Total Body Yoga Teachers
Jill Davis R.Y.T.
A dear friend kept prodding me to try yoga. The idea intrigued me because I was a long time fitness buff, aerobics, weight training and running. During the 2 years prior to trying yoga I was losing interest in these activities and I did them less often. I also was under the misconception that yoga was just a lot of stretching and laying around. When I tried my first yoga class the, “laying around” false hood was put to rest. I had never experienced anything like that first class. Physically I was challenged in a way I had never been challenged before and mentally I didn’t know what to make of it. Quiet poses done with courage and intention were foreign to me. I was accustomed to distracting myself with exercise, not experiencing myself physically and emotionally.
I kept showing up for classes week after week and I noticed changes not only physically, but also spiritually and emotionally. These changes gave me the courage to incorporate yoga into all aspects of my life and to enroll in the Yoga Teacher Training program at TBY. During the Training Program I began to see that sharing this gift of yoga with others was important to me. I have always loved to share things that have impacted my life with others.
What a great opportunity to be in the TBY community and share this practice of yoga with others who are on a similar path; a journey to find our authentic selves. I believe great things are inside each of us just waiting to bloom, if we allow our spirits to soar through the practice of yoga.
“We are all artists and our greatest creation is in living our lives” --Dudley Martineau
What other hobbies do you have aside from yoga?
I love to garden and landscape. There is nothing better than feeling the soil in my hands and between my fingers with the ability to transform a bare area into something that delights the eyes. Besides strategically placing flower, bushes and trees, I especially enjoy incorporating boulders, flagstone and other hardscapes into my planting areas. Biking, hiking, reading are also at the top of my hobby list.
What is a book you could strongly recommend?
I would strongly recommend the books Dance of Intimacy and Dance of Connection by Harriet Lerner. These are great reads if one is stuck in relational difficulties of any kind.
What is one of your all-time favorite movies?
My all time favorite movies are The Notebook, Steel Magnolias and Brian Song. These stories demonstrate how the amazing human spirit perseveres through difficult times with dignity, forgiveness, acceptance and most of all love.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened in class?
I don't have many funny incidents but I am always amazed when I have a room full of cute fannies looking at me instead of faces.
What is one of your all-time favorite "comfort" foods?
Leftover Thanksgiving dinner!!!!!!!!!!!! I can taste it now.
What is your favorite color?
At this moment I'm on a orange kick. Last year it was yellow and a few years ago a grey green. Is this normal?
What brought you to yoga?
Emotional pain brought me to yoga. I was in a difficult time in my life and a dear friend kept telling me, "You really need yoga." After 6 months of her repeating this gentle mantra to me I tried it. I have been practicing ever since.
What element, quality, or technique of yoga do you find most fascinating and why?
I find the fact that all I have to do is show up on the matt and the magic of yoga happens. This phenomenon truly fascinates me.
What is your favorite pose and why?
I'm really starting to enjoy full wheel. When I first started yoga I was too fearful and tired to open up the front line of my body in this way so this pose shows me how far I've progressed mentally and physically.
What qualities are needed to be a good yoga teacher?
I think that if a yoga teacher has a open heart and open mind and has an ability of share honestly and clearly the their yogic journey, the students will then feel safe enough to embark on their own journey on the mat.