Terri Shaw
I'm Emerging Refreshed, Renewed and Restored

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.

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.

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!

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!