Jacquelyn Foster

Yoga Instructor

With over 300 hours of program training and more than 5 years of ongoing teaching experience, Jacquelyn Foster is a multi-skilled instructor certified in numerous styles of yoga. Since earning her RYT 200 certification with Yoga Alliance, the largest nonprofit association in the yoga community, Jacquelyn has continued to teach in various fitness facilities, both small and large. Jackie has also earned her Yin Yoga certification and has been trained in trauma yoga, a practice designed to offer a comfortable and less vulnerable environment for those living with the impact of trauma so that they are best able to become in tune with their body and begin releasing any built-up tension and emotions.

To complete her RYT 200 certification, which earned her the title of a registered yoga teacher with at least 200 hours of approved training, Jackie studied course material from the 5 Educational Categories at an RYS 200, a school that meets Yoga Alliance instructor standards by following a standard 200-hour syllabus. Earning the RYT 200 certification confirms that an individual has successfully completed the minimum amount of study hours in each of these 5 educational categories, along with additional contact and study hours approved by Yoga Alliance.

5 Education Categories

1. Techniques, Training, &  Practice

• Asanas (body postures/poses), pranayamas (breathwork), mantras, and meditation
• Combine both analytical training for how to teach techniques and guided practices of the techniques.

   2.  Teaching Methodology

• Demonstration, observation, assisting, and correction principles
• Various teaching styles and student learning processes
  

   3.  Anatomy & Physiology

• Human physical anatomy and physiology
• Energy anatomy and physiology (chakras)
  

   4.  Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle, & Ethics

• Traditional yoga texts (Yoga Sutras)
• Precept of non-violence and concepts of dharma and karma.
• Yoga teacher-student relationships and community (valuing teaching yoga as a service to others)

   5. Practicum

• Practicing teaching and receiving feedback
• Observing others teaching and giving feedback

   *Contact Hours

• Continued education of the 5 Educational Categories taught exclusively to trainees of the RYS program
• May include discussion, trainee reports on their experiences, related projects

   *Electives

• Standards that support the core curriculum from the 5 Educational Categories
• Some options include Acro Yoga, Aerial Yoga, and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga

Despite the rigorous workload and dedication required to complete any RYT certification, Jackie remained motivated and consistent with her studies and elective practices because of her genuine passion for all topics within the scope of yoga. In addition to the required training hours, Jackie continues to expand her knowledge of yoga and related elements by reading books and studying new methods and arts of teaching, which drive her desire to learn more and more.

Yoga is not the only form of physical fitness that Jacquelyn has trained diligently in for years. Growing up, Jackie remained physically active through competitive cheerleading and dance. After marrying her husband, she soon found a passion for his field of instruction, jiu jitsu. In her experience, jiu jitsu and yoga are in very close alliance, and both have become mind and body meditations for her. Jackie turned to yoga during times of life that felt more troubling than others, times when she deeply longed for a sense of peace that she felt was not present in her life.

“Yoga was all I had. I wanted to do whatever I could to help others like yoga helps me.”

  - Jacquelyn Foster

Jacquelyn has had the opportunity to most closely connect with those she has instructed during her trauma-informed yoga practices. “When teaching, you have to assume that everyone in the space has experienced trauma, and you have to make the environment a safe space the entire time you work along them.” Trauma-informed yoga requires a specific approach that actively addresses the needs and sensitivities of trauma survivors. For example, trauma survivors tend to have more shallow and inconsistent breathing, so it can be incredibly useful to focus on different breathing techniques that allow them to become more aware of the quality of their breathing. Alternate nostril breathing is practiced by breathing through one nostril while holding the opposite nostril closed with their fingers, then alternating.  This breathing practice works to bring a sense of calm and relaxation, while helping participants feel centered by reducing their blood pressure and heart rate.

Jackie describes the opportunities and experiences that she has had teaching trauma-informed yoga as “extremely selfishly healing.” She has found it simple to quickly connect with them and develop an individual bond with each participant, but she has also become overwhelmed at times when her authentic and genuine care for her students results in her also feeling their pain as she guides them to work through their trauma. Jackie not only teaches, but she also learns through others’ successes that result from her teaching. For Jackie, her students’ achievements bring true excitement and joy to her, as she feels good knowing that they feel good.

“It’s always rewarding when they are willing to open their eyes and make

eye contact. That’s when I realize that they trust me and that I’ve helped

them feel that they are in a safe space.”

