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Heart of Motion
The Heart of Motion Podcast is an exploration of the heart, soul and science of movement - and what it means in our lives.
Movement connects us more deeply to ourselves, to our bodies and to the things and people that are most important to us. Beyond a fitness routine, why do you move? And what moves you? When we can look past the hamster wheel of ''fitness" - we start to realize that when we really live the lives of our bodies - life can be a whole lot more fulfilling, and a whole lot more fun!
Host Susannah Steers is your guide on a quest to understand how we can move better, feel better in our bodies and connect more deeply to our people and the world around us. Join her for some conversation, interviews with experts, and conversations with everyday people about what movement means to them. You might just find movement feels a little different on the other side...
Heart of Motion
Living Yoga
Nothing happens until something moves. This conversation with Jen Steers, my sister and lifelong movement practitioner, reveals how physical practices become powerful tools for navigating life's complexities.
From childhood outdoor adventures to competitive synchronized swimming, Jen's relationship with movement has always been about freedom and connection. When she discovered yoga, however, something unexpected happened—her busy mind quieted. The physical practice opened doors to philosophical insights that transformed her approach to challenging situations.
During her career working in emergency housing and homeless shelters, Jen found that these movement-based awareness practices became essential tools. Rather than approaching difficult situations with toughness or rigidity, she learned to lead with curiosity and compassion. "It's not about enforcing rules," she explains, "it's about listening, seeing the other in yourself, and helping people see themselves again—not as the issue they're dealing with."
Our conversation explores the fascinating parallels between yoga and equine-assisted learning. Horses, as prey animals with highly sensitive nervous systems, provide immediate, honest feedback about our emotional states. They teach us about authentic presence, boundaries, and the ability to move fluidly between focused action and receptive awareness—what might be called "autonomic flexibility."
Ready to explore how movement might transform your approach to life's challenges? Subscribe to Heart of Motion for more conversations about the science and soul of movement as a pathway to vibrant living.
About Jen Steers
Jen Steers has been dedicated to coordinating fitness facilities and community programs in Ottawa Housing neighborhoods. During COVID, she worked in emergency housing and homeless shelters - a big growth experience for her. Jen is passionate about working with people and finding ways to build better systems and relationships, especially with the most vulnerable populations. She integrates yoga, mindfulness, equine therapy and energy work into her daily life and into challenging situations.
After a successful career, Jen retired last summer from the City of Ottawa and is now offering one-on-one coaching group training and corporate wellness workshops in yoga, mindfulness, equine therapy and energy healing.
Heart of Motion Podcast host Susannah Steers is a Pilates & Integrated Movement Specialist and owner of Moving Spirit Pilates in North Vancouver, BC. She is passionate about movement, about connections and about life.
Through movement teaching, speaking, and facilitating workshops, she supports people in creating movement practices that promote fitness from the inside out. She loves building community, and participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Along with her friend and colleague Gillian McCormick, Susannah also co-hosts The Small Conversations for a Better World podcast – an interview based podcast dedicated to promoting the kind of conversations about health that can spark positive change in individuals, families, communities and across the globe.
Social Media Links:
Moving Spirit Pilates Instagram
Moving Spirit Pilates Facebook
Susannah Steers Instagram
Welcome to the Heart of Motion podcast. I'm Susanna Steers and I'll be your host as we explore the heart, soul and science of movement as a pathway to more active, vibrant and connected living. Nothing happens until something moves, so let's get started.
Susannah Steers:Today, I have the great pleasure of introducing you to someone I have admired for a very, very long time. We grew up together. My guest on this episode is my best friend, my sister, my partner in crime. She absolutely knows where all the bodies are buried. She won't tell you this, but I think she's one of the most real and courageous people I know. Her movement practice is truly integrated with her life and that's one of the many reasons that I wanted to share her with you.
Susannah Steers:Over the course of her career, jen Steers has been dedicated to coordinating fitness facilities and community programs in Ottawa housing neighborhoods. During COVID, she worked in emergency housing and homeless shelters a big growth experience for her. In challenging times, jen is passionate about working with people and finding ways to build better systems and relationships, especially with the most vulnerable populations. She integrates yoga, mindfulness, equine therapy and energy work into her daily life and into challenging situations. Her practice doesn't require beautiful, quiet, zen-like settings, because life is hectic, awesome, real and raw, and this is where her training and skills are the most helpful. After a successful career, jen retired last summer from the city of Ottawa and is now offering one-on-one coaching group training and corporate wellness workshops in yoga. Now offering one-on-one coaching group training and corporate wellness workshops in yoga, mindfulness, equine therapy and energy healing. Jen believes that these modalities, though different, have many similarities and can be mixed and matched to be relatable for her clients, promoting better physical, mental and emotional health. Hey, Jen, welcome to the podcast.
