Peaceful Hands Yoga
Serving Central Virginia Since 2002

I’ve been teaching Yoga in Madison and Orange, Virginia since 2003.

As a kid I was the one who had to go to ballet classes and gymnastics every day after school. Some days, loved it. Some days, hated it.

(Cartwheels, somersaults, and back flips? Loved ’em.  Dressing as a bumble bee for a ballet performance? Not so much.)

Me As A Bee.

That early emphasis on dance and movement gave me a valuable foundation of body awareness and I still enjoy the benefits those many, many hours of practice gave me. (If my mom were still here I would thank her every day for forcing me to go to class on those days when my roller skates beckoned.)

I found my first Yoga book in the basement of a local department store when I was in about 8th grade.

I still have it!

Although they had broken up a few years earlier, I was a Beatles fan and I knew that George did Yoga. Good enough for me. I closed my bedroom door, cracked open the book, put on my Beatles records, and did my best to imitate the lady in tights.

(I skipped all the stuff about breathwork and meditation and relaxation and savasana, because, well … I was 13 and wise to the ways of the world, as only a 13-year-old can be, and I knew that all of that was unnecessary. I just wanted to do Triangle pose like the lady in tights!)

The Lady In Tights Doing Triangle.

In 1997, now all grown up, I began taking weekly Yoga classes, began practicing at home, and finally learned that breathwork, meditation, and savasana are not only essential to a Yoga practice, but on many days are also the best part!

I began studying to be an instructor in 2002. I have studied with Sun & Moon Yoga studio in Arlington, Virginia, and Willow Street Yoga in Maryland, and continue to learn from a wide assortment of wonderful teachers and guides. I am grateful to each teacher who has informed my practice and my teaching.

I am a certified Sport Yoga Instructor. And, I have Ayurvedic and Advanced Yoga certifications, reflecting more than 700 hours of study, from the Vedic Institute, one of the most highly regarded schools of Yoga and Ayurveda.

I am a National Board Certified and Licensed Massage Therapist, which is a vital part of my Yoga background as it provides important insight to how I teach, how I guide my students safely through poses, and how I help ensure that Yoga brings each student the most health benefits.

I will tell you straight-up I’m an anatomy geek.

I taught at the local middle-school library in Madison for many years. In 2006, I added a couple more classes, renting space one night a week from a tiny Yoga studio in Orange. The next year, I opened Peaceful Hands Yoga Studio in that little 500 sq. ft. space. In 2012, the studio expanded to 800 sq. feet.  And, in 2015, we doubled in size to our current studio, a welcoming, dedicated Yoga space, in the Sedwick Racquetball Club in Orange.

Room for everyone to spread out and enjoy their Yoga in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.

My classes are a playful blend of basic Hatha Yoga, infused with the spirit of the Ayurvedic, Vinyasa, Tibetan, Taoist, and Kundalini traditions. I gather my classes from many traditions because Yoga has such a wide circle of beneficial practices.  So, why stop at just one?

I like to have fun with my practice and in my classes, and I hope you will, too.

My students range from teenage to 80s, and everything in-between. There are students who are just unrolling their mats as beginners and students who have been practicing for decades. Many students are recovering from injuries or using Yoga to bring relief to chronic pain or stress, or as a means to keep the body supple throughout the aging process. We come in all shapes and sizes!

We all join together on the mat – encouraging each other to seek our edge, but also reminding each other to be gentle, too.

I think of Peaceful Hands Yoga as a family. Every person who walks through that door – whether they have been coming every week for many years, or just drop by from time to time – has inspired me and made my heart smile.

Join us!

For more information on my Yoga classes at Peaceful Hands Yoga in Orange, including the latest class schedule, check out the homepage at peacefulhands.com

If you have questions or need more info, you can reach me by email at jackie@peacefulhands.com

Namasté.