  - Jacquelyn Foster

When choreographing each track for her classes, Jacquelyn begins with a general “skeleton,” or outline, of the class format and flow, but adjusts during class time as she sees fit to best appeal to the needs and energy of her participants. Her classes generally all begin and end with soft, slower music to warm-up and cooldown the body. Throughout the class, Jackie uses calming music with a peaceful, yet energetic feel with positive words and messages if the tracks are not solely instrumental. Jackie chooses songs that she personally enjoys listening to and that she feels will speak to her class participants. She believes that “with a beautiful chorus comes a beautiful and relaxing song.” Jackie’s classes start with breathwork, which is a continued point of focus for each track and exercise during the entire class. Jackie places great importance on breathwork because she believes that “it carries your mind  and your body through the movements.”

In addition to opening the class with slow, peaceful music and breathwork, Jackie generally incorporates sun salutations to warm up the body. Sun salutations, a sequence of yoga poses, are commonly present at the beginning of Vinyasa flow classes, which are Jackie’s favorite style of yoga to teach. Sun salutations commonly consist of 12 different yoga poses, which pair with 12 different mantras that are spoken while performing the poses. Vinyasa yoga follows breathing patterns and flows as each exercise transitions seamlessly into the next as participants strengthen their core muscles while holding each pose and becoming more physically and mentally aware. Jackie likes to hold each sun salutation pose for 5 breaths, adding more time if she senses that her participants may benefit from additional time in a specific pose or speaking a certain mantra. After sun salutations, Jackie goes through any poses that best fit the theme and energy of her class for that particular day. Different pose focuses include chest openers, hip openers, lower back releases, etc. Peak pose is the most intense segment of her classes and is followed by the ending cooldown segment. Above all, Jackie likes to focus on the moves between the moves, the transitions that make each movement flow and bring the poses together in unison, as a rhythmic dance.

“I come to class ready to teach each person, not to do yoga. I see what participants are  interested in and may benefit from, so I often modify the initial skeleton that I planned.”

  - Jacquelyn Foster 

Jacquelyn describes the practice of yoga as a time to learn where your mind is and where it is going.

It is a place to rewire your brain and to acknowledge your reality by challenging yourself on a physical level to help bring your mental challenges to the surface so they can be better understood and coped with. With each pose, with each mantra, you have the choice to either break down or break through. There are mental blocks in your mind you must face as you move through each pose and challenge yourself in new and foreign ways. Once you identify these physical and mental blocks, you are then able to release them.

“The only way to grow is to be uncomfortable.”

  - Jacquelyn Foster

Aside from yoga, Jacquelyn’s training styles include jiu jitsu, weight lifting, HIIT, stair climbing, and most of all, cycling. She exercises everyday, whether it is cardio to raise the heart rate, or yoga to cool it down and focus more on static poses for muscular strength and stretching. When exercising in any style, Jackie’s primary goal is to continue improving herself and seeing what she can accomplish when she fully dedicates herself to it. It is not about physical appearance for her, but rather about being strong, about feeling powerful and alive. Jackie has found that exercise has a direct correlation with her positive mental well-being, which has allowed her to be a better mom, wife, and instructor.

When she’s not teaching yoga, Jacquelyn is studying it in her free time. Yoga is her main healer that has rewired her brain and completely altered her self-perception in the best way. Jackie trusts that “to heal you have to feel.” Regardless of how busy she may be and how preoccupied she is with her to-do list, Jackie finds time each day to practice yoga, whether it’s for 2 minutes or a short silent meditation. Ideally, Jackie practices yoga outside, where she can put her bare feet on the natural ground and grass to become fully in tune with her senses.

Jacquelyn continues her formal yoga education by attending frequent training sessions and seminars from various yoga instructors that she admires. Her own teacher, Kelly, is her greatest inspiration in regard to her yoga practices. Jackie joins Kelly’s advanced private classes twice a week, which she eagerly looks forward to. Jackie’s favorite yoga classes are those in which participants are encouraged to make the experience personal by honoring their own bodies with modifications. For Jackie, it is necessary to rid of your ego and any expectations that you may have of yourself to perform the most “correct” or “graceful” movements, and to instead do only what you need in that moment. “When you can go into a class and not pay any attention to those around you and just do what your body asks for that day, you will be the most transformed.”

When she initially began teaching yoga, Jacquelyn was not a fan of large studio settings because she felt that it was difficult to focus on each person individually and to connect with them. In a smaller studio, she can walk around the room more easily and attend to each participant. Jackie also understands that walking into a yoga studio for the first time can be intimidating because many people have the common misconception that they will be expected to perform “intense supermodel moves.” So Jackie has grown to appreciate the experience of yoga in large studios because people are more prone to try a new style of fitness that they may be completely unfamiliar with, but are willing to just give it a shot regardless of any lack of experience.

To all the beginners and advanced yogis: Jacquelyn advises you to focus on one thing above all, consistency. For her, that’s the first step to make a change and that’s the key factor in continuing to grow and improve. She encourages all to do whatever their body can give each day, even when they feel that it is not much. “Consistency is the hardest, but it’s exactly what you need.”