be made more accessible to people who are perhaps not just the, everything we presume, right. Just presumed able-bodied and what I’d say the average yoga teacher does. I’d love to hear some thoughts, perspective, opinion, tips,

[00:08:31] Jennie Jackson: yeah. Awesome. Yeah, it’s a big, it’s a big thing. It’s really making it open to all bodies so they can access the practice. And it’s way more than the asanas the poses. But a lot of people don’t know that a lot of people think yoga is all of the downward dogs and the sun salutations and the warriors and the balancing and the twisting.

[00:08:53] And that’s all a fantastic part of it, of course, but it’s not all of it. It’s such a beautiful holistic, [00:09:00] comprehensive philosophy that there’s so much more you can do with the breathing, the meditation, the concentration, the sense withdrawal the yamas and niyamas, there’s just so much to dive into without having to have that physical ability, but keeping in mind that asana is important part of the practice. So there’s just really you need to be creative and ways to adapt that you can think, right? What’s this pose I’m trying to achieve here. What’s the purpose of this. And then make that work for someone that is in a wheelchair or has had astroke or one leg is, working the other legs not, or they might have one arm and, all sorts of different things or Cerebral Palsy with the spasticity and their muscles. It’s quite individual. And you can also have a whole group class with all those different things going on which I have.

[00:09:54] And you can involve everyone. It’s just making sure everyone feels a part of it and being really mindful [00:10:00] of your language when you’re teaching. For example this is the full expression of the pose. And if you can’t do it, do this, that’s just a no-no that automatically sets up people for like, okay, I’m not, I’m failing at this.

[00:10:12] I’m not able, so I’m going to do the second rate thing. So there’s a real art and a skill. And I’ve learned through my training, my special training and accessible yoga to build it up and include everyone. And there’s a way to do that in a way to sequence through that everyone comes through and has their version and feels like they’re really a valuable part of that group. 

[00:10:33] Lily Allen-Duenas: I agree that the language and the messaging that the teacher says is so important. I mean, we’re planting so many seeds and thos seeds have ripples. You have to be cognizant of what’s being said between the lines or how someone could be hearing that.

[00:10:49] I haven’t done a trauma informed yoga certification or I haven’t done an accessible yoga certification, but from what I’ve read and from conversations I’ve had, it just is definitely [00:11:00] something I want to do to make sure I’m being. Very mindful to always offer it just as an invitation. You certainly don’t have, you don’t have to close your eyes. You don’t have to touch the floor or, whatever it is, it’s just, I invite you to in this direction, should you want to go in it?

[00:11:17] Jennie Jackson: Yes. Yes. Awesome. And Dianne Bondy is one of my teachers and accessible yoga and curvy yoga. And she’s got an awesome theory that she used and it’s called the bus stop method. So that’s. You going off and this might be your stop and off you get, and this is for you. And then otherwise, No, you’re carrying on to the mall. So you’re going to get off at that stop. Cause it’s like, oh, you’re just choosing which one you want. And now no one has better than the other.

[00:11:43] Lily Allen-Duenas: No, it is important to not have that hierarchy in there saying like, this is, as you said, this is the full expression and here are the modifications. As you said, it’s, step-by-step just saying, phase one, maybe there’s just a couple of you out there who will want to try it, this element of it, I’m [00:12:00] myself. I am not a pretzel. I am not a hyper mobile, hyper flexible. I have had I’ve I am not. And when I see that’s what’s being portrayed in the media so predominantly, it just hurts my heart because as you mentioned, it’s just so much about the yamas. niyamas, the meditation,, the gift of presence and our breath is more important even than the movement and a lot of ways. So what’s your, what are your feelings about that as well? I guess the media portrayal 

[00:12:29] Jennie Jackson: Oh, don’t get me started. It’s really does hurt my heart as well. I hear you with that. I get really saddened with the stereotype that is yoga and the part that saddens me is that it puts so many people off and that’s just wrong. It’s not really, even about the body yoga people just think, and I look, I did too, for a long time.

