Jennifer—yogi, reader, wandererMy passion for holistic health takes the form of my work as an Ayurvedic health counselor, yoga teacher, and writer, but my personal journey in these modalities began when I was in college. I was a student of literature, spending lots of time exploring the human condition in novels and poetry, but plant-based cooking and yoga were gateways for me to discover the importance of another kind of story—the story of myself. Throughout my various careers and studies, I’ve come to realize that the ability to acknowledge and tell your story—the unabridged version, with all the sad parts and curses, the bad grammar and poetry—is integral to experiencing the fullness of life.

I began my career in publishing, working as an editor at my dream job and dream company for several years. (That’s where I met Abbey, whose blog was taking off, and which I thought would make a pretty snazzy book.) Life in New York City full of lunches and subways and hustle was exciting at first, but eventually the nonstop pace, competitiveness, and pressure of that work started to take a toll on my health. The strain my body was under, and which I was adept at ignoring, came to a head one day while I was out for a run in fall 2016. I started to feel the sidewalk a little too intensely under my old Nike sneakers. Running was new to me—I’d just finished a yoga teacher training, and finally corrected the hypermobility in my knees that had caused debilitating pain when I ran all my life—so I was eager to get new shoes so I could keep up my new hobby. But after my first day in Central Park with what I thought were the perfect pair, I felt a mild pain in my ankles, which increased as I climbed the northern hill. I ignored it for a few days until the pain went from mild to I-can’t-even-walk bad. As a busy New Yorker who relies on her feet as a mode of transportation, I was facing one of my worst fears—not being able to keep up.​

This debacle made me realize that I had been running on hurt feet most of my life, more concerned about doing than being. It was a huge red flag I needed to make a change.

I stuck it out in publishing for another year before going freelance, diving into 500+ hours of yoga teacher training, and later on discovering Ayurveda, the holistic medical system that offered the clearest, simplest solutions to my chronic digestive issues. My studies of these sister sciences have together helped me feel at home in my body—easeful, radiant, nourished, and sacred.

Born in New Jersey, I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Harvard University and attended the Columbia Publishing Course. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, where I start my mornings with a generous dose of self-love (abhyanga, yoga, and cacao) to the melody of pigeons cooing outside my window, prepare meals as part of my kitchen sadhana, and try to enjoy some combination of dancing, singing, and ambling through Prospect Park every day.

You can check out my Ayurvedic resources and recipes, and explore ways to practice with me on my website, BeNourished, or follow me on Instagram.