Jada Byun – Student Story
Over time, Jada’s injuries from dancing accumulated and she wanted a way to heal her body. “I’d done yoga for a really long time and after class I always felt my body was more soft and relaxed. There was no pressure or stress so that’s why I decided to learn more about yoga and I slowly began to turn the path of my life that way.”
Jada did her initial Yoga Teacher Training in 2007 in South Korea where she was born and raised. “At the time the style of yoga teaching was mostly focused on the physical aspects of yoga and not so much the spiritual,” Jada said. “We mostly worked on the poses and asana.”
After three years of teaching yoga, Jada branched out and got her Aerial Yoga certification in 2015 before deciding to move with her husband to Vancouver, the city where they first met, in 2016.
Despite landing a job teaching aerial yoga in Coquitlam, Jada wanted to know more about the western style of yoga and continued researching different schools and studios.
“I was curious to learn more about the methods taught here and the different styles of philosophy and the school was highly recommended to me,” Jada said.
Jada enrolled in the May intake of the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program and said her experience so far has been fascinating, challenging and satisfying.
“Here, I feel more free and comfortable. I really love the focus on respecting the student, their energy and their body. I also really love the teaching on alignment and adjustments and how we build relationships with other people and share the class together. There is a beautiful energy.”
Jada said her biggest challenge so far in the program is the philosophy. “The hardest part for me is connecting the philosophy with real life. I also have a language barrier so sometimes it’s difficult for me to understand.”
Despite the challenges and the difference in style, Jada said she has already been able to apply the methods from this training, particularly around alignment, into her aerial classes.
“I’ve learned a lot of new things and have been reminded of some of things I’d forgotten which I’m really appreciative of. The faculty is so beautiful and amazing. I’m really happy to learn yoga here – I love this place!” Jada said.
After finishing the 200-hour training, Jada wants to continue teaching more classes and hopes to one day have her own studio that she can practise in.
