Inspiring Conversations with Namaste J of Creative Genius Group

Today we’d like to introduce you to Namaste J.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began practicing yoga and meditation in 2004 after the passing of my father. During that difficult time, yoga and meditation helped me heal my mind, body, and spirit, and I fell in love with the overwhelming gratitude and acceptance it made me feel. It allowed me to channel my emotions in a positive way, and I was able to journey through depression and grief to become a healthier, happier me. Since that time, I’ve continued my yoga and meditation practice to improve my well-being, and in 2019 I earned my RYT 200 certification in Vinyasa yoga. I’m a verified member of Yoga Alliance and an insured yoga instructor with CPR certification. My name is Jill Jamison, but when I teach yoga and meditation I am, Namaste J. Some may wonder why the name changed? My only explanation is that another side of me comes out when I teach yoga and meditation. It’s a side of myself that’s able to block out the distractions and negativity of society and channel the most high vibrating and loving energy to pour into others. That’s Namaste J.

As a passionate believer that self-care is a form of self-love, I feel that yoga & meditation is a means of loving your body, your mind, and what they’re both capable of. My philosophy is that yoga & meditation is therapy for the body and soul. I inspire people to try and create a practice of doing yoga & meditation to become healthier emotionally and physically. You don’t need to be able to stand on your head, memorize countless poses, or contort your body in any special way to experience yoga’s physical and mental benefits, and my style as an instructor reflects this. I teach from the heart, and I am guided by compassion, kindness, and positivity.

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?
During my journey discovering and practicing yoga, I noticed that lack of diversity, especially in the early 2000s. There were many times I went to classes where I was the only person of color. I’ll admit, of course it felt a little awkward at first, but I didn’t allow that to deter me from showing up on my mat. The benefits I received from yoga and meditation far outweighed the awkwardness. Over time I began to see more people that looked like me taking classes and even encouraged friends to try classes with me, but I still couldn’t help but notice I rarely saw Black yoga teachers. For years, I felt led to get certified, but life would get in the way until finally, I decided to invest in my dream and myself in 2019.

I received my certification in December of 2019 and actually landed my first yoga teaching job in January of 2020. I was excited, hopeful, and optimistic…then our world was hit with the pandemic. Outside of worrying about my family, friends, and life as we knew it, I felt deflated about beginning my journey as a yoga instructor and meditation coach. Luckily, 2020 turned out to be the best time to begin my teaching journey. While the world was stuck inside, I decided to use that to my advantage. I began doing free virtual yoga Zoom classes for my friends and sorority sisters. The job I landed in January was at a large gym, and they remained open, so I continued to teach there, and in the spring of 2020 I found a studio online to teach virtual classes. I was feeling good and my optimism began coming back, then Amaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd occurred. As if a worldwide pandemic wasn’t enough, let’s throw tremendous levels of racial injustice and murder on top. I began seeing all the protests occurring and wanted to do something for my community. I decided in the spring of 2020 to begin going Live on Instagram and do short guided meditations. Black people in this country have and continue to be traumatized constantly, and with the rise of BLM, meditations were my way of providing peace to my community, a community that too often never receives it. Almost immediately, I began receiving so many positive comments from Black people and other people of color. Their messages stated how these meditations were so helpful and uplifting during this draining time. I still to this day continue doing guided meditations on Instagram because it’s one of the ways I give back to my community. Our peace is priceless, and more of it is needed.

I continued teaching yoga through the summer of 2020, and I recall more than a few times I’d walk into the gym where I taught and some non-students of color would have confused looks on their faces when I walked to the front of the room and began to set up my music and mat. I even had some of them approach me and ask if I was the yoga teacher. I’d always politely respond, “Yes, I am.” The question luckily didn’t happen too often, but when it did, it reminded me how society has been conditioned to see yoga instructors. Even though I enjoyed teaching and was becoming better at it at, I still felt unfulfilled, not seeing more people that looked like me in my classes. Towards the end of 2020, I got a call from the owner of Effect Fitness (a Black owned gym), Dooley. I’d been very familiar with Effect, as I began taking boot camp classes there back in 2017, but didn’t know they were interested in offering yoga. Dooley asked if I wanted to teach yoga at Effect, and I immediately jumped at the chance. I began at Effect Fitness in October of 2020, and at first-class interest was small. Many people had just never tried yoga before, or some had misconceptions about the practice. With consistency, promotion, and word of mouth that began to change, and classes grew. I curated my yoga classes to be inviting and inclusive to my community. The vibe of the class reflects this, down to the music. Today, I’m still at Effect Fitness and have two classes. A hip-hop Vinyasa flow class and an R&B Yin Yoga class. I love seeing all the beautiful Black people in my classes. Many of my students at Effect Fitness have never tried yoga before or felt intimidated at other studios. I love teaching yoga to anyone, but I truly feel aligned and magical teaching yoga to people of color.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Creative Genius Group?
Under Creative Genius Group, I instruct yoga classes and provide meditations. I work in person and virtually. Currently, I teach yoga locally in Atlanta, GA at Effect Fitness. I also have corporate clients I provide virtual yoga too on an ongoing basis. I’ve worked with wellness conferences/retreats since 2020, providing yoga and/or meditation sessions. Last year I began conducting live in person yoga events, one is a yoga and sound bath experience with Oyah from WellKHEP, and earlier this year, I partnered with Weight No More & Lululemon for a yoga class for Black History Month. More in person yoga classes will continue in 2022. Regarding meditation, I’m a virtual meditation coach for WITHIN Meditation, and I provide meditations on the fitness app, Mitrainr. I also provided meditations for individuals, small groups, and corporate clients.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
When it comes to yoga and meditation, success for me is the ability to help at least one person feel better after a class or session. Before every yoga class or meditation session, I pray for the ability to provide calmness, relief, and peace to those I teach. There’s no better feeling than hearing students tell me they feel relaxed and at peace after a class or session.

Long-term success for me would be to encourage more Black people to begin and consistently incorporate yoga and meditation into their lives. I also want to encourage more Black people to become certified in yoga and/or meditation. I want to disrupt the wellness industry as a whole and make it more inviting and inclusive.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.namastej.com
• Instagram: iamnamastej
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWbjYWS21XRIYq2eRYXPvqg

Image Credits:
Jaxon Photography