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New Standard Yoga and Fitness

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14/10/2025

I know this might ruffle a few feathers — but this isn’t about calling anyone out. It’s about calling us all up to a higher standard of care.

Because I see so many plus size yoga influencers doing incredible work in representation…
but still unintentionally teaching force-based flexibility. And this doesn’t make the practice more accessible — it actually makes it less sustainable.

A lot of plus-size bodies already experience a natural “openness” or range in the joints — not because of healthy flexibility, but because of ligament and tendon laxity from long-term load.

So when props are used to help the body into poses — like grabbing the foot in dancer’s with a strap, or binding in twists using a towel — it can actually push past what the body can safely support. Instead of helping, props can become a way of overriding the body’s boundaries.

And that’s not honouring the body — it’s disrespecting it.

We don’t need to help our students “look” like the pose. We need to help them feel its effect without increasing the risk of harm. That’s why I don’t encourage using props to force flexibility, no matter what size your body is. And instead teach students how to naturally create openness through more harmonious means of strength and stability.

And most often that means using internal strength instead of externally forcing the body with a prop, OR using the prop to activate strength and stability which naturally leads to the appropriate degree of opening.

I know some of you might be thinking, “But Jenelle, you don’t understand this body!” — and that’s okay. This post isn’t about me, or my body. It’s about how we, as teachers, can make yoga safer, more sustainable, and more accessible for the bodies we guide — and this is where many plus size yoga influencers are missing the mark.

So if you find yourself getting defensive or riled up reading this, I invite you to pause and ask: is there any truth here that could help support the collective benefit of all bodies?

09/10/2025

So many yoga teachers carry this common worry that they’re talking too much when they teach.

But have you ever stopped to ask why that even feels like a problem?

I think a big part of it comes from the fact that so many yoga classes today are presented like orchestrated performances — perfectly timed, beautifully sequenced, and delivered in a way where everyone moves together, almost like a choreographed show.

And sure, it can look nice. It can feel satisfying when everyone moves in sync. But where’s the learning in that?

Where’s the space for curiosity, for inquiry, for the student’s personal relationship with their own practice?

If we encouraged our students to approach yoga less like a performance and more like a practice, we as teachers wouldn’t be so afraid of over-speaking.

Because the truth is, class is where they learn. They’re not going to sign up for every workshop or seminar to deepen their understanding.

They come to class — your class — and that’s where they have the opportunity to absorb, reflect, and grow. So don’t hold back your words out of fear that you’re “taking them out of their practice.”

If what you’re saying helps them become more aware, more discerning, and more empowered in their choices — then you’re not interrupting their practice, you’re deepening it.

Now, of course, silence matters too. There’s wisdom in knowing when your students need space to feel, to integrate, to process what you’ve offered.

But there’s a big difference between intentionally creating silence and staying quiet because you’re afraid of breaking the illusion of a performance.

So the next time you start to doubt yourself, ask:

Am I staying quiet because this moment truly needs space… or because I’m feeling the pressure to fit into a performance-style class?

Because if it’s the latter — it might be time to unlearn that. 🫶

30/09/2025

This variation of eagle pose came from a desire I had to help my students optimize the benefits of this pose without the risks of forcing their joints into it.

Through the process of trying to wrap the arms and legs across one another - with many students going as far as clasping or hooking the hands and foot - there’s a lot of forceful pushing and shoving that has to take place to get INTO position and to MAINTAIN the position.

As someone who wants to provide a more accessible and sustainable approach that honours body biomechanics and creates mobility not just forced flexibility, I knew I needed an alternative variation to teach my students.

This variation involves activation of the muscles in the chest that naturally offer lengthening of the tissues in the upper back, so there is no force needed to position the arms.

Likewise on the bottom half, this variation involves activation of the muscles in the inner thigh of the lifted leg that naturally offer lengthening of the tissues in the outer leg and hip, so again there is no need to shove the foot around the standing leg.

All of the mechanical benefits that come with eagle pose are achieved through this type of variation, plus MORE, because the joints aren’t being pushed into position but rather they are supported and held by the co-activation of surrounding muscles.

The great thing about this variation?

It’s for all students…

Those who want to hook and wrap themselves like a pretzel suddenly create more support for their joints, and those who find it hard to access this pose suddenly get into the appropriate areas without having to fake it or just be left out.

I find the most important thing to emphasize when I teach this is that it’s not about resting into the post, it’s about actively maintaining the actions of squeezing and crossing the midline.

If you’re keen to learn more ways to modify poses for your students comment UNLOCK and I will send you my free course, The Formula for Meaningful Modifications.

25/09/2025

I used to believe that the original version of a pose (whatever that means) was the most beneficial. This belief isn’t uncommon and it’s often carried as a subtle undercurrent throughout many yoga teachings.

So it totally makes sense why yoga students are reluctant to modify things.

I’ve learned that teaching yoga and supporting my students to connect deeper to themselves is often more about redefining their perception of yoga than it is about anything else.

This reframe has been such a powerful tool that I use in my classes that’s helped me to guide my students more inward to themselves. The amazing thing, this change is almost instantaneous. The moment I begin to speak about these kinds of things in class I see students taking modifications and trying out different ways of approaching asana.

It’s been like a magic wand 🪄

22/06/2025

Moving time means the focus needs to shift. Scaling things back for the time being.
So appreciative of everyone who has tuned into this space and what I’ve shared.

See you in Canada 🇨🇦

Address

121B Bulcock Street
Caloundra, QLD
4551

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+61424621924

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