Jen Steers:Oh, my goodness, what an introduction. You got me all teary.
Susannah Steers:Well, you know it comes from the heart. I always know you, even from the time you were really little. You were always an athletic kid. You went to the junior nationals with the synchro team. You were a lifeguard and aquatics instructor. You've been riding horses your whole life. You've run a half marathon. What has all of that movement and all of that kind of athletic, sporty stuff meant in your life? What drew you to it?
Jen Steers:Honestly, I think just outdoor play, I think you know as kids it was like go outside and play, get out of the house, and we had the fortune of being those rearranged kids, right, you hop on your bike, you climb a tree, you see where you can go, you just kind of adventure. You're off, doing your thing and seeing what's what. So I think that kind of led to just a natural outdoors is fun, moving is fun and it's social and it's connecting with people and moving your body. So the idea of just kind of sitting around it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel natural. So I think that's it.
Jen Steers:And then as you get into things like swimming, what more can you do with it? Where else can you go? Like, I like playing around in the water. So, okay, I'm going to become a lifeguard. Hey, I can get paid to do this. Cool, I'm going to teach aqua fit why not? You know, I'm going to join the synchro team because it's something to do and it's an activity and it starts out as just a after school kind of thing and then it kind of morphs into something a little bit more, and so what does moving well mean to you now?
Jen Steers:Freedom, really Just the idea to be able to do what I want to do, so to get outside, to go for a hike, to go for a swim, to day-to-day pick things up and carry things and ride my bike, and so I think it's movement, it's freedom, it's a way to spend your time as well. Like the idea of like this is how I want to spend my time is doing things.
Susannah Steers:I was talking to somebody about the fact that we were going to have this conversation today, and this person knows me as a Pilates person and said oh, your sister does yoga? And it's really funny because, as, as you know, there are a lot of people who have very different ideas about what Pilates and yoga do. And, "oh my goodness, she's in the other camp and that's so not what it was at all. I am really curious as to what drew you to yoga. What was happening in your life at the time? What got you started?
Jen Steers:Honestly, I didn't go to it searching for anything in particular at all. I was working at the fitness facility that I was running. Well, I was running a fitness facility and there was a yoga class that was being offered and I just decided why not try it? You know, I didn't know what it was about, but so in my mind it was more just a fitness thing to do, like why not just jump in the class and see what's what and and get a chance to try it out.
Jen Steers:But what was different for me was that I mean, I love doing different things. I, you know, I was doing spinning, teaching spinning, but also love doing different things. I was doing spinning, teaching spinning, but also participating in spinning. And sometimes I do aerobics, although I'm not very good at that, and that's fun.
Jen Steers:But this felt different for me in that it felt very grounding. It quieted my mind. I've got a pretty busy, active mind there's a lot like a lot of us do, to be honest, but I got a really busy mind. So for me, when I can quiet it, it's such a gift. And so I just noticed, in this practice it gave me the opportunity to, yes, move my body, which I love, but move it in a way that calmed me down, that quieted me, that grounded me and that to me, feels very similar to when I go for my walks out in nature, when I'm out with the dogs in the woods, when I'm, you know, just kind of in nature. That quiets me in the same way that yoga did. So there's something about that that I found really appealing.
Susannah Steers:Was this sort of another let's see where it can go," When you decided to do your teacher training, or was there a different reason behind that choice?
Jen Steers:I took the teacher training pretty much very shortly after I took my first class, and it was because I really really was curious about like I feel good when I do this, I feel grounded, I feel calm, I feel quiet and it lasts for quite a while after. What is that about? And so I want to learn more. I want to learn why, what was it about? What tell me more about the philosophy and all the, all the pieces of parts. So I went into it as a a physical activity just to work out, to see what it was and curiosity, and then then I delved into the philosophy part and I found that really, really rich and nourishing and less on the mat, more in life.