[00:12:49] I thought my body was wrong for yoga. I wasn’t. Worthy of the practice, which is terrible, but I’ve been on a big journey with that and come through and realize [00:13:00] yeah. Yes I am. Everybody is I’m also an curvy bigger body, so that’s also a bit of a stereotype kick that isn’t portrayed and yoga that it’s for all sizes and shapes.

[00:13:11] So I really liked to attract and draw people in that feel that’s them as well, that they don’t think that they should, are part of a normal class, which is crazy. Absolutely crazy. Yeah. When you Google yoga, the first 40 pages orders. Fascinating to see what’s represented. So I feel really passionate about standing up for other bodies making it more inclusive and represented different size shapes disabilities. It’s not always easy and I’m an introvert I’m sort of sometimes a little bit shy. And so I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, but I just have a really strong feeling about it that, and that runs deeper, then the yoga, just the way that if your body isn’t fitting a certain size, shape, color you’re down on the hierarchy, so it’s just wrong. So I’m really to be a [00:14:00] peaceful warrior and that to change that. 

[00:14:02] Lily Allen-Duenas: And thank you for your work and doing that. I wish there was more peaceful warriors out there getting more light shined on them because it needs to be illuminated and highlighted. And Jen, I would love to hear, what do you think can be done to make yoga more inclusive and to have more bodies represented

[00:14:22] Jennie Jackson: Good point. I would love to say individual. teachers just like me, you know, one man bands, often people to at the imaging for the advertising. often out for this. So I see a yoga teacher saying. Yoga!. My classes are for everybody. I’m like, oh, cool. Okay. I’ll see what they’re up to. And I go through and it’s just the imaging is I can’t see myself there at all. And you know, not just me, that will happen for a lot of people then the studio has stairs up to it. So it’s like, that’s not for everybody people to be really way aware [00:15:00] of what they’re putting out there and the advertising and the way they’re upholding that stereotype without realizing it, because I know some of the people I know and I’ve seen advertising, their pictures, I’m like well, doesn’t really portray you’re doing. So I dunno, I think it’s a bit of an awareness and I’d really love to see the yoga teacher training, the Yoga Alliance have accessible yoga is almost a compulsory part of training. the trainings that you can go and get in two weeks and battling type thing even the more comprehensive trainings, I’d love to see as a, compulsory part to really open people’s eyes to, a way that you can include everybody. I think that would be a great start. 

[00:15:41] Lily Allen-Duenas: Yeah, I absolutely agree. I think 200 hours isn’t enough. And I do think that it’s great that we always are continuing to, or hopefully I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be speaking for everyone, but I know it’s a priority for me to continue my education. And last year in 2021, I did [00:16:00] prenatal and postnatal 150 hours and then 150 hours in yoga philosophy and psychology and really focusing on the mental health side of it as well. It was really beautiful. And I am so grateful for that time spent. But as you said, when it comes to accessible yoga, it just makes so much sense that should be just included automatically in the groundwork because you can’t be a teacher. And only teach to one specific type of person or one body type.

[00:16:29] I mean, I don’t know how to appropriately say that, but I’m just, I hope you get the, my drift. 

[00:16:34] Jennie Jackson: I know what you mean. It gets hard sometimes to articulate it. 

[00:16:37] Lily Allen-Duenas: Yeah, but I was wondering, you said something Jen really interesting. You said that you feel that yoga teachers can sometimes uphold the stereotype without even realizing it. And you notice that in their websites or their campaigns or their presence, what do you specifically kind of tune into or tap into? What are you specifically [00:17:00] observing? 

[00:17:00] Jennie Jackson: Yeah. So it’s, the white middle-class able-bodied average to thin shape of body woman that putting it quite bluntly of the image and flexible and looking calm and serene, and everything’s fine. And a little bit toxic positivity type thing that kind of image, Your person that struggled with weight, all their lives and sort low self-esteem and has got really tight muscles and has a lot of anxiety just can’t relate to it just thinks that’s I could never get there. That’s just too hard to attain. that kind of thing. Does that make sense? 

