Day in the life of
Yoga Instructor – Jessica Dennehy
I’m a 500-hour certified yoga instructor that teaches private clients only – mostly business owners trying to get back into shape after working long hours. I absolutely love this job because I get to see my clients transform in mind, body, and soul. They suddenly see how powerful mindset is and how it is interconnected to their daily routines, eating habits, job performance, and health. Fitness and mindset are intrinsically linked. Once you start challenging your body and doing something healthy for it, then the challenge to face what is holding you back mentally becomes much easier. We feel strong in our body and so our mind follows and feels like it can face the mental challenges that once overwhelmed us.
Since many of my clients are entrepreneurs, they generally start their day early. During each weekday, I typically have two back-to-back sessions starting at 5 am and 6 am. I love starting my day that way because it is pensive and purposeful. Typically those students like more high-energy flows to activate their body and mind for the day. After that, there is usually a lull where everyone is getting into their workday groove. Then I have lunch sessions at 12 and 1 pm, which are typically those who enjoy slow flows and mid-day stretching. Then I take on one or two corporate wellness clients in the evening. These are sessions offered by employers for their staff as part of their work-life balance programs.
My sessions have mindset and/or energy themes that help the person challenge themselves both emotionally and physically. I like to weave in mindfulness boosting exercises, teaching them to become more aware of the specific things distracting them each day, rather than saying something general like “work is stressing me out.” Through quieting the mind chatter during our session, they can train themselves to recognize specific tasks or situations causing them stress and then start to formulate an action plan to alleviate that factor from their day. I often repeat the theme that stress manifests in our body and we can work on certain body parts that are associated with holding stress from certain emotional situations.
With energy themes, I work on confidence building postures that challenge the person to stay hyper-focused. This approach translates very well to business success. Once the individual can achieve high focus for a physical challenge on the mat, it becomes easier for them to stay focused during mental/emotional challenges off the mat.
Pros
Pros are I get to help people transform themselves both physically and mentally. It’s so rewarding for me and for them because I get to guide them and see them evolve into a stronger version of themselves.
Cons
The cons are sometimes I can get bogged down in the creativity needed to make new flows every week and tweak those flows for the needs of each specific student.
