Interview with Jen Ambrose

Jen Ambrose

  • Core Subject: Hatha Yoga
  • Experience: 4+ Years
  • Language: English
  • Location: Worldwide
  • Certifications and Study:
      • 200 Hour YTT in Vinyasa
      • 300 YTT in Hatha
      • Restorative Yoga Teacher
      • Yoga and Travel Writer
      • Kirtan Enthusiast

       

Jen Ambrose is a yoga teacher, freelance writer, and travel blogger who left her office job in the U.S. to pursue a freer and more fulfilling lifestyle. Today, she travels full-time with her husband, writing everywhere they go and teaching yoga whenever possible. Jen is committed to promoting inclusion and diversity within yoga, and she aims to make her classes accessible and welcoming to all practitioners.

Why Did You Decide To Start Teaching Yoga?

After seeing how much yoga changed me and helped me grow, it felt natural to start sharing it with others. I love the work of guiding students in practices I believe can make a difference in their lives.

What Has Helped You To Improve Your Classes/Retreats Since You Began Instructing?

The biggest thing that has helped me improve my teaching is continuous study and practice. The more I develop my own practice, learn from other teachers, and continue studying everything related to yoga, the better I’m able to serve my students.

What Skills And Qualities Make A Good Yoga Teacher?

There’s so much that goes into being an impactful yoga teacher – and that’s one of the reasons it’s so challenging. It requires an unusual combination of skills and abilities, plus extensive knowledge in many different areas. Teachers need to be comfortable in a leadership role and also able to relate to students. We need to have a deep understanding of the body and mind, and an equal understanding of the yogic tradition. And we have to be willing to put ourselves out there, make mistakes, and share who we are.

What Advice Would You Give Someone Who Is Just Beginning Their Yoga Journey?

I always try to show new practitioners that yoga is much more than asana, and I encourage people to open themselves up to meditation, breathwork, and yogic philosophy as soon as possible. I’m also a believer that doing ten minutes of yoga at home every day is more beneficial than taking one hour-long class a week, even though that’s what most people do when they’re new. So I encourage students to start developing a short, simple home practice that’s consistent.

What, In Your Opinion, Is The Most Troubling Issue Facing The Global Yoga Community Today?

One of the biggest problems I see in yoga today is the cultural appropriation of something that is, at its roots, a South Asian spiritual practice. Yoga in the Western world has largely become an exercise regimen, and it’s heavily commercialized, often in ways that aren’t respectful of the culture it came from. It’s important to me to learn from Indian teachers and to study the philosophy and context of yoga, and I try to prioritize being respectful of a heritage that’s not my own.