A yoga mat can be much more than a place to stretch and unwind. It can also be a place of discovery and learning, for those who are willing to listen.
Jenya Hubbard began taking yoga classes at her local gym 10 years ago. She started classes for the health benefits, but soon discovered that there was much more to the practice than fitness.
“I knew that I’d found something really special,” Hubbard said of the transformative experience.
Today, she still participates in sessions at the same gym, with the very same teacher. Now things are a little different, though.
Hubbard began her training to become a certified yogini in April of this year. Through Prema Yoga Teacher Training, she has acquired the necessary know-how to begin instructing classes of her own.
However, Hubbard has a second passion: poetry.
“I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember,” she said, reckoning that she wrote her first poem around the age of 4.
“Poetry is that place in writing that gives you the ability to explain what you can’t explain with words,” Hubbard said. “It’s about nuances and subtleties in expression.”
She selects a poem to read at the beginning or end of each class, based on what the lesson is meant to achieve. Though all of the poems are original work, she believes that everyone takes something unique away from hearing them.
“It can resonate in different ways for different people,” Hubbard said of the ways poetry speaks to her pupils.
By fusing her love for words and yoga, she created her business, Poetry and Pose.
“It’s like my two loves can come together,” she said of the pairing.
“This was always a dream of mine,” she added said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years.”
Caring for her three daughters still takes priority, but Hubbard is now ready to take on the responsibilities of being a yoga instructor along with her motherly duties. By combining two passions that she finds so meaningful, she has created a business that is dedicated to helping others transform themselves in body and mind.
“My real purpose in teaching is listening within and creating that self dialogue and self inquiry,” Hubbard said.
She believes that people are already strong in mind and body, and that yoga helps them to realize this inner strength.
“I teach classes with a focus and a purpose,” she explained.
Yoga has had an immense impact on Hubbard’s life, and she is enthusiastic to share her knowledge with future students.
Studio classes haven’t yet begun, but Hubbard is offering other chances for community members to take the first steps on a potentially life-changing journey centered on yoga.
Pose at the Park takes place at Waller Park on Sundays from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. Though there is no set fee for attending these classes, Hubbard is requesting donations.
Sign-ups have begun for five-week series classes, which include four small group practices and one private session. Registration for Yoga for Weight Consciousness is now open, with classes beginning on Thursday, Aug. 7.
For more information, visit poetryandpose.com.
Intern Emma Fuhs wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Jul 17-24, 2014.
