It was a natural progression for me to begin to practice with Jennifer online during the pandemic. I understand well what it is like to spend a sustained amount of time in ‘stress mode’.

Prolonged stress was familiar to me in my younger years—in fact, a friend who recognized my stress levels at the time gave me a t-shirt that read “If it were not for stress, I would have no energy at all!”

Although I had substantially decreased stress from my early life, the “fight or flight” response was certainly amplified by the pandemic for me. My life had been steadily moving in the direction of a regular yoga nidra practice; it was not an accident that I found Jennifer’s classes and her particular style of practice.

I had earned my 200-hr yoga teacher training 2012, and in 2017, I participated in a workshop given by the team at Veterans Yoga Project.

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It It was through work with the Veterans Yoga Project that I was introduced to yoga nidra as an effective way of obtaining a type of relaxation that can go deeper than savasana alone. I was curious that yoga nidra was utilized effectively when working with practitioners having a history of trauma.

Jennifer’s Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra practice gives me permission: this practice allows me to be where I am at. For me, it creates a unique space in which I can release tensions and deeply relax. I always emerge refreshed, renewed, and restored.

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Thanks to Jennifer’s online yoga nidra classes, and my own consistent practice, I now have a space to go to any day and receive this gift of renewal. And that makes all the difference.

I have also passed along Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra to my son and his friends. The earlier kids can learn these practices, the better. An early start allows them to have these tools for life!

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Practicing online with Jennifer has also introduced me to a sweet community. There is a sense that we all share in consistent practice of self-care, as well as an intention to connect more deeply with oneself, with others, and with ‘source’. It feels like home!

As I practiced with Jennifer during her livestream teachings I wondered if how she presented online was really how she is in-person. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to go to Kripalu Center and practice with her. I attended her weekend retreat and it was amazing!

Now I can say she is the real deal: genuine, kind, and a brilliant teacher. And, I cannot wait to attend another class with her through the ethers and in-person!

Before discovering Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra, I felt like I was mostly in a state of panic – fight or flight. My adrenals were overworked. My body begged for rest: I did not know how to invite rest or even begin to relax. Not knowing this only taxed my body, mind, and spirit further. I lacked true connection in nearly all aspects of my life.

The ‘Three P’s’ as in ‘Parent, Public school teacher, and Pandemic’ had taken over the ‘Three C’s’ in my life: ‘Clarity, Control, and Connection’. I was spinning out of control. My attention and energy was focused on putting out the fires in life that were seemingly growing faster than I could control.

As an educator, I could not accept the lack of efficacy I was experiencing at work, and therefore I exhausted endless amounts of energy trying to change things. My students were hurting, confused and stuck. I felt that I could not guide nor heal them in the way my heart wanted to.

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It left me feeling inept as an educator. What used to bring me joy, now left me in panic. My own children were also suffering. My youngest pre-teen child had bouts of sobbing on the floor and in my arms, then fell into a deep depression. I felt helpless watching my child suffer. There was no energy for anything more than getting through that very day. Therapy, medication, family workouts and meditation – yet it still was not enough.

My first experience with Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra with Jennifer was at Kripalu. The experience was both profound and delicious. I melted into bliss and the practice left an imprint on my body and nervous system: pure ‘knowing’ had been awakened. It subconsciously tugged at me to acknowledge and listen.

Although my mind did not fully understand the process or what yoga nidra really was, I could feel the depth of its effects. This knowledge inspired the beginning of my journey in what has become a very important and impactful life changer which continues to unfold.

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I Just Melted

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My practice of Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra taught me how to invite my body to welcome what it was begging for, and I let myself melt. It helped me to restore ‘Clarity, Control, and Connection’ within my life, one day at a time.

The more I explored what Jennifer had to offer, the more I journeyed into inner peace. I just melted! I felt a greater sense of control and was capable of managing what before seemed impossible. Clarity arose more and more as time progressed.

For healing and deeper connection, I attended Jennifer’s Weekend Retreat at Kripalu Center. This was all that my body and soul ached for. One blissful weekend – it was wonderful. ‘After enlightenment, the laundry’ it has been said. Returning, I struggled to bring that peace into everyday life. But then, as a beacon of light, when I saw in Jennifer’s newsletter the invitation for more in her teacher training, I intuitively knew this was for me!

I signed up for Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra Teacher Training without hesitation, and also without any intention to actually lead it, because I knew the learning would serve me. The content was structured, on point, clear, and immersive.

The connection with others I made in the group was reassuring and inspiring. Jennifer’s commitment to learning and relationship was amazing. I loved that she wove in supplemental modalities such as mudras and energy points.

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It was rich and intense and I know that through this experience I have built the most important foundation from which my future experiences will flourish.

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This training had an unexpected delightful effect on my family. In preparation for our final training assignment, I led my two boys in yoga nidra from a script that I compiled and wrote myself. I was in awe of their experiences. “Wow Mom, that was amazing!” and “Where did you learn that?” It was as if I had learned something exotic and special.

In this moment I learned that my family practicing together is not only what we all need, but could also help them have the tools for navigating the uncertainty of the future.

Their willingness and gratitude for the practice has led to an unexpected family connection which I cherish. With this encouragement, I know now that I will lead yoga nidra. I will also have more to offer in the upcoming school year because of my new learning.

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Now that I am clear, connected, and in control I feel more able and right now I am looking forward to taking my 200-hour yoga teacher training. Ultimately, myself, my family and my students are all benefiting from yoga nidra. I could not be more grateful.

Thank you Jennifer! I appreciate so much all you have had to offer and I am looking forward to continued connection and learning.

In the past, I was very disconnected from my body, and had little energy. Some challenging life circumstances – including being a care-giver – made me put myself last. I also was in a place of tolerating circumstances I would now find unacceptable. I endured physical trauma, was neglecting myself, and stress in my life compounded it.

During the past two years, I have been focusing ‘letting go’, and on giving myself better self-care. But something was still amiss. I felt sluggish, stiff and depressed. Although I had a practice of daily art-making, journaling, and other sources to help expand my recovery, a piece to the puzzle was missing.

An Instagram a posting of Jennifer’s class popped up. I liked what I read, as the guided imagery components appealed to me. I took one class to try it out, and the meditation and imagery got me hooked! After one session something had shifted for me. I then signed up for a month-long series of Jennifer’s joint nourishing yoga.

I have made a commitment to myself to regularly attend classes Jennifer teaches because of how much lighter and brighter I feel after. My limbs have more energy and I feel newfound freedom. My body is releasing the physical abuse it absorbed. Best of all, it has me getting physically stronger, but in a gentle way. I also feel increased creativity in my art, and in my life.

Jennifer’s encouraging voice reminds me that I will benefit from the yoga practices themselves just by doing them, and that I do not have to ‘push it’. This shift of how I hold myself and live in my body is positive. Jennifer’s classes are helping me return to my body and soul after being not present in it for a long time. I am learning to listen to my body and heart and care for myself. I am finding myself again.

The yoga nidras guide me to a place of ease and comfort. Combined with the yoga postures, it gives me a way to heal that feels whole and complete. I look forward to the variety of practices I take with Jennifer during the week because with one, I know I am building wellness habits, and nourishing my relationship with myself. With each class I feel myself blooming and expanding. I am very grateful to be able to participate in these online classes.