Jennalea, Yoga Teacher, South Yarra

What is your hometown?
I grew up in Gippsland in Traralgon and Churchill, but would refer to Yinnar as home, a tiny country town where my family home is now.

Where did you complete your teacher training?
I completed my 200HR with Power Living Australia. I have also done an immersion with Laughing Lotus, Mysan Sidbo Yin Training and trained with Maty Ezraty from Yoga Works.

What are three words that describe your teaching style?
Powerful, Nurturing and Down-to-Earth.

What is the #1 thing you love about yoga?
Empowerment. Recognising my own strength and abilities is a really powerful experience. It’s a combination of the mental and physical barriers yoga helps me overcome.

If you had to pick, what’s your favourite pose and why?!
I go through phases because my body feels different week to week, lately my favourites have been low lunge because of the deliciousness in the hips and I am enjoying a simple forward fold to release back tension. Yoga poses aren’t about complexity, the best, most effective ones are always the most simple IMO!

Who are you inspired by?
Friends, my boyfriend, fellow teachers, students… I follow on social media various yoga and fitness accounts which I find inspire me to move in certain ways. I love listening to Podcasts on movement and health for inspiration too, Bulletproof radio is a good one, Keegan Smith is very inspiring and Onnit have great guests on their PC. Dr Rhonda Fitzpatrick also inspires me, her wealth of knowledge and concepts with health are amazing.

Favourite line from a movie?
This is a hard one. There’s so many from Mean Girls, Night at the Roxbury or Scary Movie(s) that are so good to quote and Biodome haha.. I can’t pick just one. And they’re so mini, “she doesn’t even go here” “free mahi mahi” “emiliiiooo” haha so many movie “quotes” become inside jokes too so good.

How do you like to “treat yo self?”
Maybeeee Messina or a doughnut haha. I am a sucker for sweets. I love treating myself to an interesting, deep and delicious bottle of red wine, a nice meal out and sometimes a massage or new clothes.