Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Winderl.
Jessica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got to where I am today through a lot of hard work, perseverance, and passion. I love yoga, and once it became a part of my life in my mid-20s, I never looked back! I had tried yoga once as a teenager with my mom, and hated it. But after I tried it again as an adult, I walked out of that first yoga studio and just thought “wow, I do yoga now”. The feeling of peace and calm I had was so powerful. The reality was that I hadn’t thought about anything else in my life during that class, because I was so focused and present. So I jumped right into my yoga journey as a student, taking as many classes and workshops as I could find until I eventually started taking teacher trainings. At this time, I moved to SLC from Aspen, CO and was like a kid in the candy store with so many studios and teachers around! I eventually quit my day job and started teaching yoga full time — studio classes, workshops, and teacher trainings. I also started teaching at yoga festivals in the US and Europe, and was an ambassador for several yoga brands.
In 2015 I founded my own yoga school, the Atman Yoga School, which offers 200 Hour Vinyasa + Ayurveda Yoga Teacher Trainings and 340 Hour Advanced Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Trainings, as well as weekend Restore + Yoga Nidra Teacher Trainings. To date, we have graduated hundreds of students from our school, and I am proud to offer quality yoga education that is inspiring and supports students not just in becoming confident teachers, but also in living their yoga off the mat.
Currently, we are the largest independent vinyasa yoga school in Norway, but I still teach yoga in Salt Lake City, Idaho, online, and in Europe. I travel a lot! I also run my side business, which is yoga teacher mentoring programs. I work 1-1 with teachers who need a mentor to help them either develop their teaching skills more, or need help getting their business going. I love mentoring teachers directly and being able to share my knowledge and experience in a more practical way with teachers who want to make this a career.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nope! Being an entrepreneur is probably the hardest job I can think of. There are a million problems to troubleshoot, and if you can’t find a way to stay motivated, your business will fail. Even though my “job” is teaching yoga, my real job is behind the scenes — admin, billing, taxes, website, social media, scheduling, customer service, building my team, etc. I also had three really big things happen since I started my business, which impacted me deeply. The first was being diagnosed with a rare kind of cancer called synovial sarcoma in 2016 (shoutout to the AMAZING doctors at Huntsman Cancer Institute!), the second was immigrating to Norway (and navigating culture shock and starting a business in a language I didn’t know), and the third was having my son during the isolation and fear of the pandemic in July 2020. But my practices of yoga and Ayurveda always give me a framework and foundation to navigate the challenges of life, of which I am always aware and grateful.
As you know, we’re big fans of Atman Yoga School. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Atman Yoga School specializes in yoga teacher trainings. We train students to become confident, inspiring, safe, and dynamic yoga teachers, supported by the wisdom of Ayurveda and yoga philosophy. We are known for offering a warm, supportive, and inclusive environment to learn yoga and to be part of a community that welcomes you as you are. What sets us apart is our big emphasis on learning and integrating the teachings of Ayurveda and yoga philosophy into our lives, through the lens of the modern yogi. What is most important is making the practice work for us, and being able to live our yoga off the mat. The goal isn’t to be able to do handstands (although that is fun!), it is to find a sense of balance, contentment, and stability in our lives.
In addition to our trainings + workshops, our online platform is getting ready to launch. Our platform features short, on-demand yoga teacher trainings on topics like Ethics, the Yamas and Niyamas, the Business of Yoga, Intro to Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Self-Care Rituals, the Language of Yoga, and so many other trainings related to teaching skills.
In 2023 we are excited to be hosting more international retreats in beautiful European locations.
And season 6 of our yoga + wellness podcast, One Sacred Pause, is about to launch.
Finally, in May 2023, my first book “Ayurveda for a Conscious Lifestyle” will be published!
So, lots of exciting things coming up. <3
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I am kind of old school and prefer to use a notepad and pen for most of my work. But of course, I use tons of programs/platforms to keep my business running! I love books and podcasts, but use them mostly just for fun in my downtime.
Although I will say, YouTube has been a lifesaver for me over the years. Anything I don’t know how to do tech-wise, I just watch a video on and learn how to do!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.atmanyogaschool.com
- Instagram: jessicawinderl
- Other: www.jessicawinderl.com
Image Credits
Elise Gulestol (Northern Bohemian Photography)
