Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna “Jo” Heckert.
Hi Joanna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started practicing yoga as a young military spouse. As our military life moved us from place to place, I found grounding and comfort in both the practice of yoga and the community of people I met through yoga. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the practice of yoga transcends every life stage. Regardless of what was happening in my life: bringing our two children into the world, deployments for my spouse, and even the death of loved ones I was always welcome on my mat and found deep nourishment from the time I spent there.
Eventually, I decided to find a teacher training program so that I could share my love of yoga. After several military moves, we landed in North Carolina only a few minutes from a yoga studio offering a teacher training program. What began as one course became two yoga teacher training programs juggled with an unexpected deployment and the usual busy flow of life raising two school-aged children. I graduated from my training programs and immediately started teaching.
I taught weekly classes and pursued more training programs. I took SUP (stand-up paddleboard) yoga teacher training in Wilmington, NC, and aerial yoga teacher training in Durham, NC. I also traveled to the Washington, DC area to take wall yoga teacher training and restorative aerial yoga teacher training. What I discovered, as I continued to hone my teaching and broaden my offerings, was that many of my clients were seeking help to modify their yoga practice for physical challenges and health issues.
I spent much of my time researching how best to modify postures to make them safer and more accessible for my older clients. As I looked for resources to help my clients, I came upon Integrative Yoga for seniors offered through Duke University. After completing this course, I had some new tools in my tool bag and a new lens to view my job as a yoga teacher.
Change is inevitable and happens whether we are ready or not; 2020 proved challenging for everyone, especially small business owners. The military moved us to Beaufort, SC in the time of COVID, and yoga studios everywhere were closing their doors. Although I didn’t feel ready to teach online classes, I realized that my job as a yoga teacher is to hold space for people and if I wasn’t doing that in a time when it was most needed, I was not doing my job. I let go of the fear of not being perfect, not having the best equipment, and not being comfortable on camera and started offering online classes to bring people together as a community.
Overcoming both teacher and student anxiety about sitting in front of a webcam, I quickly discovered that yoga was able to transcend even the chaos of quarantines and social distancing. I taught “yoga & coffee” classes which consisted of a yoga practice followed by conversation over coffee or tea. Practicing together in our newfound online community was an important reminder that we needed to be physically distant from people for a time but never socially distant. We were all craving connection and were able to find that through online yoga. Now, I teach gentle classes online 3 to 4 times a week and don’t see that changing anytime soon. In Beaufort, SC I also teach outdoor classes which means plenty of ventilation and personal space all while enjoying the beauty of the Lowcountry.
Being a mobile yoga studio allows me to offer my services to more people and allows me to keep doing what I love in a way that can handle the challenges life throws at us. My focus is to make yoga accessible, empowering, safe, approachable, and most importantly use it as a tool to enhance not only the mobility but the quality of life for the people I teach.
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?
For me, teaching yoga is a matter of the heart. I teach from my heart, speak from my heart, and believe that I can help people through yoga. Like anything you do when you put yourself out there, it can be uncomfortable.
When you roll out new classes, see attendance dip, or go to a new place and start from scratch you inevitably question whether people like you and what you are offering. When I start to ask those questions, I remind myself that my job is to hold space for people, my classes are about my clients and not about me. I teach the people in front of me and what their specific needs are on a given day.
I keep showing up and I continue to be reminded and amazed that showing up, holding space, and teaching from my heart is all that life ever truly asks of us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Go Yoga Jo is a mobile yoga studio with a variety of classes bringing yoga to clients all over the Lowcountry and anywhere you have the ability to stream a class! You provide the space and I bring the yoga to you! Whether you are local or just vacationing in the area, I teach private and group classes for any occasion: fitness, fun, bachelorette parties, team building, and family reunions.
Not local? I teach online and offer monthly memberships which include access to the growing digital library of classes you can take anytime, anywhere. I teach outdoor yoga classes downtown and in a variety of park settings. With the changing of the season upon us, we are heading into the most wonderful time of year to be outside! Another fun and unique class is my mala-making party. Hosting a mala-making party is a fun and social way to gather with friends and leave with custom malas. I travel to you, provide all the supplies and instruction, and each individual completes their own gemstone necklace.
Of all the things I teach, I am perhaps best known for my gentle yoga classes and my passion for teaching to our senior demographic with care and knowledge for their unique needs. My gentle classes are currently offered online. More information about all of the above can be found at www.goyogajo.com.
What does success mean to you?
I was able to pursue training in an area that I love and have used that training to serve people in my community. Every class I teach I am lucky enough to have people present to share my joy. Teaching has helped me build connection and community everywhere I live – I’d say that is a success.
Pricing:
- $10 – Donation-based classes Tuesday mornings at 9:30 am at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, suggested donation of $10. Stay tuned to Facebook for updates and cancellations.
- $67.50 – One month of unlimited online classes with Jo, access to the growing digital library of classes, and one complimentary class to gift to a friend each month.
- More options and pricing available at: www.goyogajo.com
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.goyogajo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goyogajo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goyogajo/
