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Hi there,

So, I broke up with Instagram. We've had an on-again/off-again relationship for a long time with lots of breaks, so this doesn't feel like a surprise. And although it's very Canadian for me to be self-deprecating and say, "It's not you, it's me," that wouldn't be true. It's really not me. It's Instagram. 

For those of us in the gig-economy of teaching yoga, running online courses and workshops, using platforms like Instagram to promote our work has seemed necessary. It plays on our money complexes, requiring us to be publicly personal and vulnerable, demanding that we produce content that is controversial, quippy, regular (daily sometimes), and free. If you put up lots of pictures of your face, tell stories that reveal something, and regularly post things that create a reactionary buzz, you get more likes, and more follows. Create some reels and include a lot of free advice on your subject area, that you've spent years and a lot of money to learn about. Talk about your family, your hobbies, your vacation — make other people feel as though they are relating to a real person, even though they're starting at their screen, often while ignoring the people who are in the room with them. Why not boost that post, and maybe people will want to join you for your next workshop? My break up post got more likes or comments than anything I've posted in ages (it even garnered a few follows?) because it was controversial. Maybe I should boost it...? (Kidding)

When I closed Instagram that last time, I felt a weight lift, and I settled in to write a blog post: 10 Things I Would Rather Do Than Spend Time on Instagram (you can read it if you click on the link). I would rather do so many things, including interact with people — real people! If you'd like to interact with me, too, reply to this email. I'd love to hear how you are really doing. 

And if you'd like to learn from me, I'd love to teach you. I could say over and over on Instagram, "Breathe diaphragmatically and through your nose," (that's the free advice right there), but if you'd like to come take a course, I would really love that. Teaching is fun, not because I get to spout information, but because the teaching/learning relationship that happens between people is dynamic and active. Really learning something happens not just when you read a few words on a square, but when you take information and implement it. It's not a surface skim past a post that is likely forgotten when the next image appears, and the one after that, and the one after that. 

If you're curious about learning better breathing for yourself, the next Breath Retraining Course begin February 1. This is a great course if you have breathing issues, but also if you are just wanting to optimise your own breathing. It's a combination of pre-recorded content that you can access on your own schedule, two one-on-one sessions, and 5 group classes. The daily commitment to practice isn't huge (maybe an hour at most, but spread over the day), and the point is to whittle that down as your breathing improves so that you are eventually spending almost no time at all practicing breathing, you're just breathing differently all the time. There are some testimonials from people who've taken the course and some more information about it here.

If you're a yoga teacher, Finding Kevala Pranayama starts next week. I'm really excited about this course — it's the integration of my learnings over the past 20 years. What is functional breathing? What is yogic breathing? Where do they intersect? Where do they diverge? And what does this have to do with being a human who breathes 20 000 times a day? It has a similar structure to the Breath Retraining Course, with pre-recorded materials, weekly group Zoom calls, and daily practice. It's a deeper dive into breathing. There are a couple of spots left, so if you've been considering this, sign up now.

I look forward to seeing and hearing from some of you soon.
Happy New Year!
Warmly,
Jennifer

p.s. If you'll really miss me on Instagram (sorry about that) you can still find me on Facebook, for now at least.
Group Breath Retraining
February 1 – March 15, 2022

Mondays 6:30 – 7:30 PM ET
OR Tuesdays 9:30 – 10:30AM ET

 
Sign up now. Space is limited.
Finding Kevala Pranayama
January 12 – March 23, 2022
Wednesdays 1 – 2 PM ET
 
Sign up now. Space is limited.
50 hours of CE with the Yoga Alliance can be earned through this course.
If you think of someone who might be interested in this,
please forward this email to them.
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