[00:17:45] Lily Allen-Duenas: Yeah, that makes sense. That could definitely be the social media presence and website presence where you just see that on repeat, as you said, the first 40 pages, which I hope our listeners really heard that it wasn’t 40 images of Google is just representative [00:18:00] of just a slice of the population.

[00:18:01] Jennie Jackson: absolutely. it’s just so off putting for so many people. I hear people saying, oh, I just don’t feel like I, I don’t feel comfortable going to a, normal quotes, yoga class, which has really sad. And, I in my class, say sometimes things like lift your belly out the way, or a few big butts, this or that.

[00:18:21] people are just feedback and they say, oh my God, I’ve never heard that sort of thing. And they go to class before. Thank you for giving me permission to accept that I have a bit of a belly or my boobs are getting in the way or whatever, you know, different things that just never gets spoken about, and there’s often an undertone of you need to change your body, not to accept what’s there and let’s work with it and find some joyful movement. 

[00:18:46] Lily Allen-Duenas: Ooh. Yes. And you gave me the perfect leeway into my next question, which is you say Jen, that you help others on their journey to body peace. Can you explain more of what that means? Because it is [00:19:00] so beautiful. I just want to hear you talk about it.

[00:19:02] Jennie Jackson: Oh, awesome. Yeah. Do you need to body peace. That’s my um, signature course that I’m developing it’s a journey a lot of body positivity out there, which is great, but it’s also a hard thing to achieve. If your whole life you’ve been battered by society and messaging that your body’s wrong. It might be through some sort of disability or your size and shape. so it’s really hard to flick into positive. so there’s a lot out there to say, you know, I think there’s a lot of people that are going well, I can’t do that. That’s too hard. so I really like the body peace which is acting, in a more accepting way.

[00:19:45] And I really like journey to body peace because. never a hundred percent there where you might be for a day or a week or a few moments, but it goes in and out because it’s a real, it’s a daily battle to these [00:20:00] messages bombarded that your body’s not quite what’s desirable. So it’s a journey and I love to show people onto that path and see that you can be on it at different stages and different times and not beat yourself up. Because when I say we um, that have had this journey of, feeling like their bodies wrong or their lives , to beat ourselves up and think it’s our fault that we don’t fit into this norm. I don’t want that to happen at yoga as well. So I really want people to realize and my students to realize that it’s a journey you’ll come in and out of it, maybe if you just put a big toe on the path and you experience this. That’s just so exciting.

[00:20:37] And I feel like I’m on the past now and I’ll never get off at again, but it doesn’t mean I’m at any sort of destination or at the end. It’s, you know, I pockets and those areas of peace and acceptance and joyful movement and my body and realizing that, I am worthy and that’s just such a beautiful feeling when all your life you had the opposite.[00:21:00]  

[00:21:00] Lily Allen-Duenas: Absolutely. And as you said, it’s a daily battle, a daily conversation, a daily self-talk it’s there. It’s not something. That I think very few of us don’t have that kind of daily monologue or daily conversation. So the journey to finding body peace. When I heard that, heard you say that and read that on your online pages, I just felt like, oh, that just resonated so beautifully because to have that acceptance and that love and that just quietude, like I am, I accept myself how I am today. No judgment don’t need to change anything. It’s that I think that not constant desire to want to change things. I think that’s something that is very important, at least for me.

[00:21:43] Jennie Jackson: Absolutely. I feel it’s so missing from our society from the classes that you’re encouraged to do from the gyms that you’re encouraged to sign up to. Unfortunately also the yoga, lot of it is almost the aesthetic gymnastics, not [00:22:00] really that deep connection yourself, your self love, your worthiness.

[00:22:04] Lily Allen-Duenas: Yes, as well as the aesthetic versus the functional. The purpose isn’t to be this gorgeous pretzel or this, something that simply looks really beautiful. It’s just not the purpose. It is to get into the muscles, into the fascia, into the body, and really be working on releasing tension in the physical, mental, and emotional bodies, as well as being able to breathe and discomfort, being able to be mindful of the micro elements of the movement and how the body responds. Being curious, like, oh, I feel that more in my lumbar today. Like I love that. Just kind of being so mindful and not letting the mind just, go from here to there drifting around. It’s really about being present, grateful and then hopefully over time your teachers are guiding you towards, as you said, that self-love and that peace and contentment.

