What Students Can Expect
Jules is passionate about sharing the radical self-love and acceptance that yoga can instill. She fosters an environment that holds space for connection, transformation, and resiliency. She was blessed to be shown the yogic path early on and now relishes illuminating the way for others.
Through her facilitation, practitioners are invited to fully embody their power by becoming the authority of their being through breath awareness in postures. By building a relationship with the nervous system, practitioners from all walks of life may feel set up for success. Inclusive cueing, trauma-sensitive teaching, and mindful theming are hallmarks of Jules’ classes.
Accessibility is a core value for Jules that is conveyed through her professional world. Public class sequences aim to balance individual strength and flexibility by offering multiple layers or modifications to tailor fundamental postures to anybody. For those with medical concerns or special needs, 1:1 and small focus group sessions are designed, personalized, and integrated with real-time feedback.
Autobiography of a Yogini
Early Life and Education
I stumbled upon the yogic path in high school when my world history class viewed the documentary, 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama. Witnessing the grace and resilience of Tibet’s leader, especially in the face of trauma was the inspiring and powerful example I needed at the time. His foundational example of healthy coping skills and meditative practices for the well-being of mind, body, and spirit paved the way for my continued exploration of Eastern religion. I’ve always been a reader and self-motivated to study and thus found myself voraciously consuming Buddhist and Taoist texts. I sought guidance and a lifeline for inner peace. At the time, my meditative flow state manifested in the form of trail running.
Duality and equanimity always fascinated me, so I studied political theory focusing on natural law, judicial systems, and primary philosophical texts while at UT Austin. In many ways, this educational period continued my high school days by maintaining a focus on humanities and ethics. During this time, I found the physical practice of yoga through CorePower Yoga (CPY) while living above the studio at the Triangle. Connecting the somatic piece of the meditation puzzle was a game changer for my mental and emotional health.
Being an athletic individual my whole life, I didn’t expect to be challenged by her first yoga class. I had no idea what a power vinyasa class was – let alone what I had gotten myself into while taking one of the most physically demanding yoga practices. When it kicked my butt, I vowed to return until I kicked its butt! Little did I know that it was my ego who was actually going to get its butt kicked. I immediately embraced the challenge of linking breath and body in symbiosis to establish a vinyasa-moving meditation practice. Having a place to focus energy constructively felt great. With time and injury, the meditative nature of mindfully placing body and breath in a special way replaced the egoic competition towards “attaining” challenging peak postures. Overall, my interoceptive capacity grew, and my need for extravagant shapes dwindled.
YTT Journey and Therapeutic Applications
My practice began with intense power vinyasa practices, but its scope has expanded dramatically to encompass more yin formats. These days, my favorite style to guide are yin, restorative, vinyasa, and/or iRest® yoga nidra. Inversion therapy and acro yoga awaken aliveness and the importance of community in my practice. Over the years, I’ve offered all kinds of class styles including power, vinyasa, hatha, hatha flow, yin, restorative, iRest® yoga nidra, chair yoga, acro yoga, aerial yoga, myofascial release, and kids yoga.
Deeply curious, I enrolled in my first 200-hour certification at CPY. Shortly after, I completed a second 200-hour certification under the guidance of Denise Deniger and began teaching in 2014. At the time, I had no idea that it was going to lead to a fulfilling 10+ year career! Somehow my original plan to continue to UT Law School was scrapped for a more grassroots approach to empowering bodily autonomy and conscious citizenship!
In 2018, I completed a 300-hour Advanced Studies Training with Practice Yoga under the guidance of Gioconda Parker, Jenn Wooten, Shanti Kelley, and Iva Drtina-Hall. During that time, I gained more appreciation and insight into the Vedic traditions of yoga to bring my studies of Eastern thought full circle. Ayurveda, herbalism, and aromatherapy practices beyond the mat began to supplement the mindful placements on the mat.
I adore traveling with my whole heart and have often used the opportunity to visit new places to learn in pursuance of greater experience facilitation. I’ve gathered over 100 CEU Hours in various yoga therapy topics and self-studied countless texts. In 2019, I discovered profound breakthroughs in biomechanics and functional anatomy while studying SmartFLOW® with Annie Carpenter. That same year, she completed the Level 1 iRest® Yoga Nidra with Stephanie Lopez and began offering 1:1 co-meditation dyads and guided group meditation sessions.
More Than a Yogini
A day in the life of Jules consists of lots of eating and drinking. As an expert on the importance of fascia, hydration is a priority for her and she believes enjoying multiple drinks at once is the peak human experience. She regularly makes homemade herbal tea blends, lattes, smoothies, and juices, and consumes at least 40 ounces of water each day. Plant-powered for the vast majority of her life, she is often cooking whole foods plant-based meals with plenty of spices. Having dinner guests to share with brings her joy.
Being in nature while camping, hiking, sport climbing, biking, hula hooping, hammocking, springs swimming, and most other outdoor activities light her up. Ms. Forrister was aptly named, as she is happiest when frolicking barefoot in the woods or buying more plants for her jungle of a house. Gardening and plant propagation ground her. In addition to all her plants, she has a rescue dog and a cockatiel. Mojo Jojo (also aptly named after the evil little monkey in Power Puff Girls) is a mixed-breed brindle boy. Manipura, named after the Solar Plexus Chakra is a yellow ladybird.
User Experience (UX) Research and Design
To establish a comprehensive holistic health brand, Jules skillfully employed her entrepreneurial acumen to develop customer experience design, product strategy, and effective marketing initiatives, thereby elevating her business endeavors. After years of navigating her path intuitively, she founded Mind Body Joules LLC, informed by thorough market analysis and user research.
Jules further honed her expertise in user experience design (UX design) through her studies at DesignLab. In her role as a product designer, she adeptly integrates soft skills such as needs assessment, analytical problem-solving, and meticulous organization to serve the needs of her clientele and contribute meaningfully to the well-being of society. Jules has supported UX Design and Research for health and wellness communities such as Townlake YMCA, Lache Movement Collective, The Acro Documentary Project, and Acro Yoga Austin. To see more of her work, check out Jules’ UX Portfolio.
TLDR
Jules’ innate strengths, as revealed by the Clifton’s Strengths Test, align closely with her journey and mission. With qualities such as input, connection, strategy, relatability, and command, she embodies the essence of yoga, which emphasizes interconnectedness and karma cultivation through lifestyle practices. From a young age, Jules demonstrated a natural inclination towards seeking truth and embracing a plant-powered lifestyle, reflecting her strengths in input and relatability. Her ongoing curiosity fuels her journey, providing opportunities to share her knowledge and insights with others. As she advocates for marginalized communities, Jules channels her strengths into fostering accessibility and inclusion, championing individuality within community spaces. In essence, her life’s work serves as an ethical embodiment of her innate talents and values.