Susannah Steers:Well, so let's go there. I've heard you talk about what it means to live your yoga. I guess that might have something to do with the other parts of yoga that aren't typically practiced on a mat, like the philosophical parts. What does it mean to you to live your yoga, and maybe can you give us some examples of times when you felt you could draw on your yoga training to live your life?
Jen Steers:That's a great question To me. On the mat and on the mat can translate off the mat as well. I tend to be. I grew up well, grew up. We grew up very much with the idea of push, go hard, go harder. If you're not getting what you want, go harder still Doesn't matter. If you're tired it does not matter, just keep going, and sort of that bull in a china shop mentality. And so I found for me it was really interesting to be able to kind of work with when is it appropriate to dig down and be strong and go through discomfort?
Jen Steers:And yeah, this is physically really hard, but I'm doing it in a way where I'm not beating myself up. I'm doing it in a way that is moving me forward versus this doesn't make sense. You're not respecting your body, you're not even paying attention. If you have to work this hard at something, probably you're not even supposed to be doing it. So, being able to learn in my body, in my breath, in my mind when I'm in those places, is this a moment where I need to stop, take a breath back up and go.
Jen Steers:How do I reframe this? How do I redo this? What makes sense? Where can some self-care be, or is it? What are these places where it's like you know what?
Jen Steers:This is a little bit hard, but you got this find your breath. Where can you relax so that you're not tension filled, pushing, driving whatever? Where, if it's like, okay, we're, we're in for a challenge here, where can you find the softness within the work, within the challenge? So, um, feeling that in your body, but then also very much in your mind as well, you know, and checking to see where the mind goes, where the thoughts go, when you go into the spirals and the stories and all the pieces, you're able to have those moments of stop, of pause, of taking a breath, of re-centering. So I found for me that was huge, and I'm not coming to you saying I'm an expert and I never have a day where I'm not going in like a tornado in a teacup or whatever. That's a weird expression. But yeah, there's days where I'll definitely be spiraling, but there's a lot more days where I'll notice it, I'll feel it in my body and go, huh, what's that about? And be curious. I'd be able to have that moment of pause to reframe, to restructure, to check in so a lot more intentional.
Susannah Steers:There's a really interesting thing that happens when we start to listen to our bodies as opposed to just drive our bodies. I find the same thing. I talk a lot about the idea that movement is my first language and I think a lot of people think what the hell does that mean? How is that possible?
Susannah Steers:But I think it gets down to a little bit to what you're talking about is that desire to be able to check in and not just mindlessly bash yourself through life. And I think the body is often a place where we can notice it easily. Sometimes it's hard to chase those mental patterns and chase those emotional habits, but when we see it and can recognize the patterns physically in our bodies, then we start to recognize. Oh yeah, okay, well, we're not compartmentalized the way we think we are. And guess what? That movement pattern you have in your body kind of probably shows up somewhere in your emotional life and somewhere in your mental being. And how do we integrate?
Susannah Steers:You have worked in some pretty challenging situations in in your, in your work life, and I would love to hear how, perhaps, your yoga practice, in its comprehensive nature, in the whole whole being of it - how does that come into play when you're working with the people that you're working with?
Jen Steers:I think, honestly, it comes into play in that it keeps me grounded and grounded and in a place of curiosity, and I try to be also in a place of compassion where I'm not presupposing or judging, or hopefully, if I am, I'm able to catch it quickly and reframe. So of course, it's always the challenge. I was also, you know, am I tough enough? Am I strong enough? Am I hard enough? And it was funny that I thought somehow it needed to be about not getting played, that people are going to see that I'm not wise, and so what I found interesting, those are the stories, the insecurities, the stuff that my mind is telling me you know all those, oh, you're not good enough to do this, blah, blah, blah. All these stories, and what I really found was going in there and taking a deep breath and just going in with an open heart and a curiosity and really trying to be accepting of the moment as it's presenting itself, made a huge difference.
Jen Steers:And really it's not about being tough, it's not about being hard, it's not about enforcing rules, it's about listening, it's about compassion, it's about seeing the other in yourself and helping people see themselves again, not as the issue that they're dealing with. That's a piece and part of their story, but that is not their entire story. They are not the person that needs a sandwich and needs to go get some substance to feel better. That's not who they are. That's a piece and part of their situation. So that would be some of it. Let's really get blessed to be able to meet a lot of really really, really cool people, having a hard time, granted, absolutely, but a lot of really creative people. A lot of really resilient, strong, interesting characters. You know what I mean Like really great people. So that was one thing I think.
