INSTRUCTORS

Jennifer Usherr

A mindful yoga practice, no matter how physical, leads us to a more balanced, harmonious life.



I started practicing yoga just after moving to Dallas in 1998, discovering that yoga provided an escape from my stressful daily life. I was searching for a spiritual balance to work and a yin balance to years of vigorous exercise routines including dance and aerobics. Yoga, I found to be so much more –discovering that a mindful practice is a highly transformative experience. Yoga is a mental exercise to keep the mind sharp; it’s a physical exercise to keep the body strong, lean, and detoxed; and, most importantly, it's a spiritual tool for waking us up to who we truly are.

I began studying Iyengar style yoga, but after discovering APY, I felt like I had "come home" to my practice and replaced all other forms of exercise with the invigorating, flow class. Yoga is "practice" and always a student, I needed to expand my knowledge of the yogic path, so I enrolled in teacher training. I was certified to teach by APY in 2005, and began to realize the fulfillment of teaching and sharing the yogic experience.

This has since led me deeper onto my yogic path taking me to Southern India in December 2007 to study yoga and Ayurveda (the science of life) at its roots. I was fortunate to have inspiring teachers in Vinyasa, Ayurveda, and Ashtanga. In India I was inspired to learn about yoga as therapy. Divine inspiration, I felt, led me to Thailand where I spent six weeks last fall studying Thai Applied Yoga (also called Thai Yoga Massage, Thai Massage or Nuad Bo’rarn) which is a synthesis of yoga, Ayurveda, and meditation. This practice provides the recipient with both a physical and an energetic massage with all the benefits of a yoga class.

My travels have inspired my love of world music, which I introduce in my classes. Classes always emphasize breathing, balance of energies, and grounding as your foundation and your launching pad to bring yoga into your daily life. A mindful practice, no matter how physical, leads us to a more balanced, harmonious life.

Besides my years of study with Kurt Johnsen, I have also studied with Shiva Rea and Baron Baptiste. I am inspired to continue on my yogic path with many more lessons in "compassion of self" to come. While I teach and do Thai Applied Yoga sessions, I am also a multi-tasking freelance designer in my professional life. In my freetime, I enjoy knitting and making inspirational jewelry.

Jennifer's Class Schedule