Today we’d like to introduce you to Raquel (Jordan) Berkett.
Raquel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started as a performing artist. I moved to New York City to study at a conservatory for musical theatre. It was there, through my voice instructor, that I was first introduced to Yoga. She encouraged me to take a class, she was a cancer survivor. On her journey to healing, she discovered Yoga and found complimentary correlations to yoga and voice work in what we do for the pelvic floor and diaphragmatic breathing. She was suggesting Yoga would help me to connect to deeper dimensions of my body, and therefore, help me access the power of my voice (I have realized this literally and metaphorically speaking). Fast forward a decade later and moving to LA… Years of dabbling in and out of a yoga practice and trying all types of yoga, I found my teachers and decided to do a teacher training. At the time, I wasn’t certain I would become a teacher, but immediately after completing my training I was leading classes for friends and eventually teaching at a studio in Echo Park.
I have always been fascinated by the practice, its roots and its sciences and I never stop learning. After a few years of teaching, I came to the conclusion that if I were to answer the initial “why” I want to be a yoga teacher, I would have to learn about trauma and its effects on the mind + body. I realized that no one person can get through this life without experience SOME form of trauma. It is interwoven in our human experience and I want to serve people (and myself), through Mindful Yoga, in knowing this truth. I came to this practice to heal and in turn, guide others in their healing journey. So I did and am doing just that! Since I have become a teacher, I have had the opportunity to work with a vast range of ages and abilities (from four years old to 80 years old). I have gotten involved with at risk youth programs and worked at a residential treatment center for women who have experienced all types of trauma. I know this work is not for everyone, and definitely not for the faint of heart. I recognize that this is work that I am called to do, that I am equipped to face and that inspires my life and continues to open my heart everyday, not only to the pain from the human experience but to the resilience and strength of the human soul.
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?
Not so smooth or linear. For the first few years, I had to juggle working a nanny job while teaching as many classes as I could handle. It was not always easy, keeping myself financially afloat. You have to really love this work because it is not always easy. I also noticed that as soon as I was initiated into being a teacher, all my shit came up. I was to walk the talk, I needed to practice what I preach.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a yoga teacher that specializes in mindfulness practices (like yin, meditation and yoga nidra) and trauma resilience work. I am most proud of the resilience work I practice and teach. It is the hardest kind of work because you don’t see immediate transformation. It is something you have practice consistently and with an open heart. I love weaving creativity and imagination into my teaching. I am also a fan of archetypical psychology. Story is one of the oldest forms of human communication and passing down of information. We remember stories more than we do statements read from a textbook. I weave story into my work. In the form of personal story, I share from my own life and metaphors held by them, as well as myths and fairy tales that reflect insight for my teaching.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Podcasts: Tara Brach, Sounds True: Insights At The Edge, The Moth, Liberated Being
Books: The Book Of Awakening by Mark Nepo, The Yoga Sutras, Letters To A Young Poet, The Body Keeps The Score
Journals: Practice You by Elena Brower, Clever Fox
Pricing:
- Online (public) classes: $10-$35
- Yoga Nidra Practices (pre-recorded) for purchase on my website: $11-$26
Contact Info:
- Website: RaquelJordanYoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raqueljordanyoga/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd6FTVr4cI9kFucOgWMTeBA
Image Credits:
Photographers: Abbey Drucker, Tanya Alexis and Siouxzen Kang
