PHILLY JAWNS LOVE YOGA
PHILLY JAWNS LOVE YOGA was born in 2020. I decided to lead donation-based virtual classes for our underrepresented people to come together to move, breathe, be in community by way of yoga, meditation, and self inquiry journaling. It was a time that our BIPOC communities were undergoing (and continue to be) discrimination, underrepresentation, loss and grief.
Yoga should be accessible to and for EVERYONE.
I became frustrated with studios and classes that are not authentically inclusive, diverse, nor do they represent underrepresented communities. Most of the spaces are in our communities & folks are charging mad money to move, breathe and be in community. There are folks that come into our neighborhoods building studios and taking up spaces where our BIPOC brothers and sisters have lived for years and years for clout and money and don’t put anything into supporting, lifting or resourcing the community.
My mission & vision is to create a courageous, safe, community space for ALL people to come together in wellness, love, support & grace no matter abilities, backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, etc.
I am dedicated to sharing the practice of yoga as a means of connection to cultivate love, community, support, & wellness.
There is no studio or space that I operate from; PHILLY is my studio space.
All classes are donation based. Special events may have a small fee but no one is turned away!
My Story: Mi Historia
My name is Amy and I am an Afro-Latina, Philly born and bred educator, mother, certified mindfulness instructor and yoga teacher- leader who is dedicated to serving humans through the practice of yoga, meditation, writing and mindfulness practices. My mission has always been to create a courageous, safe, community space for ALL people to come together in wellness, love, support & grace.
I am dedicated to guiding, supporting, and empowering our underrepresented communities, youth, families, educators, and adults by way of yoga, mindfulness practices, writing, art, and other transformative skills to gain self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation, community, focus and resilience, leading to success and personal transformation in their lives.
I began my yoga journey in 2003, my senior year of undergrad at Temple University. During this time my family was going through a lot of challenges and grief. After taking a deep interest in the study and practice of Buddhism, my professor suggested I take yoga as a means of coping with depression, body image issues, anxiety and toxic thoughts. After graduating, I decided to become a High School Arts & Humanities teacher, solely working in North Philadelphia’s alternative schools, serving under-served students who had undergone trauma, dropped out of school, were incarcerated, became parents at an early age, did not have a support system at home, and other unfortunate traumatic life altering situations. The classroom became a safe space for my students to authentically be themselves, share their stories, and a space of awareness for me. I began to emotionally and mentally feel myself trapped when I would go home, thinking about my students and how I could support them just as yoga had supported me.
I left the classroom in 2017 to pursue a role as a Director of Mindfulness Programs for a non-profit. During this time, my personal life was in shambles. I lost my boyfriend of a year to substance abuse. I went through 3 years of spiritual, mental and emotional darkness. I found myself in a state of depression that I never wanted to speak about and hid from my daughter, friends and family.
I moved into the city and found a yoga studio that practiced a methodology that spoke to me: asana, meditation and self inquiry. My depression, anxiety, insomnia, and negative thoughts all began to subside. I knew that my way of service and support to the community was to become a yoga teacher. I wanted to share this gift and method that had pulled me through the darkness in my life. Through the power of yoga and meditation I knew this could be a breakthrough for others just as it was for me.
Aside from teaching yoga, I offer workshops and programs that provide mindfulness, social emotional learning tools and practices for youth, families and educators.
I recently resigned as the Wellness Director for a K-8 charter school in North Philly and will be back in the classroom this year!
I teach Power Yoga for all levels, all bodies, Yoga for Recovery, Youth & Kids Yoga, and Yin Yoga. I am currently the Wellness Director for a charter school in Philly. As director, I create and facilitate mindfulness programs for the teachers, staff and students.
I received my RYT200 hour certification through Grace & Glory Yoga, a Baptiste Yoga affiliated school in Philadelphia's Fishtown community. I am a certified Baptiste Power Yoga Instructor as well as a certified trauma informed instructor.