We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jasmine Hunt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jasmine, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Becoming a wellness practitioner looks very different for every individual. For me, learning my craft came to me at a time in which I needed it most. It started as a therapeutic process — in a yoga studio. I was 21 at the time and going through things as most of us do in our early stages of life. Yoga was not only about the asana (or pose), it was about the practice and the restoration I experienced. Yoga aided me in the healing of my heart, my neural connectivities and my mind-body. It changed my habits. So I began to learn this practice from a non-judging place where I had no expectations to “succeed” or “be the best”. That was how I felt inspired to become a yoga instructor.

After completing my teacher training, I couldn’t help but feel that there was something missing from my education. Over time, my heightened awareness compelled me to question the wellness industry and all of its practices. As a Black and Asian woman, it became so apparent that yoga and many wellness educators perpetuated the practice through a very toxic, colonized lens. Tons of appropriation, lack of access to wellness experiences for the BIPOC community and very limited representation among our yoga teachers.

I had to learn to think for myself and to stick to that mindset. I knew that if I was experiencing the divide, that there were many other practitioners and students feeling the same. I learned to think for myself and developed my own style of teaching. It was centered around connecting to the roots of our ancestry, it was heavy on self-love and most importantly to empower underrepresented communities.

When I went on to develop a yoga and mindfulness course for policing professionals in 2017, it was a divine odyssey for me. I was working in a highly male-dominated majority culture community. For the first time, I had to activate my wellness knowledge and use my own body wisdom to guide me through the journey. I was building a curriculum for healing among the policing profession and it taught me a lot about ethics, fears and internal challenges. I will say it was one of the hardest, most rewarding periods in my life. It gave me a platform to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and true servant leadership.

What I believe to be the most essential skill would be to listen to the self. Study the self. Really know where you came from in order to define your purpose. So many of us struggle to find our purpose and all we have to do is be in community with our ancestors and ourselves. It takes cultivating love around and finding your village. It also takes discipline and investment of time. Lastly, you must have a voice in this work. Speaking up and creating space for yourself is absolutely essential.

Obstacles will always present themselves. As I mentioned before, we as black and brown bodies are working everyday to dismantle systemic structures and barriers. The biggest obstacle is finding the right resources and teachings. As yoga and wellness practitioners, we can improve when we come together and share our stories. Don’t let the fear of your dreams prevent you from taking the first step.

Jasmine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Jasmine. I am a Yoga Practitioner and Wellness Educator. I began my yoga journey in 2011, launched my wellness blog in 2016 and started teaching in 2017. I offer several services — yoga sessions, wellness education rooted in diversity and decolonization, and wellness-beauty event hosting. I instruct all around DFW at various organizations, agencies, wellness gatherings, recreation centers, private sessions and residential areas.

My work is deeply focused on creating brave spaces for people to embrace their roots and engage in ancestral, physical and mental healing. I am also focused on serving two populations:

— uniting and uplifting underrepresented or at-risk communities through wellness education
— providing the tools and strategies for professionals to optimize workplace wellness and performance potential

I am most proud of my black, asian, indigenous and female identity. I want my clients to know that my classes are built around creating equity, liberation and healing in all bodies. I have also worked with an array of clients including student athletes, youth, geriatric students, and law enforcement officials. Having practiced internationally and across the U.S., my classes combine a variety of health and wellness topics beyond yoga including brain health, diet, epigenetics, meditation, stress management and diversity within the wellness space.

I obtained my Master’s Degree in Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution from Southern Methodist University in 2013 along with Certifications in Mediation and Domestic Relations. I also received a Bachelor’s Degree in International Political Economy from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2011.

To learn more about my work, visit lifeonamat.com or follow @swirlybae.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting is part of life. It’s part of our personal growth and we must always work on answering our calling so that we can reach our fullest potential. For me, it was last year. The pandemic of course shifted my classes to online modalities and I was doing well. But in my career, it was time for me to also create greater alignment. I was working in continuing education and wanted to shift my career towards diversity, equity and inclusion. After all, it is the foundation of my wellness practice. I felt that it would help me become a more informed educator and would allow me to build crossover skillsets that I could utilize in my yoga work as well as my diversity work. I was in a deep fear of change at that time. I wasn’t sure what the future would hold for me and if making a change would be worth it in the end. But with a strong support system and a partner who has always been by my side, I was able to shift my career into the DEI space. I took the leap! Taking the leap is about risk. It’s about not knowing what will come of our choices and betting on ourselves anyway.

Being in the diversity space has been the most gratifying and rewarding experience of my life and I’m grateful that I believed in myself. I think that is why it’s so empowering and important for us to recognize when change is needed to create space for ourselves as we move through that transition.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what helped me to build my reputation was sticking to my authentic self. I was never one to do tons and tons of collaborations in the beginning because I always strive to maintain the integrity of my work. I am selective of where I represent myself and my business. I also don’t take shortcuts in my education and learning journey. It is imperative for me to “come with it” and to back up my practices by having a strong knowledge in wellness history, holistic practices, science and decolonized yoga teachings. I spend a lot of time and investment in truly educating myself and observing what is needed within the communities that I serve. Last year I took a huge break from social media to recalibrate my practice and relaunch my website. I think that when you have authenticity and a genuine heart, you will make an impact on others and that is where people begin to respect your reputation. It’s not about being seen in every space. But you do have to show up as your best self and that’s what I think people remember most about me when they take my class.

Contact Info:

• Website: lifeonamat.com
• Instagram: swirlybae
• Facebook: facebook.com/MYLIFEONAMAT
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/itsjasminehunt
• Twitter: swirlybae