January 8, 2017

Meet Eric Jennings of Still Hot Yoga in Decatur

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Jennings.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Eric. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began teaching Bikram Yoga in 2001. I currently hold certifications from The Yoga Physical Culture Academy (2013) and Ghosh Yoga College of India (2016). The yoga I teach has it’s roots in Yogapathy or yoga as medicine. I have studied with Shala Worsley, Muktamala Mitra, Jared McCann, Mary Jarvis, Tony Sanchez, Marlysa Sullivan, William Huffschmidt, Yoganand Michael Carrol and Bikram Choudhury. With a background in theatre and performance, one of my strengths as an instructor is an ability to offer clear and accessible instruction making all practitioners, no matter their level of experience, feel safe, supported and encouraged in their practice.

Has it been a smooth road?
Honestly, the challenges and struggles of running a hot yoga studio are plentiful but probably not too different from managing any small business. One particular challenge has been managing the balance between being in the yoga room as a yoga practitioner and a business owner. I don’t get much sympathy from people when I complain that attending classes at my studio often feels like going to work. Something as small as water stains in the ceiling tiles can vie for my attention while I’m trying to stay focused on my breath or balance.

The larger struggles have been deeply personal. I began my yoga practice when I was not fully ‘out’ as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Practicing hot yoga helped me come to terms with aspects of myself that I had kept hidden from childhood. The profound self-healing that I was able to achieve through my practice informs my teaching. Understanding that 1 out of 4 women, and possibly as many as 1 in 5 men, are survivors of some form of sexual abuse, as well as knowing intimately how abuse affects our mental and emotional health and outlook, has become the driving force behind my yoga philosophy.

Many yoga practitioners come to class thinking that they want to get fit. A lot of people are looking for a mindful based exercise system that heals the body while calming the mind. Yoga is all of that but more importantly, it is a healing modality that is centered on self-discovery and self-knowledge.

I hope you’ll notice one word that is missing my discussion of yoga and that is ‘guru.’ One of the ways in which a Western approach has made yoga more accessible is to remove the guru/student paradigm and replace it with the belief that every human being has a guru within. At my studio, we practice in front of mirrors and I begin every class reminding my students that the face they see reflected in front of them is their real teacher. My job is to simply create a safe framework and a safe space for people to discover their authentic and original self.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Still Hot Yoga story. Tell us more about the business.
Still Hot Yoga specializes in hot yoga with classes suitable for practitioners of all levels, especially beginners. We offer classic 90 minute Bikram Yoga, a 60-minute version of Bikram Yoga we call Hot Fix, a Hot Vinyasa flow that is a blend of many yoga styles and, beginning in December, Yin Yoga classes.

One of the ways we distinguish ourselves is in our instructional method which is detail oriented with an emphasis on alignment and safety rather than depth or flexibility. In most of our classes, the instructor doesn’t participate in so they can devote their full attention to the students. We have a lot of experience working with beginners and people with injuries or physical limitations. (I’m very sorry to admit that our facility is not handicap accessible at this time.)

With 14 years of service, we have a large and loyal base of regular clients so that coming to class is much like attending a social event. Our studio vibe is casual, down-to-earth and very friendly.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Yoga has been growing exponentially now for several years and I don’t see it letting up anytime soon. One way in which yoga is already beginning to change is that people are less attached to particular schools, or styles, of yoga. We are seeing a lot of yoga ‘fusion’ classes that mix postures and methods from a variety of disciplines. This is an exciting development and one that promises to continue.

An uncomfortable truth about hot yoga is that it is not going to be sustainable in an energy-challenged future. Like it or not, we are going to have to eventually detach from our love of a heated yoga room. At SHY we do what we can to offset or mitigate our impact. We use an energy-efficient radiant heat system, buy recyclable paper products, use natural cleaning supplies and we don’t sell bottled water but another way we distinguish ourselves is buy paying monthly carbon offset fees that are used to plant trees and support alternative energy resources for Native American organizations.

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