Daily Inspiration: Meet Jessica Brewer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Brewer.

Jessica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I live, teach yoga, and travel full-time in a 1975 vintage RV, her name is Luana, and my partner and I fully renovated her with our bare hands. We did this with no prior experience in construction of any kind.

A little about me: I have had a job since I was 15 years old, even through college, I was working. A packed schedule and perfectionism felt ingrained and obligatory. My very first job was as a gymnastics coach, little did I know, teaching intentional movement is where I would always find the most joy. But rewind to the start of this 6-year adventure, back in good ol’ 2020. 2020 hit, and for the first time in my adult life, I had time. Time to reflect, time to breathe, time to feel yoga in my body, to dance, to create, and to learn in a meaningful way. Time to think about what I actually wanted without the soul-drain of the rat race knocking on my door. So after being cooped up in a 500-square-foot apartment in LA, I said “f it” and took a trip to the Grand Canyon. I stayed in a retrofitted bus in the desert with llamas on the property. I was in heaven. The next day I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time. Only a 6-hour drive from LA, and I had *thought* I never had the time to see it. There is something about the Grand Canyon- a magic- but what I didn’t expect was that it would be so incredibly humbling. It became a mirror for me of all the wonders of life I was letting pass me by, because why? Well, for the first time, I couldn’t come up with an answer. When I looked into the depths of that insane space that has been there long before me and will be there long after I am gone, it reflected the most raw sense of freedom that I had ever felt. And that freedom became a dream, a mantra, and a goal that took me down a path I never expected.

This dream became a process that included a lot of side steps, like getting a bigger place and making career changes, thinking money could motivate me, because maybe that would all fill the void that only freedom could. And of course, it didn’t. I finally knew I needed to be moving and shaking. So, I started looking at RV’s, for months, they all felt wrong. Until I found her. You can’t miss Luana, she’s truly one of a kind. She has a Frank Frazetta-inspired mural on one side of a wild woman riding a saber-tooth tiger and on the other, a fierce wild rattlesnake, done by the incredible LA muralist Shaun Burner. It’s based on a Frazetta painting for an old Italian B-movie. The poster reads, “Luana, as savage as the beasts who raised her.” UM, yes, that’s it; that’s the feeling I want! My partner, Tyler Box, is an artist, so when I showed him, he recognized the art right away, and even had a reference book with the exact poster! It felt so right. 3 days later, we drove up to Sacramento, and she was ours. Longer story, but Luana was also originally from LA and even has a Hollywood bumper sticker to boot.

Then began the best 6-month renovation endeavor that ended up taking 2.5 years to finish. While her engine was (and is) next to perfect, the inside was just….not. I think our final count on leaks was 47, and so much of the wood structure was rotted because of severe water damage. We tore everything out, I mean everything. We rebuilt almost the entire frame all the way down to the wheel wells. It wasn’t until probably 6 months ago that we were able to get to the fun stuff of making it look as cool on the inside as she did on the outside. Would it have been easier to get a fully loaded newer RV? Yes. But easy was not the point.

It was 2.5 years of hard, head-down, and often lonely work. But also, it became super satisfying (in theory) to be slowly birthing a dream from conception to the tangible act of building, hammer-and-nail style. But in practice, it was extremely dirty, gritty, and frankly really difficult manual labor. For someone born and raised in LA, who loves her comforts, it was a beautiful lesson in the journey of getting comfortable with being very, very uncomfortable….. All this while, I was still working full-time to keep the dream afloat. Most days, I felt so tired; crying even seemed out of reach. But man, the excitement and hope kept me pushing. I was chasing a feeling.

