Jennifer Ostrander

My name is Jennifer (Jenny) Ostrander, I was first introduced to Yoga around 1995, when I attended a class at the local gym. I looked at yoga as a method to improved flexibility in my workouts. As I attended the classes and met other people, the instructor brought intention to our classes and I began to wonder what else yoga was. However it wasn’t until 2001 that I actually attended a studio, and began to explore the more spiritual sides of yoga, to understand its health benefits. I have always gravitated towards high stress careers, as a Systems Administrator of more than 24 school sites all the way to being an officer in the US Army.

I have many levels of anxiety and stress that I began experiencing more intensely over the last ten years. My practice has evolved from a “fitness” routine to a full practice of asanas, and meditation. I am still very much in the learning phase. As a student I have made yoga a practice, through the daily exploration of either a meditation, an asana, attending a class at the local studio, reading and watching documentaries or logging into Grokker and practicing a different instructors “flow”. It brings balance to my life, joy. I have never been able to quiet my mind. Ever. To have instructors guide me and understand why the body and breath are so important to quieting the mind and finding peace? Has given me so much joy. I love those moments a pose triggers your emotion, when you forward fold or bind and feel your chest tighten, the butterflies stir. The tears roll down your cheeks as you “feel.”

Outside of yoga I spend my time outdoors enjoying my time on a paddleboard, kayaking, diving, running, or biking. I have completed a few “Sprint” triathlons and I love the feeling of accomplishment with all three events. My husband and I also dive the coral reefs of the Keys in Florida, the wrecks of the St. Lawrence in upstate New York and have traveled to Thailand, Ireland, and the Bahamas to experience dive sites around the world. We also enjoy a round on the golf course and taking our dog Porter on trail hikes. Inclement weather finds me indoors reading and editing my photos from our many outdoor adventures.

I have gravitated towards instructing others in many of the jobs I have held. As a graduate of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, I was asked to come back and instruct a computer science course. While I was a Systems Analyst at Manteca Unified School District, I gave courses of instruction to the technology instructors on new programs, and would often times come out to the library to work with the students on the testing and evaluation of programs we were implementing. I have found I have a unique connection with being able to relate the unknown (in many cases technology) to people in a way they understand. I feel so many times that is what has made it click in a yoga class for me, when my instructor knows how to make it “click” for me. How to explain that posture alignment so that I feel the pose. As a person who has a very “chatty” mind, I feel I can relate to those who struggle with learning to find their meditative state.