Bringing Accessible Yoga to ALL BODIES…

For the Love of Yoga,

Coming into my class, you may not guess that I would be your yoga teacher. When people think of one, they think of long, lean women, who might be auditioning for Cirque du Soleil next week. Or someone who can get into Birds of Paradise Pose at the drop of a hat. This is not me!

Because of that, though, I feel like more people can relate to me. My goal as a yoga teacher is to bring accessible yoga to all bodies; you might not be interested in becoming the next Yoga Champion of the World, but I can definitely help you towards touching your toes.

My introduction to yoga began just as an interest in college and then in my early 20s. I dabbled in some classes and learned the premise of what yoga was about. In my mid-20s, I became a personal trainer working at a big box gym, where I was unhappy.

I began to have medical issues (gastrointestinal and heart related). My holistic doctor ran tests, and bloodwork and concluded: I was stressed.

Yoga Nidra was the doctor’s recommendation to help with my anxiety. I started branching out to other classes during that time. Then, once felt better, a yoga practice stopped being part of my routine.

Fast forward to 2021, my second year as a nationally qualified bodybuilder, I started looking at different ways to incorporate cardio into my lifting schedule and working on my flexibility for my posing routines. That is when I fell upon Hot Yoga at ROOT TO RISE. I immediately fell in love with the teachers and the community. It felt like a home away from home.

My bodybuilding season came to an end, and I continued to join Hot Yoga classes to continue to work on my flexibility and mobility, which can become limited with focusing on hypertrophy training for aesthetics.

In December of 2021, I had some very emotional life changes and was looking into expanding my knowledge as a trainer. As life would have it, I was invited to participate in the Yoga Teacher Training at ROOT TO RISE YOGA one year ago, and that was an idea that I said “yes” to. My main reason behind becoming a yoga teacher was to bring more accessible yoga to wherever I would end up and to teach to groups that may not have yoga readily accessible to them. Particularly, prisons.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Upon graduation, I was accepted to volunteer with the Prison Yoga Project, and my intention became reality at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility in Aurora.

I am currently working on my Nutrition certification to become a nutritionist, alongside my personal training certification and my 3 specializations (Corrective Exercise, Behavior Change, and Stretching and Flexibility). My focus as a coach and trainer is to bring mind, body, and spirit together to instill long-term healthy habits.

As Jim Rohn said: “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”

Check out our schedule at Root to Rise Yoga to sign up for one of my classes!

You can also find me on Instagram @jamielynnkfitness and via email: trainerjamiekempfer@gmail.com