Jennifer Koontz, RYT-500, CYT
Gentle Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Therapy
Jennifer began practicing yoga regularly seven years ago when she felt the need to calm her mind, balance her life, and get back in shape after the birth of her second daughter. She soon wanted to share her love of yoga and its myriad benefits with others. Jennifer is passionate about teaching yoga to beginners and experienced students alike. Her teaching style is relaxed and soothing, and her goal is to provide a safe place for students to explore the depths of their practice. She encourages her students to trust their inherent wisdom, and guides them through their own personal journey of self-discovery.
Jennifer completed her 200-hour training in 2009, and additional training in yoga philosophy, anatomy and physiology, advance yoga practice, and yoga therapy in 2010 at the Yoga Teacher’s School of Excellence in Jackson, TN. Jennifer is registered nationally through Yoga Alliance (www.yogaalliance.org) at the 500-hour professional level and is a Certified Yoga Therapist registered with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (www.iayt.org).
Jennifer’s Classes
Gentle Yoga. Wednesday evenings 7:30 – 8:30 pm. End your day with a therapeutic combination of slow warm-ups, gentle postures and deep relaxation. Gentle Yoga is a gentler, slower paced practice accessible to people of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. This is an excellent class for those with heart disease, chronic back pain, osteoporosis, chronic inflammation, and other ailments. Students can expect to increase strength, balance and flexibility, cultivate breath awareness, and experience relaxation and an overall sense of wellbeing. Mental and emotional benefits include feeling calm, well-rested, clear-headed, and emotionally centered. No yoga experience is necessary.
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unday Yoga Mix. Sunday evenings 6:00 – 7:25 pm. Start your week centered and stress-free with an energizing mix of gentle, vinyasa and restorative yoga. Each class consists of a combination of dynamic asanas designed to challenge both the body and the mind while building strength, flexibility, and self-awareness. Students can expect a range of standing postures, twists, chest openers, simple inversions, gentle, backbends, sun salutations, supported relaxation and pranayama (breathing exercises). This class is suitable for those with knowledge of basic yoga poses through intermediate to advanced yoga practitioners.
Restorative Yoga. Once per month (check the EFS schedule for the latest offering). Restorative Yoga is a supported, conscious mind-body relaxation practice that provides the body an opportunity to renew and heal. Restorative Yoga differs from “normal” yoga in that in Restorative Yoga we pay attention to “letting go” and giving the props supporting our body our total weight so that the muscles can release and relax completely. When supported with props, the body relaxes and opens, releasing tension and toxins that can cause illness. A Restorative Yoga practice will help to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for balancing the body and bringing its response system back into equilibrium. No matter what age or skill level, sometimes slowing down the practice, going deeper in poses, and just feeling the restorative power of them does wonders for the body.
Yoga Therapy. Need relief from chronic pain? Suffering from diabetes or hypertension? Recovering from surgery? Feeling depressed or anxious? Receiving chemo therapy or other treatment for cancer? Living with MS or another autoimmune disease? Yoga Therapy can help. When applied therapeutically, yoga becomes much more than a physical practice; it transforms the individual from the inside out. Yoga Therapy serves the whole person by helping the individual recover not just from the problem, but from the stress of injury or illness. Scientific studies have shown that yoga can alleviate and relieve anatomical, physiological and psychological problems. For more information on scheduling a private Yoga Therapy session, contact Jennifer at 618-604-5411 or j_koontz@charter.net.