[00:22:59] Jennie Jackson: Yes. [00:23:00] Yes, Absolutely. And it’s a discipline. When you say about the mind – a discipline to bring it back and connect to the body and the breath and not let it run away with a story of, oh, I’m not very good at this. And look at her. She’s doing it better than me, or, you real discipline to pull that mind in during the practice, you can then take off the mat of course, to your daily life. It’s so such a rich practice, it teaches you so, much. Doesn’t it?

[00:23:25] Lily Allen-Duenas: Absolutely. Jen, I’d also like to ask if any of our listeners today are practicing yoga or interested in practicing yoga and they have a prosthetic or a physical limitation they’re not able bodied. What what tips do you have for them?

[00:23:42] Jennie Jackson: Definitely be an artificial hi connoisseur to find a good teacher, almost interview your teacher. I highly recommend some privates first. I often do that with people that approach me. I had someone yesterday with an artificial hi p and she’s got all sorts of things going on. So I was like, yes, you’d be great in the [00:24:00] class, but let’s do three, three to five privates first to really see what’s going on with your body and what’s going to work for you. Really um, at finding a teacher that’s done accessible yoga training would be important. And having someone to guide them definitely one-on-one.

[00:24:16] And then when they join a class, the teacher has less time obviously to help you one-on-one the whole way through. So just keeping in mind. What’s trying to be achieved here. the warrior that they’re holding what’s um, the main purpose and listen to the teacher’s cues. Grounding down through your feet, lifting up through your fingertips sort of thing. You can still achieve that in the wheelchair, even if you don’t have sensation or feeling in your legs you can still have that sense of prana and your lower half, even though you may be paralyzed. Um, that sense of grounding down into your chair might be through your pelvis then you feel into the idea of the prana all the way down into your energy, into your feet, [00:25:00] into the earth, and then you can lift up through your arms and your body, you know, can still create that same energy that the teacher’s trying to take you on the journey. So just keeping that in mind, rather than focusing on, I can’t do that.

[00:25:13] Almost as an observer, you’d look like you’re doing the same thing, but really getting into what’s behind the the guide, the teacher is trying to get the group to do. 

[00:25:24] Lily Allen-Duenas: There is so much going on with the prana. I’m so glad you brought that up. It is so important to be mindful and send the energy there. Because even with the breath, if I’m saying, breathe into your hips, can you actually breathe into your hips? Arguably your diaphragm gets you to close, but I mean, that’s the intention of the energy and I promise you’ll feel something different.

[00:25:49] Jennie Jackson: And Matthew Sanford, if anyone is listening out there and as in a wheelchair it’s body solutions, Matthew Sanford, as one of my teachers, and he’s been in a [00:26:00] wheelchair since he’s eight. The way he talks about all, this is incredible. It’s really awesome. So if that’s a good little account to follow, if you’re interested in the way prana works through a paralyzed body. It’s incredible. 

[00:26:13] Lily Allen-Duenas: Wonderful. Thank you for that recommendation. And Jen, at this point, I’d love to learn a little bit more about New Zealand and learn what the yoga scene in New Zealand is like..

[00:26:23] Jennie Jackson: Yeah. New Zealand is awesome. We I feel very, lucky at the moment to be in this beautiful country at the bottom of the earth Has escaped the, lot of the drama of COVID. So we’re so, um, blessed government that’s hardly got any corruption or anything going on. And um, we lived just in a beautiful land.

[00:26:44] So we’re a big island, but I’m surrounded by ocean and there’s just so much natural beauty here. It’s just stunning place to be. And the yoga scene, started here and about the sixties. Sort of started slowly [00:27:00] and then.caught up into and to being more of a white middle-class thing. So it’s still got a ways to go to spread more to all people to um, we’re coming a lot more multicultural here now, which is great.