While all this was happening, in the background, there was always yoga. Pretty much since I stopped gymnastics at 13, I was doing yoga. There was something about it that always felt so familiar in my body. It was kind yet held me accountable to myself in the deepest way. Flash to 2020, when all these revelations were happening about needing a major lifestyle change; that was also the start of knowing I was meant for something so much more than sitting behind a computer screen. Since college, I was always drawn to the events world because I loved creating an experience for people, but the actual day-to-day work of it often felt trite and didn’t quite light that Grand Canyon fire in me; but there was a semblance of what I thought I wanted, so I did it nonetheless. In 2020, I discovered what I really wanted was to do my part, help people, and make a meaningful impact in their day-to-day lives. GREAT. There’s about a million ways to “help people.” Also, so many ways to interpret that, and trust me, mentally, I tried them all.

I just knew I needed to find a way that felt authentic to me. I knew physicality (moving my body) was where I felt most creative and joyful, so that had to be part of it. I wanted to help others in a way that felt personal, whimsical, and again, inspired freedom. And let me tell you, I could not figure it out. For years, there was so much self-exploration, so many books, and what felt like hitting my head against a wall. What would I do every single day to escape the noise of this endless chase for “purpose” in my own brain, yoga. But no, it couldn’t be that right?

I considered so many things, going back to school for dance therapy, starting a non-profit that was a community space where people could connect through art, music, and movement. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. One day, I heard a voice in my mind, “it’s time.” I immediately knew what it was referring to. For years, I had wanted to do yoga teacher training, but I always had so much going on that it never felt possible. But it was indeed time. Funny enough, I still wasn’t like, “This is it! Clocking in for my purpose!” I just knew in my bones it was time. It was simple; it was calm. Sometimes it’s so hard to see what is meant for you, even if it’s been right in front of you the whole time. My childhood neighbor, dear friend, and mentor is the most epic yoga teacher and healer out there. So of course, I couldn’t imagine doing my training with anyone but her. Shout-out to Suzy Nece and Shelley Williams at the Greenhouse Yoga Collective in Palos Verdes. Their humor, passion, and pure love for helping others through yoga have changed my life. It’s honestly hard to capture the words for how truly badass these two women are. Could write a novel.

Anyways, there was a specific day in that training where everything just clicked. OH, this is it. A real ah ha moment. Filled with tears and a lot of laughter because it all just made so much sense. The RV, the traveling, the freedom, the movement, and even all my experience in the events world, just came together like the last piece of a 1000-piece puzzle. After that training, I also trained in different styles and modalities, including Yin and Zen Thai Massage. I will be a forever student of the endless well that is yoga. After that, I started teaching, doing classes, privates, workshops, and now retreats. If I can help even one person feel a little better in their body, mind, and soul, then I did what I am here for. I am standing at the Grand Canyon, and I am free.

As of a month ago, I have officially started my life on the road, traveling, exploring in Luana, learning A LOT, and having the opportunity to teach yoga on the road in national parks surrounded by the vibration of aliveness. So to all the big hearted people out there who care a lot and feel bogged down by the state of the world, the rat race, the AI overlord garbage, I heavily encourage a take life by the balls approach, now more than ever. Dream BIG. Breathe. Slow down. Make the real, long, and often painstaking effort to bring your dream into existence. The time matters, the missteps are part of the right steps, and the result ain’t nothing without the journey walked and hammer swung.

And an online platform is coming soon as well. Currently, I’m headed to the Oregon Coast to support the Untethered Yoga retreat with Courtney Cole. After that, look out for Luana in National Parks all over the West Coast; if you see her, expect to also see a downdog, art easel, and some forest fairies in close proximity.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was anything but smooth, and truthfully it still isn’t smooth, but it isn’t supposed to be, and that’s part of the adventure. At crucial moments, the universe aligned the most important steps in my pathway, often in the most magical and serendipitous ways. But then, when it came to the actual work of following through, there was every challenge you could imagine. My journey building the RV was very similar to that of finding my passion for sharing/teaching yoga. There is the feeling when you start off, you know in your gut it’s the right thing. Then the real work starts. The long, hard hours of dedication and commitment that make you question everything. It is a real fight with the ego of what you think something is vs the reality of what it takes to get there. So learning to fall in love with reality while tempering the ego was/is the biggest challenege of them all. And something I still work on every day.

