Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jasmine Hanson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jasmine , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

In life we are lucky to have sparks of intuition, like fireflies in the night, guiding us on our path to becoming. The first of mine came on a small island in Indonesia, small enough to walk around the perimeter in a few hours.
I found myself in a yin yoga class by accident, usually called to the high intensity power flows. I realized my mistake as the class was beginning. As the teacher guided us back to ourselves through slow movements and long holds, something in me shifted. The support of her words and the yoga props beneath me allowed a sense of calm to wash over my being. Tears flowed down my cheeks for the first time in a long dry spell. I left the class with a hunger to find out what had caused this shift.
I began studying the nervous system and how to support it. The trajectory of my life changed as I began to care and love myself for the first time in my life. A reparenting, if you will.
I have had many sparks of guidance since on my path, trusting each flicker of light in the darkness more with time. I’ve been teaching for many years now and help others meet themselves. Teaching students how to love and care for themselves gives my life deep purpose, and brings the world a bit of peace it desperately needs.

Jasmine , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into yoga in my early 20s out of desperation. Similar to how people seek religion, I was struggling. I had been living with undiagnosed Complex Post Traumatic Stress from the age of 7. Yoga and meditation became my lifeline. I started traveling on my own to India and Indonesia to seek different teachers and ways of calming my system down.
Over the years, my focus has shifted to the nervous system and using yin yoga with breath-work and meditation to help heal my Complex Post Traumatic Stress. I went from high anxiety, poor sleep and digestion, to a space of balance. I began to actually live and breathe into my body. My relationship with myself felt like a garden coming into bloom. I would tend to my garden each day.
Noticing the dramatic changes drove me to hold space and teach this practice to others. I am a vessel for this information to pour from and into anyone that is struggling, like I did for so long.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson echoing through my being lately, is that it’s ok to be seen. I spent most of my childhood through my early 20s hiding. Being invisible was my survival. My childhood, for a period of time was exposed to a step parent that took her anger out on me. I would look for shifts in mood, avoid eye contact and hide with hopes I would be spared. I lived in a state of fear and lost touch with my sparkle. I believe we all have a sparkle and it’s a grave injustice to lose it.
My healing journey has brought this sparkle back. I unlearned that to survive you must shrink and hide. To thrive we must be seen and shine our light.

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

It took me many years to get confident in my teaching. My pivot came when I was back on that small island in Indonesia years later. I was teaching now and had a class of over 30 people. I had to use a microphone, something that would have given me a lot of anxiety in the past. To hear my voice, one that had been silenced for so many years, over the speakers was huge. I sounded strong, confident and, most importantly, peaceful. I watched the biggest class I’d ever taught all relax, breathing together. I saw the safe space I was cultivating with my students. This solidified my life’s work. What I offer is not only helpful but essential.
I believe in this practice and our ability to heal so much, that I’m currently offering a free community yin yoga class at Indah Gallery in Santa Ynez every other Sunday. Healing needs to be accessible to everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jasminehansonyoga.com/

Image Credits

https://www.instagram.com/oliveandgrain_?igsh=amd6YTRtYWx4MTVl

https://www.instagram.com/amberdolyakphotography?igsh=aHF3N2czMDh4ZGg0