Align with Jessica

02/08/2026

alignwithjessica.com 💚

02/04/2026

It's more straightforward than you might think.

02/03/2026

Wise words from B. K. S. Iyengar.

01/31/2026

Hello! I have now had several inquiries asking if I hold a waitlist for my yoga sessions. No, I do not. BUT- I work out of a wonderfully ample space that accommodates newcomers.

Join us anytime! at the Saltair Community Centre

Align with Jessica

https://alignwithjessica.punchpass.com/classes

alignwithjessica.com

01/28/2026

Why alignment matters. Reinforce positive habits not damaging ones!

Uttanasana is not measured by how close the hands reach the floor, but by how the spine extends forward.

When a student has a stiff back, attempting Uttanasana with straight legs often causes the spine to round and the lower back to strain. In such cases, a chair becomes an essential support.

👉 For students with a stiff back:
🌿 Bend the legs while holding the chair
🌿 Extend the arms forward to lengthen the spine, not hang downward
🌿 This action helps the trunk move forward, allowing the lower back to release gradually
🌿 The pose can be held comfortably, supporting steady breathing and awareness

👉 For students without back stiffness:
🌿 The legs can remain straight, while still holding the chair if needed
🌿 The emphasis remains on spinal extension before depth, not collapsing into the pose

The purpose of using the chair is not to make the pose easier, but to ensure the correct direction of action—so the spine extends, the breath flows, and strain is avoided.

💬 Do you notice the difference in your back when you bend the legs versus keeping them straight in Uttanasana?

01/28/2026

Lifting the arms is never just about the arms.

In yoga, the movement of the arms is a whole-body event.
Before the arms rise, awareness must first travel downward.
▶️ Are the sit bones grounded?
▶️ Do the thighs press down, creating lift through the trunk?
▶️ Does the spine extend upward, supporting the arms?
▶️ Are the shoulders responsive, not gripping?
▶️ Most importantly—can you stay aware of the process, from initiation to release?

The pose is not an image to arrive at.
It is a conversation between foundation, spine, breath, and mind.
👉 Awareness shapes alignment. Alignment shapes intelligence.

💬 What changes when you lift your arms with awareness of your base?
💬 Comment where you feel this first

01/17/2026

Woah.

I was told I planted my garlic too late. (I didn’t believe it… though by the strict order of days and months, perhaps I did.)

I planted in December.

And since the past week, I’ve carried a quiet feeling in my bones… something stirring below the surface. A sense bubbling up from the soles of my feet making contact with the subtle vibrations of growth.

This evening, after resuming my private yoga sessions, wrapping up the studio space, and walking the dog at dusk,
I lifted the mulch of fallen leaves.

Lo… garlic sprouts 🌱

So fast.

What a wild, mild, mildly unsettling winter.
Things rising when they should be sleeping.

What to make of it?

Pesto? 🧄

01/16/2026

Monday evenings at the Saltair Community Centre are something special. After last week’s class, new students shared reflections like “That felt like a deep massage,” and “I’ve never tried this lineage of yoga, but I can feel how essential it is—for my joints, stability, and long-term health.”

If you’re ready to join a community devoted to a foundational, deeply supportive yoga practice, we’d love to welcome you on Monday nights 6:15-7:15 pm. All Levels.

8-class flex pass is valid for all public classes.

https://app.punchpass.com/org/7167/classes

01/15/2026

Yoga asana offers a powerful doorway inward, writes Judith Hanson Laster. Yoga asana is a powerful non-verbal expression of the sacred.