Jen Steers:For me that was pretty eye-opening was the power of coming in going. I don't know what I'm doing necessarily, but I'm coming in with just an open heart and an open curiosity. And how can I make this moment? I can't fix the big picture of the world. I can't make all these changes that maybe need to be made. I can't create more beds, I can't create more mental health facilities. Those are things I'm not able to do. But in this moment, what can I do to make this moment perhaps a little bit easier? I can remember that you really like the sweater green, the color green, and get you a green sweater, because I found one that's your size. I remembered who you were. I remembered what you liked. This is important, and I know you needed a sweater, and it's funny how something as simple as that makes a difference, because people want to be seen.
Susannah Steers:I still remember a story that you told about a man that you had connected about with books, and how then he sought you out because he found a book that he thought you would like, and I thought that was really cool.
Jen Steers:Oh my God, me too, that was. That was like oh my heart, I still have that book. You know I can't bear to pass it on because it's just the fact that he carried it around in his pack and and you know you have to be pretty careful about what you choose to carry in your pack. So the fact that he did that touched my heart so much, like it was such a kind, kind, kind thing to do. He doesn't have a lot and yet he's found this book and he's carrying it and thinking of me, like how beautiful is that? You know, some of the people that have the least are the most generous with what they have.
Jen Steers:But the other thing I found working with the youth as well as working in the shelter, and that is really paying attention, emotional regulation, paying attention. And again, in your body, what? What is yours? Are you picking up energy that doesn't belong to you and are you now sending it back out there? Are you escalating things? Or are you able to realize what is your energy and also bring your energy down to help de-escalate and help ground and create a calmer environment?
Jen Steers:And it's pretty powerful not to take on something that doesn't belong to you, because that's not good and it doesn't feel good and a lot of the time, if we're not conscious about that, you know we're angry, we're sad, we're stressed and it's not ours to carry, but we've taken it and that's not helpful for anybody. So to be able to find that in your body as well and I think yoga has helped open that door Working with the horses has definitely created that awareness as well, and also working with people and seeing it works when things are really elevated, if you focus, not on trying to control things right away, but more just focusing on yourself and really paying attention to what you're bringing into the room energy wise and then bringing it down, you can notice a pretty significant difference. And also then there's that moment of choice again, so you're not reacting, you're able to choose and act in the situation. What's the best way to act, as opposed to a reaction?
Susannah Steers:That space, that moment in between, that moment in between, it's a lot.
Susannah Steers:Can you tell us a little bit more about equine therapy, Like what is that? I've heard about it. Well, okay, I've heard a lot about it from you, but maybe some of our listeners don't know what it's about.
Jen Steers:So first I want to say I'm calling it equine therapy more just because that's something that people understand, more than when I say equine-assisted learning. But I want to be really clear here that I'm not a therapist, right. So when I do this work with horses, sometimes I will team up with somebody who's a mental health professional. If we're working with somebody, maybe that has more complex issues or really needs some more support. That way, you know, I've got that expert there. But I also do equine-assisted learning, which is sort of like coaching.
Jen Steers:So horses have a huge enteric nervous system, basically an energetic field. As a prey animal they are conditioned to feeling into their body. They don't ask questions. If they're afraid, they run. They don't ask oh, I wonder what that is. And so they will run or they will do what they need to do to move themselves to safety and then very shortly after, once they feel safe, they grace. So even something as simple as this we can learn from them, whereas human beings what we often do is we feel that feeling.
Jen Steers:So we have the same thing, except not maybe it's as developed as a horse does, but we'll feel that feeling of fear. Then we question it. I wonder oh, that's ridiculous? No, I don't think it's that. We, you know, and sometimes we end up in a situation where we could have moved ourself to safety but we didn't. And then sometimes what we end up doing is we don't let go of it either. We relive it, we relive it, we relive it, and that's not good for our nervous system either, as we make it bigger and more scary each time, because your body actually thinks it's still happening every time we get into our stories stories. with Working with the the horses, basically we spend, we work with their beautiful energetic field.