Every time I learn a new modality or practice within the yoga or wellness sphere, I am challenged in new and different ways. There are always new mental mountains to climb, new required bodily awareness to navigate, and a curious spirit that is ignited. But somewhere along the way, I learned easy is not the point. It never was.

When I first bought the RV, I thought it was going to be a 6 month project. I knew I wanted to do a lot of the work on it, but I very much thought I would have to hire contractors/experts for certain things. We hired one contractor to reseal the roof; they completely botched it and ghosted us. From that moment on, I knew it was on us. A hard and expensive lesson that luckily we only had to learn once. Then, when we would work on it day in and day out, I remember thinking, “Can just one thing be easy?” The answer was no; I can honestly say, there was not a single project that wasn’t difficult in one way or another. If that sounds insane, you can imagine how much crazier it felt. Also, navigating using power tools with very small hands is a whole thing. They were not made for us ladies, and yet, as always, we persist! And eventually, you realize that everything is just made out of stuff, you just have to figure out how the stuff fits together. All that to say, I wouldn’t change any of it. The knowledge I have from every single moment of the past 6 years of searching, experimenting, and struggling is deeply meaningful and has put me where I am now.

If you are a seeker, an adventurer, and a dreamer, then you know that struggle isn’t far behind at all times. I have so much gratitude for the difficulties; they made me a better problem solver, a kinder human, and gave me lots of funny stories to tell. One of the most interesting questions we got from several people was the assumption of, “So you have done this before?” Of course, the answer was no; I was learning something new every day. But what a beautiful reminder that was: that yes, I had never done this before, and I was doing it anyway.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
A huge part of the dream of traveling, exploring, and being on the road full time was being able to share this sacred practice outside the 4 walls of a traditional studio setting and navigating the challenges and opportunites that come with that as well. Of which there are many.

The word Yoga, is much like the word Art. There is a vast sea of meanings, types, and specialties that are held within it. The root word of Yoga is “to yoke” which means to connect. So in the Western world of 100-degree yoga studios, very tight pants, and rock hard yoga bods, my take on yoga is honoring the root: the connection and the loving nature within us all. And to me, the easiest way to connect with the deeper part of yourself is in nature. The pulse of the ground, wind on the trees, and sounds of the forest guide the practice.

My offerings are much more in line with a workshop than a more typical yoga class. I want every offering to feel like a mini retreat and a home coming. I often switch up the structure, but one might look like, starting with the breathe (Prana), which then guides the movement (Asana), the movement challeneges the ego and reminds us to get very real with where we are at in that moment. I offer hands on assists and moments of Zen Thai massage throughout. Being surrounded by the natural world, and the sounds of pure life help facilitate that special experience of coming home to yourself. Lastly after the ending meditation, I also love to incorporate a creative and/or journaling section to round out the experience as a whole.

Any big plans?
I’m really looking forward to growing a community of those equally as afflicted with wanderlust and curiosity. And of course, I’m excited to travel and share these ancient practices with having nature as the guiding influence. As I continue, I would also love to build an online community so these elements and beautiful spaces can be shared with a larger audience for those who don’t have acessibility to the outdoors. The goal is to share the tools I’ve learned, and continue to learn to help support people in knowing that they have everything they need within them to heal, grow, and connect.

Long-term, the big dream is to find a property along the way, specifically in a community that doesn’t have the same access to wellness, art, bodywork, and creative outlets. It is there that I want to build out a wellness wonderland, with daily yoga in nature, art classes, and workshops that help people feel a little more of the magic that is being alive.

Pricing:

• Pre-Hike Morning Yoga: Community Class – Free/Donation based
• Nature Yoga Private: $135/session
• Nature Yoga/Zen Thai Private: $250/session
• Specialty Workshops: $45-$125
• Group Yoga class: $35/class

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindroveryoga.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: @mindrovermatter