About
Yoga isn’t about achieving a particular shape in a posture, it isn’t even about the posture, yoga is not something that can be seen from the outside. The practice of yoga happens on the inside when we bring attention to our experience of moving both mind and body towards greater self-awareness.
~ Jenn Skelton, RePose
Hi, I’m Jenn (she/her/hers) and I’ve been practicing yoga for more than 20 years and teaching since 2004. After experiencing a pelvic floor injury in 2011, and at that time also witnessing many long-time yoga teachers I know struggle with hip, hamstring and shoulder injuries, I began questioning the approach to practicing yoga postures that I had been taught. It was an approach that focused on repetitive movements and sequencing, pelvic floor engagement in the poses, flexibility over strength & stability, and the use of specific alignment for each pose for every body, supposedly for safety and to prevent injury.
My journey led me to study pelvic health, anatomy, biomechanics (how forces affect biology), pain science, the nervous system, exercise science & rehab, and interoception (awareness of the state of our physiology and emotions), learning from physiotherapists, biomechanists, yoga therapists and movement scientists outside of mainstream western yoga. I developed a more critical and discerning lens for evaluating and questioning what I had learned about yoga, the body, alignment and safety. I also developed a greater appreciation for all aspects of the practice of yoga – including yoga’s guiding principles for life (yamas and niyamas), and powerful tools for the mind (self-awareness, mindfulness & breath practices), and more.
Yoga therapy uses the Pancha Maya Kosha Model to acknowledge the many interacting layers of our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual selves. In science the biopsychosocial (+spiritual) model also acknowledges different interacting aspects of the whole person. Both of these models show us that we can have an impact on any aspect of ourselves through any other aspect of ourselves.
As my practice became more mindful, I started seeing where my yoga practice had been reinforcing “blind spots” rather than leading to greater awareness and change. It was life-changing. By integrating science research with the wisdom of the yoga tradition my entire being feels stronger, more capable and more resilient.
If you’re ready for a mind-body approach to yoga and movement, grounded in both science and tradition, and that honours your body’s amazing resilience while supporting your unique and personal experience, you’ve landed in the right place!
Some of the Areas I specialize in:
- Pelvic Health;
- Chronic Pain;
- Prenatal & Postnatal;
- Stress, Anxiety & the Nervous System;
- Strength & Mobility;
- Restorative Yoga;
- Understanding Alignment & Movement Blind Spots;
- Foot Health & Transitioning Footwear;
- Developing Specialized Practices for Individuals.
Find out more about working with me privately!
Some Guiding Principles at RePose
At RePose I strive to offer a holistic approach, supporting the connection between mind and body.
Our nervous system LOVES new and novel movements that challenge the mind and the body. Exploring different alignment in the poses, diversifying sequencing, and trying out new movements are some of the things encouraged at RePose.
The refinement is not about what the pose looks like on the outside but about the internal experience during the process of moving there. Finding the work, bringing awareness to our movement blind spots, and learning to activate muscles may mean less visible movement towards what we think the pose is supposed to look like in order to experience those activations.
Rest and relaxation is essential for mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Taking time to practice doing nothing is not only productive but essential! You’ll find Restorative yoga classes at RePose and in active classes you’ll be encouraged to rest when your body needs it and reminded that lying down and visualizing the movement activates the same brain pathways and is itself a progression towards the movement!
Laughter is important. Movement practices don’t have to be serious. Exploring movement options, getting curious and trying new things is fun and may result in spontaneous laughter.
Changing the focus from passive flexibility to mobility (which is flexibility combined with strength or stability) is a cornerstone of the yoga classes at RePose. This is how we can work to gain strength and control through our full range of motion. Passive stretching has benefits for our nervous system, so you’ll still find it in RePose classes, just more emphasis on strength, active range of motion, and progressively loading (except in Restorative yoga classes, which have an entirely different focus).
Practicing yoga, diversifying movement options, or tapping into the healing power of breath and relaxation should be accessible and not depend on age, body, gender, race or ability. The practice is internal and each person’s experience with breath, movement and mindfulness will be unique. At RePose I aim to offer a safe environment and to continue to educate myself about how to be more inclusive in my teaching.
Because the work is internal and not visible from the outside, at RePose you will never receive a strong “yoga adjustment” to bring you “deeper into the pose”. In some cases, touch may be used to provide you tactile feedback to help you figure out how to create the activations required. In these cases you will always be given the option to decline and your choice will be respected.
