OH, SO YOU DO THE BENDING!?

Greetings Reader! You are one of the lucky few that are taking a glimpse into the origins of Hippie House Yoga Studio and what I believe to be another wonderful addition to the Yoga Gems that can be found all over the State Capital of Arkansas. My name is Jordan but I also go by JoJo or Mimsy:) I am the Studio Manager and Co-owner of Hippie House Yoga Studio.

I was raised in and developed my yoga practice while in Fort Worth Texas before spending a short time in Memphis Tennessee where I trained a year with the legendary Arline Jernigan and then ultimately dug roots down into Little Rock Arkansas.

Early in my Life Power Yoga Teacher Training back in 2018 I was able to see immediately the dedication and commitment many of the amazing Studio Managers and Teachers had for Yoga but also guests and students that showed up to the mat. I keep that with me up until today.

Collectively I have over 10 years’ experience in public education and physical activity. I believe it’s important to challenge yourself physically while also challenging your sense of awareness, ego, and perception associated with the physical world.

Self-awareness can be so enlightening in the most hilarious of ways. The ego death I experienced during a heated yoga class in San Francisco, I’ll never forget, literally put me in an out-of-body experience, in a pool of my own sweat, where I felt I had a breakthrough when a good 2 years of knowledge up to that point hadn’t passed the barrier of my ego to continue to elevate as a spiritual being and as a healthy individual, to let me be able to continue learning as a student.

Over time I have grown to love and appreciate the philosophy and duality of Yin and Yang which has sustained my personal practice that I look forward to sharing more.

I believe yoga is fundamentally political and cannot by definition be apolitical or neutral. The Five Yoga Precepts’ underlying message is to be aware of the suffering of others and being determined and influenced with Love to prevent and condemn the suffering of others, never being complicit or silent in the face of suffering. Social inactivity, is not what comes to mind when I think of yoga. My personal ancestry, rooted in Hoodoo and native plant medicine, I seek to carry on a tradition that emphasizes cultivating a space of physical and mental liberation, a return to mind-body connection and healing of Black Americans that feel suffocated by white supremacy and anti-Blackness experienced by many today. Unfortunately in many mainstream wellness and mindful practices, gatekeeping and discrimination have become far too prevalent in communities built around themes of coexistence and acceptance.

I hope past all the drama Hippie House Yoga Studio could be somewhere to drop our emotional and physical roadblocks and develop a community that feels like home.

If you made it this far thank you so much for reading! More updates coming:)