Jessica Baxter

I took my first yoga class in 2003 and have been hooked ever since. Early in my practice, yoga was hard for me; I could barely touch my toes. My body was tight and full of tension. While I struggled on my mat, I watched the other yogis in the room bend, twist and bind in ways that I was sure my body could never go. Within just a few classes, I started to see changes and within 8 weeks, I made more progress in my fitness goals than I had in the past 8 years of intense cardio and weight training. As I grew in my practice, I realized there was as much tension in my life as there was on my mat. By learning the asanas (postures), I learned to let go of things that were holding me back. It was an emotional and empowering experience to do things I never thought I could do--like touch my toes, stand on my head, or balance on my arms. The progress I made in yoga was life changing. Sometimes I left class in laughter and sometimes in tears. I realized quickly that there was so much more to yoga than the physical aspect. As my practice deepened, the little things that used to bother me didn’t bother me anymore. Fear and worry began to escape my mind. My mood improved, I was able to think with greater clarity, and my productivity at work increased. Yoga helped me to open up and feel compassion. While yoga is not a religion, I became more spiritual and aware of a greater sense of my being and the universe. Becoming a yoga teacher was a natural progression in my practice. I have always enjoyed motivating, inspiring and empowering others. My own “aha” experiences in yoga led me to encourage others to try it. It didn’t take long for me to begin referring everyone I knew to the practice and changing the world one yogi at a time. Outside of yoga, I’m marketing professional with an MBA and a fun career in the fashion and event planning industry. On my spare time, I am an aspiring artist and I love to travel and scuba dive. My most inspirational travels were to India and Bali—my journeys to those places had as much impact on my life as yoga did. Life is a series of journeys that mold you into the person you are today, and will be tomorrow. The biggest lesson I have learned over the course of my life thus far is that there is so much to learn about the universe, and about your self. Yoga helps me achieve both. Certification & Training: I completed my 200-hour RYT (registered yoga teacher) certification through Gaia Flow Yoga during the Fall of 2009. I would like to thank Crystal Rae Almeida and Andres Illera of Gaia for their love, inspiration and encouragement through this amazing journey.