November Newsletter: Perceiving the True You
Greetings & Namaste!
Wow everyone happy AUTUMN! This last month of October flew by rather quickly. For those of you waiting to read the October Newsletter exploring Vata dosha, I will pick up on the doshas at the beginning of 2019 after the holidays pass and my ayurveda course is complete.
I am currently in the process of completing the final assignments and projects to receive my Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor certification. Currently I'm working on honing consultation skills with a small group of practice clients, finishing group consultation projects and preparing a FREE presentation & workshop exploring Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy and how to use it in your practice. The last requirement I'll need to finish is my final test and then I'm done by mid-late December!
For the last week of October I was staying in ​​Ojai, California, with my ayurveda teacher, Mas Vidal. I studied herbology, abhyanga, various sacred Ayurvedic text & Jyotish. I had the opportunity to do practice consultations on some of Mas' yoga teacher trainees with the whole group of us student counselors. I soaked in the hot sulfur springs in Matilija Canyon and rubbed silty black mud all over my skin before jumping in a cold natural spring to wash it all off. I meditated, chanted, breathed and prayed for 2 hours every morning at 5:30am. I ate wholesome, simple Ayurvedic food every day and learned how to prepare kichari from a master. I returned to Music City full of vitality, and knowledge.​​
This 450-hour journey has been a transformation for my understanding of the body, mind and spirit. It has been a test of my discernment, discrimination and detachment from the world process. Through this journey, I have learned a valuable lesson about perception, attachments, associations, and listing to my Truth, as hard as it may feel at first.​​
​​These last few months I've contemplated the mantra "Om Tat Sat," meaning "I am that Supreme truth." I asked myself, what do I need to practice to gain deeper understanding of this Supreme Truth? How do I come into closer experiences of this Supreme Truth? I don't think I was aware that I was going to begin a process of self-inquiry and contemplative listening. In my listening, I learned something about my own deeper truth that I hope you all can use in your practice.
I've come into calling them the "Three C's." Curiosity. Courage. Compassion.
Curiosity to delve into yourself through asana practice, self-inquiry, meditation, journaling, japa mantra and creativity.
Courage to stay disciplined, dedicated and focused on your path as you move into the unfamiliar depths of your subtle self with mental, physical & spiritual fortitude.
Compassion to all of your efforts through offering gratitude and loving kindness to yourself and to your practice
Try using these one of these positive words for your intention-setting practices.
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I have EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE
I am delighted to announce that I'll be teaching at this year's Music City Yoga Festival on Saturday, November 10 at RockeTown on 4th Ave S in downtown Nashville!
Tickets are on sale at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/music-city-yoga-festival-tickets-49524517164?aff=MCYFWebsite
USE MY DISCOUNT CODE FOR 20% 0ff!
Enter "Jojo20" at checkout
I'll be co-teaching an Ayurvedic Yoga flow with fellow yoga teacher and ayurvedic counselor Liz Workman Meade.
Ayurveda is the Vedic science of life and longevity. When Ayurveda is integrated with its sister science Yoga, it creates a dynamic, therapeutic and soul-evolving practice for mind, body & soul that promotes a deep-resonating sense of vitality from the inside out. Liz Workman Mead will lead a vigorous, creative practice incorporating vinyasa style yoga, and Jo-Jo Jackson will lead a bhakti practice incorporating pranayama (breathwork) and mantra chanting.
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My Sept-Dec 2018 class schedule is out! I no longer teach the Wed 12pm vinyasa class at Liberation Yoga or the Thur 9:30am pitta class at Kali Yuga Yoga. In addition, don't teach the 4:30pm slow flow at Small World Yoga Community Studio, but I now teach Wed 7:30pm "deep rest" restorative yoga istead. I now have a new FREE WEEKLY PUBLIC CLASS at the Vanderbilt University Black Cultural Center!! Every Thursday 6-7pm you'll be able to join me for "Air & Earth" vinyasa flow & restorative mix-up.
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I would like to share some news on my personal journey:
As you may know, I'm finishing a 450-hr Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor certification in December 2018. What you may not know is that this 450-hr program is just the first step in a 2-tiered 600-hr Ayurvedic Health Counselor program! The remaining 150 hours to complete the program begin January 2020 in the form of a 2-week intensive at an Ayurvedic University & Hospital in Pune, India. I want to complete the full 600-hr, 2 year program, so I'll be working hard over the next year to save money for this major growth experience. I have been practicing yoga since 2010 and teaching since 2014. Over the years, I have branched out into deeper studying of Vedic text, meditation, Ayurveda and the beginnings of Jyotish. I know that pilgrimage to India would prove a massive opportunity for my growth spiritually, experientially and intellectually. Through this personal and professional growth, I can be of better service our yoga community with a more thoughtful and authentic approach to the integration of Yoga, Ayurveda and meditation. If you would like to help me reach my monetary goals for this endeavor, please donate to help me pay for my travel & tuition fees!
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MY GoFundMe FUNDRAISER <3
$5000 would help me completely cover my round trip flight to and from India, my full tuition & boarding costs and any pilgrimages to ashrams, temples & holy places. Complimentary sessions are available for a variety of donation levels! Keep scrolling down to read :Details for the 150-hour "Motherland Studies" India Internship program through Dancing Shiva Yoga & Ayurveda: India Study at D.Y. Patil University This 15-day intensive takes place at the esteemed D.Y. Patil University in Pune, India. For several years the Dancing Shiva School has established a close affiliation with this fully accredited Indian university. Dancing Shiva students will experience a unique opportunity of participating in specialized classes given by Mas Vidal and the faculty of the university. The material covered in the classes includes expansive (more advanced & in depth) coverage of the material listed in the main curriculum. The main difference gained from participation of studies in India is substantial. Firstly, to study at an Indian Ayurvedic university is unique to our affiliation with D.Y. Patil, as this is not a commonly permitted at Indian academies. As international students you receive the direct cultural experience, classes given by an Indian faculty, experience of observing actual patient cases (encounters) in an Ayurvedic hospital and access to an extensive library and dedicated departments for each main topic of Ayurvedic education.
When you donate at least $30 you can receive 1 complementary 60-minute private yoga session with me When you donate at least $40 you can receive 1 complementary 75-minute private yoga session When you donate at least $50 you can receive 1 complementary 90-minute private yoga session When you donate at least $60 you can receive 1 complementary 60-minute private yoga session with me + complementary pass to one of my workshops of your choice When you donate at least $100 you can receive a complementary Ayurvedic Health Counseling Package (3 sessions) with me When you donate at least $150 you can receive a complementary Ayurvedic Health Counseling Package + complementary 60-minute private yoga session When you donate at least $200 you can receive a complementary Ayurvedic Health Counseling Package + complementary 60-minute private yoga session + complementary Ayurvedic cooking demo Thank you all for your support! Love & Light <3 Jo-Jo Jackson
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