[00:27:13] Yoga still got away to go to be accessible. Just physically accessible, which is what I’ve talked about a lot here today, but financially as well all populations. So that’s, and we’re still relatively small country. So, population wise, so were getting there, but it could be a lot better.

[00:27:32] Also, There is quite a comprehensive yoga and prisons program here, which is really awesome. So that started long time ago as well. And that’s been going quite well.

[00:27:42] And so the quite a good program that you can hook into and volunteer as a yoga teacher and go into work in the prisons which has had a lot of really positive effects , there. So that’s really awesome there, but yeah, it’s still got a long way to go as uh, accessibility. I feel, [00:28:00] I don’t know many other teachers here that teach accessible, yoga, adaptive, yoga. Like I am, there’s a few, not many at all. long way to go for New Zealand here.

[00:28:11] And so I’m hoping to offer some training programs soon for teacher training as a little module, like I talked about before to um, to open people’s eyes to doing it a little bit of a different way. 

[00:28:22] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, Wonderful. Yeah, you’ll have to let me know when that module goes live. And when you launch your TTCs and everything Jenn. I’ll sign up for your e-newsletter and I will definitely put a link to your website and to your social media platforms below so that everyone else can stay in the loop.

[00:28:39] Also before I let you go, Jen, I would love to know what is your definition of yoga? I know there’s some classic definitions, but I was wondering what your personal definition of yoga is.

[00:28:52] Jennie Jackson:  Oh, I think the first thing that comes to mind is classical union connection. That’s [00:29:00] really. cornerstone, the key of what I come back to with all my accessible teaching and everyone I work with that’s what we’re doing. We’re finding that connection.

[00:29:10] We’re not seeing put your arms in a certain place and, you know, do a certain shape. What we’re doing here is connecting mind, body. So that awareness of moment awareness of presence and not getting towed around by the stories in your mind. Just that beautiful, peaceful heart knowing connection is what yoga has really, for me, the essence of it. 

[00:29:36] Lily Allen-Duenas: Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. As I mentioned, I’ll put your links in the show notes and all my website, wild yoga tribe.com. But is there another way you recommend. 

[00:29:45] In touch with you or anything else?

[00:29:47] Jennie Jackson: I think my website’s the best. Um, got due to last couple of years, just like most, probably a lot of our yoga teachers out there. I’ve got quite a an, extensive online studio now. So I’ve got lots [00:30:00] of videos that can be watched. She can sign up for a monthly subscription to that, or there’s a handful of free ones that you can have watched too, get an idea.

[00:30:10] I’ve got quite a lot of variation videos. So I go through particular poses and show you how to adapt for different conditions, different reasons. So they’re really useful to um, watch and use Vishuddhi if you’re then gonna go to a class you’re armed with some tools. So they’re really awesome. So yeah, just like my website and then I’ve got live classes on there from my online studio.

[00:30:34] If you’re in New Zealand and I’m in Burke and in Auckland, so I’m getting in touch in person would be awesome. Just through email or any of my social medias, Instagram, Facebook, I check all of those messages. So yeah, it’s really good. These days. It’s easy to be in touch with people from all over the world. 

[00:30:52] Lily Allen-Duenas: So thank you so much, Jen, for sharing your light and your story with us today, it has been a joy to be with you .

[00:30:58] Jennie Jackson: Thank you. It’s [00:31:00] been beautiful. It’s been really lovely to meet you. And um, for sharing all this. Your podcast is so unique. I just love it. I’m looking forward to working through all the different countries. It’s awesome. 

[00:31:11] Lily Allen-Duenas: Thank you so much. I’m so happy to hear that.

[00:31:13]  Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the wild yoga tribe podcast. My conversation with Jen Jackson, a yoga teacher from New Zealand was so invigorating as we talked about accessible yoga and how to make yoga more inclusive for all bodies. And I hope that this conversation makes you realize that yoga is for everybody. And it’s not actually just about the body. We talked about helping others on their journey towards a body peace. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about cultivating a purpose and intention of being on a journey towards body peace and being [00:32:00] inclusive and compassionate every step of the way, then this is the conversation for you. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the wild yoga tribe podcast. Be well. 

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