Bright Heart Co • Yoga with Jess

14/10/2020

I’m dog sitting this little tiny (double adjective because she’s really soooo small😹) dog named Sammie. Every time I lie on the bed, she stands by the side of the bed and barks to come up & join me. She’s too small to get up herself, so she needs a human to help her out. Every time, without fail, I lean over to pick her up and put her on the bed, and she runs, just far enough for me not to reach her. She barks again. Again, she’ll run get just out of my reach. I cannot help her.
Sometimes I feel like Sammie. I really want something, it becomes so close, definitely within reach & then I back away. RUN!! For whatever reason. Usually probably fear. I’m unworthy! I’m not ready! I don’t need help! I’m strong! So I stay, stuck, rather than getting a lift and rising into whatever it is I’m going for.
It’s laughable now, especially considering the lil dog still barking to get up, as I type this story to you. I smile as I remember that sometimes, I should really just accept the damn help and quit my barkin.

08/10/2020

Connect me to my essence
My wild
My real
The remembering of what it truly means to be A L I V E
History, always “his” story
Time to rewrite
Invite in “her” story
Truth comes cutting like glass
Sharp and strong
May I listen - take note
Respect & move forward
With the grace & miraculousness of being a creator on this Earth
Speak your message
Your essence
Your truth
Your magic
It matters. You matter. I matter.
✨
Sending big love to the women (and men) who’ve lost their voice. Who didn’t or don’t have the courage to say no. To speak up. To end something that needs to end. To begin something that is ready to be born. The courage lies within you. You ARE powerful beyond measure and what you have to say DOES matter.
Here’s a mantra for courage, fierce compassion & cutting through the bu****it holding you back (a really great mantra for these times of great polarity & political madness):
✨Om Dum Durgayei Namaha ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नम ✨
Dearest Divine Mother, I bow to you.
Photo by ❤️🙏

01/10/2020

After 5+ months of teaching exclusively online, I am beyond excited to share that I’ll be teaching LIVE, in person classes again beginning next week!! (Yaaaay, humans, my favorite 😂🙈)
I’ll be teaching Tuesday evenings at 6-7pm at Catalina Park North 4th Avenue. All classes are donation based (big fan for non money trades!) & suitable for all. We will sweat, wiggle, giggle & end each session with some breathwork and short meditation as the sun goes down. BYOM (mat😘) or message me if you need one.
Just moved back & I’d love your help! Can all of you Tucson locals tag your friends below to help me spread the word?! Let’s create an epic community & most importantly HAVE some F U N! 💛✨🙏🦋

20/08/2020

My favorite definition of the word yoga comes from via her teacher Guru G and is something along the lines of, “Yoga is the state of nothing missing.” BAM - LOVE THAT!💥 I often find myself seeking change. To change my state of mind. To change my appearance. To change who I am to somehow become “better.” To attain more: skills, knowledge, assets, etc. I catch myself constantly striving for more. Seeking new limits, new inspirations & new wisdoms. And although I think it’s great to seek growth, at the end of the day, it’s a great reminder to remember that there is nothing missing. I don’t need anything to become worthy or enough. Rather than seeking to change, can I seek to accept?
✨
After taking some time away from online teaching, I am getting ready to begin some new & exciting online ventures. Send me a DM or stay tuned for more deets. Big love 🌸🦋✨

15/05/2020

Most (if not all) thoughts are subconscious responses or reactions learned from experiences that occurred in the past. Our thoughts are doing their best to protect us & keep us alive. All of our brains have a natural negativity bias which is why you probably find it easier to get stuck on a negative experience rather than a positive one. You do 20 good things in a day & 1 bad. You get 100 compliments & 1 insult. What does your mind want to dwell on? There’s the guilt. The shame. The doubt. The insecurity. All the different faces of fear. These feelings are all valid. Observe them & recognize it’s your brain trying to protect you. I think of the brain kinda like an overprotective, fearful mom that wants to control everything & often can’t see the reality of a situation. Honor your brain for caring. Let your brain know you’re alright & take the situation from there.
Contrary to all that, intuition is rooted in the present moment - in this very NOW. It’s not logical or analytical & it’s difficult to conceptualize in words. Intuition isn’t a thought, it’s a FEELING. Now here’s the best news of all: we can literally tune ourselves to feel, direct & increase our energy via breathwork and meditation. It’s undoubtedly my #1 tool to tap into the stillness of my mind. It’s hard to control the mind with the mind - we need something that goes beyond thinking. We can train ourselves daily to FEEL on a deeper level. (Seriously, how cool is that?!) To become more subtle to energy. To notice what affects our energy & live in a way that we can keep our energy storehouse full. With consistent practice, everything becomes more refined. We can start to know truth by the way it feels and can live in alignment with our highest vision.
Beyond excited to dive deeper into subjects like this with the participants of my 6 Week Online Immersion Program starting this Sunday. Bring on the bright hearts & expansive minds❤️❤️❤️