Jen Steers:They mirror back a lot of the stuff that they are getting from us. So you can see if, working with, sometimes with some of the younger women and I find in particular I mean men as well, but some of the younger women it's really interesting to see them be able to find boundaries and actually learn how to say no and hold their space and do it in a way that's not over the top and it's not under, but when they truly feel it, the horse will respect it. The horse, you know a well-rounded horse, obviously not a horse that's been abused or has been numbed to the point that they just kind of trudged through life, but a healthy horse that has been allowed to express itself will mirror back really beautifully the stuff that we put out and they will sit with pain if we're hurting or they will show us how to set a boundary or to work with them in a non, you can't. You can't force a horse to do something. They're big, they're strong, but they also make us pay attention because they're big and strong right.
Susannah Steers:Well, so are you sitting in a ring with a horse? Are you like? How does it work? Are you in a field with a bunch of horses? What does it look like?
Jen Steers:You know what, honestly, it really depends. A lot of the time I'll come in with a plan or a loose plan of what we're going to do and then you know, after I've spoken with somebody, and then the horses tell me that plan's not going to be how it's going to be at all. So then I trust the horses. It's a partnership. It's not me planning and the horse is a tool. It's a partnership and a lot of the time the horses do most of the work and I just hold the space and just help support the, the person that I'm working with, and also make sure that the environment is safe. So sometimes it's outside of the ring.
Jen Steers:I've had people who are afraid of horses, so we do the work outside of the ring and even that work is really good. In terms of where in your body do you feel that discomfort when you get afraid and what can you do with that? How do you get yourself back to a place of safety as well? Very horse-like. A horse won't try to please me and sit in discomfort because they don't want to be an inconvenience. Humans do that Right.
Jen Steers:So when you were able to work with horses when somebody's afraid, I worked with a little boy who was really afraid of horses and he'd hold his breath and he, you know, he worried about perfect, and perfect was so important to him and pleasing and making sure that everything was okay, and his sort of little tell was he'd blink, but he wouldn't say I'm scared. So then when we started to get into like, what does that feel? Oh, it feels a bit tight. Okay, what is tight? So then we could work with what is that in your body? It feels tight. If you step back, does it still feel tight? No, okay, so we started to be able to. He started to learn the cues of when is your body telling you to take a step back and what can you do to move yourself to a place of safety, a place where you can breathe and think and you're able to function.
Susannah Steers:And now let's work in that space and so now he has the power to do that on his own.
Jen Steers:He does, yeah, and then he would get to the point where he would tell me what he was feeling and what he needed.
Susannah Steers:Well, he really does. It comes back to paying attention to the sensations, to the experiences in your body and, as you say, sort of taking a moment once you're aware of those things, and then you have a choice. You're not just reacting and holding your breath, as this young boy did.
Jen Steers:Yeah, and some people that we lead the horses. They work with the horses. It's never on their backs, we're not riding, but sometimes it's in the ring. Sometimes it's with one or two horses, sometimes it's a number, sometimes it's grooming them and just caring if it touches something that you haven't had for a little bit, or caring for somebody, or something nice for someone, um, with that sort of unconditional space where you're going to be accepted. Um, sometimes that's what people really want to do. So it really depends on where they, where they want to go, also with where the really want to do. So it really depends on where they want to go, also, where the horses want to go with them.
Susannah Steers:It's that relational stuff, right? I think so often we forget that we are in relation to everyone and everything around us. I haven't done your equine assisted learning, but I imagine that that would be a really powerful experience to get into a situation where you do feel that relationship with another being, and it's not about words and ideas spoken words and ideas but that mere connection. You are both beings on the planet living lives.
Jen Steers:I mean, and horses help us go to you know, sort of that, a little bit more of that yin state, that state where we're not driving, I mean, if we're on the ground with them. Anyways, if you're hanging out, let's suppose, with a bunch of horses, often you're starting to notice, when they throw their head out, what are they looking at, what are noticing what's in the environment, um, and you'll start to hear they're eating hay or grass or and the blowing of the breath and it just it brings you down, it brings you to present. You start to see in that wider eye. So instead of the sort of the predatory gaze of what's directly in front of you and it's sharp and it's focused, instead we're looking from that wider view. So we're looking more from the eyes of a prey, where what's in my whole environment, that softer, wide eye view.
