A Boston-based yogi, physiologist, and movement scholar. Jessica strives to educate her students about the many languages of the body, as well as equip them with tools to develop a deeper connection with their internal world.
Prior to teaching yoga, I trained as a physiologist and hold a bachelors degree in Biochemistry and Sports Medicine and two Masters of Science degrees in Exercise Physiology and Human Physiology. I have conducted research on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, the physiological effects of several types of sports and training programs, and have published research on yoga and how the practice affects our physiology. I also act as a reviewer for scientific literature and have worked with a psychiatrist, helping to grow and administer a new therapy program for patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric illnesses. I maintain a blog, PhysiologyofYoga.com, which focuses on different elements of physiology and how they relate to the yoga practice.
I have also been an athlete my entire life. I started swimming at age seven, trained with a national team at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs during high school, and went on to swim for a NCAA Division I team in college. During this time, I was able to learn from some of the top trainers and nutritionists in the country. Training at this high intensity for over a decade provided me with a complementary, experiential education, which allowed me to begin drawing connections between my academic and athletic backgrounds.
However, it was not until I took up a consistent yoga practice that I truly began to see the deep, interconnected nature of my physical and academic training. I walked into yoga class looking for a new physical outlet after swimming, however, stepping out of my first class, it was not my body that was the most distinct transformation, but rather a shift in the sensitivity of my spirit to a quiet, simple clarity. I knew I had found a life long practice that could continually show me the way back to that innate home.
I have been studying yoga for over a decade and am committed to the responsibility of being both a student and a teacher. I completed 200 and 500 hour trainings with the Boston Yoga School and currently am studying the precision of Iyengar Yoga with Nikki Costello and Lara Warren, the suppleness of slow flow with Barbara Benagh, and the playfulness of movement with Carrie Owerko.
My classes draw on my studies and are a reflection of how I approach my practice: deliberate, but not too serious. I believe yoga can be a framework to discover freedom in the body, mind, and spirit when we practice with both devotion and curiosity. I tend to explore postures and breath work through a variety of lenses to shed light on our patterns and habits. I believe that in learning to pay attention to the different languages of the body, we can access an intuitive knowledge to see ourselves, and our inherent truths, more clearly. With this fresh, open sense of wonder, we can begin to find freedom in a relaxed wakefulness.