14/05/2020

When I went to India to study yoga, I had no intention of ever teaching. I simply wanted to build a strong personal practice for my Peace Corps assignment in Nepal where I probably wouldn’t have access to teachers, studios or regular internet.
To graduate the course, everyone had to teach an asana class & be graded on it. People were nervous & for some reason (dispite having had crippling stage fright) I was fine. I was excited even. After the class came up to me with tears in her eyes and said, “Promise me you’ll teach. Promise me.” I promised & started teaching pretty much right away.
I made the hardest decision of my life giving up my assignment in Peace Corps to serve the world in another way - via sharing yoga & meditation.
My first years teaching yoga were extremely humbling. Most of my classes had 2-3 people in it. Sometimes nobody would show up at all or I would end up teaching a private one hour for a mere $5.
The thing about a path in this field is it will push you to your edge. It will humble you. It forces you to continually show up, to self reflect & self correct. It’s not a job. It’s a service. It’s not about me and it never will be. If I forget, I’ll surely be reminded. I am only facilitating people to listen to THEIR inner teacher, not to me & my beliefs. I trust that I’ll always end up attracting the right people. Sometimes 2, sometimes 35. Doesn’t matter.
I refuse to lose is my sense of enthusiasm for this practice. For this path. Sometimes it’s an overly excited enthusiasm & sometimes it’s just a gentle enthusiasm but it’s always there nonetheless. It’s there when I’m practicing alone everyday & it’s there when I show up to teach.
I’m immensely grateful and inspired by those of you that have trusted me over the years & continuously showed up to learn & to grow. Thank you & BIG LOVE TO YOU ALL.
Photo from ✨✨✨

14/05/2020

Only a few spaces left, closing registration on Saturday! ❤️

Yoga of the HeartA Student ProgramA Six Week Intensive Online Course For beginners & advanced practitioners alike. Do you ever feel like you're not really living up to your full potential?Are you interested in how you can apply ancient yogic techniques to better every aspect of your life?Do you ev...

13/05/2020

If you would have told me even a month & a half ago that I would be back in Arizona right now - I wouldn’t have believed you.
A turn of events & a global pandemic made me realize very quickly that it was time to go. I needed to be with family. I needed to be back in the desert - the land that teaches me & never seizes to amaze me. I needed to learn to step into my own power & start turning some of my visions into realities.
I was terrified of leaving Cambodia. It was home to me. I was working the most fulfilling & heart warming job I’ve ever had. My days were filled with yoga, lots of vegan coconut ice cream, dance, laughter & people that really became family to me.
Naturally, fear tried to talk me out of it. Fear told me things like I’d be letting people down & I’d never find such fulfilling work. Fear continued to speak, but my heart spoke louder. It was time to go.
Every time you listen to that little voice inside that tells you, “hey, somethings not right here,” or “even though this doesn’t make any sense logically - this is what I have to do,” you’re strengthening your ability to live by love. To listen to your heart. I believe it was in The Alchemist that says something along the lines of (don’t quote me on this): “If you stop listening to your heart, one day it will stop speaking to you.”
So here I am - with the most radiant mountains in every direction, cactus flowers in bloom & a bright sunny sky. There’s no room for doubting my decisions when I’m in the present moment. I have no idea what comes next & frankly I don’t mind. I’m ready to continue to listen to the inner teacher. The teacher inside that is guided by love, not fear. I know if I’m guided by that voice - I’ll always end up exactly where I’m supposed to be ✨✨✨

01/05/2020

I'm so excited to share that my new WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!

I have an amazing 6 Week Online Course beginning May 17th. For all the juicy details + more, click below and let me know if you have any questions.

Big big BIG LOVE to you all!

12/04/2020

A Harvard Study showed that most humans are mind-wandering 47% if the time. That means that almost half our life we are somewhere else!

Here is an incredible podcast that can shine a light on ways to increase presence, reduce negative self-talk, & the brain's amazing ability to change.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think!

“The reason we don’t change,” says Shauna Shapiro, PhD, “is because most of us are missing this essential ingredient of self-compassion.” The psychology professor and author of Good Morning, I Love You joins Elise Loehnen to explain why we can forget about self-esteem and why “heartfulne...

10/04/2020

Hello friends, family & loved ones. As many of you know, I landed back in Arizona last week. I’m not sure what comes next but I’m grateful to be back with my family in these tumultuous times. I’m sure I’m not alone with my feelings of uncertainty, and I continue to remind myself that within the realm of uncertainty lies infinite possibilities. This isn’t the time to plan - this is time to be in the now. To be with the body, the breath and the present moment.

I’ve made this page as a tool to stay connected to my community all over the world. Living and working abroad for the last few years means that my heart is spread wide and far to reach the distance of all of you - who have & continue to touch my heart.

My intention is to share resources, tools, free classes and events for all those interested. We can and we will get through these times together - as a community.

Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu
May All Beings Be Happy • May All Beings Be Peaceful • May All Beings Be Well ❤️