Susannah Steers:So if you think about yin and yang and I don't know if this is true or not does it relate in some ways to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, like if we're talking about the energy states, and so the sympathetic nervous system being that driving high focus A to B as fast as you can get there kind of idea, and the parasympathetic being more like the yin state where we have that wider, softer focus.
Jen Steers:Exactly, and I think you know the thing is. I think there's, we need both. Yes, you know we need both. We need sun, we need moon, we need rain, we need you know we need it all. But I think we've gone in such a place in our environment and everything's fast, everything's driven, everything's heal, everything's driven, everything's heal. Your life in 10 minutes. Be the biggest, most successful. How much did you pack into a day? So our nervous systems are so jacked up and you know it's, it's.
Jen Steers:I find it interesting when I'm with people and we're going for a walk, let's suppose, and they don't see the flowers or the birds or the sunset, or they're not seeing anything, and I'm like, how did you not see that sunset? And I'm not being judgy, it's just it was huge. How did you miss it? But that's not where they need maybe a little more help and support and time to be able to slow it down a little bit and instead of thinking the next 12 things you need to do, can you take a moment to look at the sunset? Um, so there's, there's place for both.
Jen Steers:We definitely need both. It's how do you marry the two so that you can be productive and you can drive and you can move forward, you can get things done. But there's also that where can you slow down, where can you feel? Where's the space for creativity or for beauty or for breath and for just slowing down and seeing all the wonders around us? And I think that is huge for your mental and physical well-being. But mental health-wise I think it's huge think it's huge.
Susannah Steers:One of my great mentors, Howard L Jones, was a physio and he was way ahead of his time with all kinds of cranial and fascial work. He used to describe it as a state of "autonomic flexibility. It's not that either one is a more desired state. It's the ability to flip and move seamlessly and fluidly between those things as you need them. We need to be able to have that drive, that push, that focus when we need it, but we also need to be able to step back.
Jen Steers:I agree, and horses do that. They'll run from danger. So they're picking it up, they're going, they're doing what they need to do, but then they let it go, so they're able to let it go, and you'll see them grazing. A minute and a half ago, you were running, you know, a bag flew through the air. Was it dangerous? No, but did you perceive it was yes, and you're not taking a minute to ask questions. You're, you're making sure you're faster than your friend, you're out of there and then, and then you let it go, so you didn't keep the story spiraling. So, like what you say, there's that fluidity and as people, we get locked in our stories a lot, which is, I think, where we have trouble shifting as well, as we get stuck in the story and then the ego jumps in yeah, but, yeah, but, yeah, but. Or we identify with the story or the victim situation or whatever came through.
Susannah Steers:It's not something that you can learn in an instant or in one class, whether you're learning it on a yoga mat, whether you know wherever it comes to you. This kind of learning, and you and I obviously have found our own ways into this kind of thinking through movement of one kind or another, through relationship with animals, movement of one kind or another through relationship with animals with nature. It really is a practice, though, isn't it Like it's something that takes a while to recognize in yourself and in your situation, and then it also takes a while to figure out how to feel that space between oh, this thing is happening and I'm just going to react, you know, to sort of curate or allow for that space where you have a moment to make a different choice. And it's interesting because we've been talking about the fast pace of the world, and it seems to me and I've spoken about it on this podcast we're seeking transformation, you know, a transformational change, a major shift that's going to flip a switch, and my life is going to be different and I'm going to be better, and I'm going to do all the things I want to do, and I'm going to be able to do it in a hurry.
Susannah Steers:It's like the 10 easy lessons, right? So I find I'm getting allergic to transformational change. There are a few things that, yes, you can make a change, you can see it different, but when you walk away from a workshop or a class or something, there's got to be a way for you to carry what you've learned into your life. And if you're making a big change, that doesn't happen in an instant and I feel like we have to get used to the idea of small, meaningful changes. Consistent practice, groundedness. It's not sexy, it's not supercharged, it's you know, oftentimes it's quite boring because you're doing daily small things. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Jen Steers:I agree, I agree it frustrates me when I see the change your life in 10 minutes or you'll never have a sad day, or all those kind of things. And people go to them and I've gone to, I've gone to, "hey, this sounds pretty good, I'm going to sign up for it, and then kind of a disappointed by it. You know you're hyped, you're ready to go and I know my life's purpose by the end of this weekend, and then I leave and that's not how it was. And I mean at the end of the day, I know that, just like it would be fun to lose weight in 30 seconds as well, but that's not how it goes right.
