Student Stories
I Felt So Embraced with Divine Sleep
This past year was one of the most challenging of my life thus far. I lost two very dear friends to cancer, and had breast cancer myself including a mastectomy. I also separated from the father of my two children. I was healing physically and mentally, but very slowly… slower than I wanted to. Attending a yoga retreat was something that had been on my wish list for many years. When an available window opened up this past August, I grabbed it as my opportunity to go to Kripalu. I signed up for Jennifer's retreat not knowing what to expect.
Through Difficulty, I Found Joy with Yoga & Meditation
After going through several family deaths, including my parents’, I felt very lonely and sad. I cannot explain the depth of sadness I experienced for many years. I had a constant sensation of pain in my heart, and a hollowness in my chest. Not only did I lose four family members in a five year period, but I also lost my whole country – my husband, our two children and I moved to the US in 2005.     Life as an immigrant has not been easy. I use to feel very isolated and also insecure about the future, then
From 'Living in Pain' to No Pain in Retreat with Jennifer
I have never seen transformation like Sue’s and wanted to bring back one of my favorite stories from our twice annual Yoga and Deep Relaxation Retreat. When she arrived, Sue seemed somewhat skeptical, but more than that she appeared to be drawn tight inside herself, with a look on her face like she had just seen something terrible. On our second full day together in retreat, Sue’s demeanor had completely changed. I literally did not recognize this person before me, smiling from her inner light, radiant, and completely at ease. Who was this new addition to our class, I wondered?
Divine Sleep Helps Rocket Scientist Get Through Ph.D
I’m a Ph.D. student in systems engineering and I live in Washington D.C. Four years ago I was working as a program manager for an aerospace/ defense company supporting NASA and doing my Ph.D. coursework at night. At the same time as juggling work and school, my younger sister who is my best friend, was diagnosed with cancer. I was having a horrible time balancing life, work, and school. I spent many anxious, sleepless nights running through many thoughts, and seemingly unable to calm myself down enough to fall asleep. I was drinking three or four cappuccinos a day to
I Found More Joy and Calm in My Life With Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra
I grew up with a great deal of family dysfunction around food. It was not until my mother passed away fourteen years ago that food became an issue that I have truly struggled with. In the last couple of years, I have participated in dietary cleanses to reboot, and this has helped, but I was still slipping back to unhealthy ways more than I wanted to. I was searching, and one of the things I found was yoga nidra with Jennifer Reis on Martha's Vineyard a couple of years ago. For the past few years I have focused my life
Major Life Transformation with Yoga
Before I practiced yoga I was not active, mindful, or passionate about anything. I felt like I was just going through the daily motions, always looking toward something that was going to happen in the future, and never fully living in the present moment. I gained a lot of weight throughout high school for a variety of reasons – high school pressure, depression, and health issues. The heaviest I weighed was 225 pounds. And I found I could not drop the weight for anything! I tried going to the gym, swimming, running - you name it – I tried it.
I am busy mom of two boys and have been working as a holistic sleep consultant for the last five years. I’m always searching for ways to help myself, my family and my clients relieve stress and bring peace and calm into their lives, which in turn, helps to improve sleep. A few years ago a friend suggested I try using yoga nidra with my clients and it was then that I discovered Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra. I started using Jennifer’s CD’s one-on-one with my clients. Because it was so helpful to them, I searched for and found Divine Sleep
Kicking Addiction in the Asana
Hello! I'm Carson Smith and I am a grateful recovering alcoholic/addict and yoga teacher! What does yoga have to do with recovery? It had a lot to do with my recovery and I’d like to share my story with you. Growing up, I felt I was trying to fulfill the expectations of family and society, but never felt like I fit in. I was told I was too sensitive, too idealistic, and too much of a ‘dreamer’. Also that I needed to become more thick-skinned and assertive if I was ever going to be successful. I also experienced psycho-emotional trauma.
Mother and Daughter Healing From Trauma
When I was a kid, my Mom was crossing the street downtown in a city nearby where we lived and was hit by a car, was severely injured, and she almost died. At that time I was only twelve years old myself and had two younger siblings. Needless to say, our world was turned upside down, especially my Mom's. She was told by the doctors that she would never walk again! And although her pelvis was crushed, and her leg and shoulder were both broken in several places,  she did not believe it and knew recovery was possible. With immense
I Want To Make A Difference
As an undergraduate, I was a decent student but I lacked confidence in my abilities. I completed my degree, but I never sat for my athletic training certification exam. Then I found my passion as a massage therapist which felt like an innate ability. One of the things that I learned as a massage student is that it’s a profession that a person might not practice for very long. Many massage therapists get injured, and after a decade as a massage therapist, my right wrist could not handle the pressure anymore. I needed to change careers. And I want to