About Me...
Jennifer Smith
Yoga Teacher. Teacher Trainer. Lifelong Student. Slightly Obsessed With Making Yoga Make Sense.
I've been practicing and teaching yoga for more than 20 years, and somehow I still don't think I've figured it all out.
Which, honestly, is probably the point.
My yoga journey has taken me through traditional Hatha and Ayurveda studies in Rishikesh, India, Ashtanga study with Caroline Klebl, years of teaching across different styles and a whole lot of continued learning.
I've taught Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, power, restorative, yin, meditation and pranayama, and I've spent years studying the relationship between movement, anatomy, breath, alignment and the way yoga actually fits into everyday life.
Today, my teaching is fun and function driven.
I love traditional yoga postures and teachings, but I also love modern mobility, intelligent movement and understanding why something works.
Basically: I like knowing the why behind the what.
My Approach to Yoga
I don't believe yoga should be reserved for people who can touch their toes.
Or people who know all the Sanskrit.
Or people who own an alarming number of leggings.
Yoga is for curious humans.
My job as a teacher is to help students understand their bodies, develop awareness, build strength and mobility, explore breath and learn how to bring the practice off the mat.
And as a teacher trainer, my goal is to help future teachers become knowledgeable enough to teach safely, confident enough to communicate clearly and curious enough to keep learning.
Why I Teach Teachers
Teaching yoga changed my life.
Not because it made everything perfect.
Spoiler alert: nothing does.
But yoga gave me a framework for paying attention—to my body, my breath, my thoughts, my habits and the way I move through the world.
I want teacher training to give students that same opportunity.
Yes, we'll study anatomy.
Yes, we'll learn sequencing.
Yes, we'll practice hands-on assists.
Yes, you'll learn philosophy, pranayama, meditation and teaching methodology.
But underneath all of that is a bigger question:
What kind of teacher—and human—do you want to become?
That's the part I'm most interested in.
Fun. Functional. Traditional. Modern.
My teaching sits somewhere between the old-school yoga teachings and the modern movement world.
I love tradition.
I also love mobility.
I love a beautiful yoga pose.
I also love asking whether the pose actually makes sense for the person doing it.
I love philosophy.
I also love practical tools you can use on a Tuesday afternoon when life is doing its thing.
That's the energy I bring into my classes and my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Orange County.
Come curious.
Come willing to learn.
Come willing to laugh at yourself a little.
And definitely come ready to move.