Jen Steers:But I find in yoga and maybe some other spiritual practices as well, is what I find unfortunate is that the beauty of it is the daily practice, is the ahas, is the struggles, the oh. I tried this. Oh, hey, my old pattern came back, but this time I had a second to notice it, which was way better before, because before I didn't even notice it, I didn't even know I had it a month before that. So I find that there's a lot of people peddling stuff that maybe isn't really true or spiritually bypassing. If I come in as a teacher and I come in and I pretend that I'm calm every moment of the day and I've arrived and I don't have any of these struggles anymore, am I being authentic? Am I being honest? Or maybe I don't even want to look at my own work? Maybe I don't have any of that, because I go oh, I don't want to touch that, I don't want to learn, I don't want to be curious about why I do what I do or why I think what I think. There's no authenticity there, and you always feel that on some level.
Jen Steers:What I find unfortunate, though, is people sometimes, when they're really, really struggling, are willing almost to hand over their power, and that is concerning to me, because people aren't broken and people have what they need to have to heal themselves, and when you find a really good teacher, that teacher can maybe help create that space and container and help you with some tools and some practices and some different modalities to kind of help you get there. But, at the end of the day, the person is in charge of their own work, their own life, their own story, and has all the power and is able to heal themselves. And anyone implying that you're broken or that you don't have the power, or that I have the power to do that, to you I would say walk away. No, run, run away. Yes, turn and run. And I do see that I see that advertised a lot, where they're preying on your woundedness, um, you know in social media a lot and also the, the quick fix, and that's unfortunate.
Jen Steers:One of one of my teachers, who, who I I have huge regard for, we did, uh, numerous trainings. Well, he trained me numerous for many years, Pete Bernard, in energy work and one of the things he says about you know, sometimes you do have fairly big, big ahas or breakthroughs, and the body's ready for it, and it happens, but that's not the norm. But it doesn't mean that this breakthrough was a big one and is therefore it was a was a really, really good one. The small one, the little moment, is, is not a breakthrough, it's not healing, um, and so then it's not chasing the big, the big reactions, the big breakthroughs.
Jen Steers:I'm sure you see that in your work too. See where you know, one day maybe somebody's hip opens up in a way that never has before um, and so they. But you can't chase that, because the next week they're not going to have the same thing, but they're still making those progresses and steps. And what I like what he says is he says we all like to drink water, but we shouldn't drink it from a fire hose.
Jen Steers:And so he talks about the nervous system.
Susannah Steers:Yeah, and I like that. I think it's true, it's true, you know.
Jen Steers:So the nervous system doesn't want to drink water out of a fire hose. It's too much, it's too, it's too intense, it's too crazy. And so chasing the big reactions all the time isn't even good for us a lot of the time and is not something that we're able to hold onto, but, like you say, it's not exciting.
Susannah Steers:Yeah, it's not sexy on the Instagram, that daily work.
Susannah Steers:So I want to bring it back around to yoga after our discussion about all that transformational change, and I want to talk about the class experience, like when you go. I know I find this in Pilates too. You can come to a Pilates class and you can bash out the exercises the teacher gives you and walk away and you've had a workout and that's fine. It gives you something. But if you, while you were there, are paying attention to your movement patterns and how you engage with the springs and the weights and with your body in different ways, how your breathing works with your core, noticing all the patterns in your movement, then you can leave the class and then, as you are walking around in your life and playing with your kids and doing your dishes and all of those things, you have different skills for managing the work of your life. I'm curious if you find there's a relatable parallel to yoga class.
Jen Steers:Absolutely very much. So I find you can, just as how I did. I went into yoga as a I'm going to be moving my body. It's being offered at the gym, it's an exercise modality. I'm going to give it a go and it is, and there's definitely benefits to moving your body and you can approach it as an exercise class and that's fine and you're definitely getting a benefit.
Jen Steers:I'm never going to say don't, why not, why not move your body? And maybe you're coming for movement, for flexibility, for stability, maybe you're coming to do something with some friends All good, these are all good things to do. Exercise opportunity, whereas some of the other people I have have been coming for years with me and they, you know they're more into the practice. Is that I just invite the opportunity that it could be more?
Jen Steers:It could be a practice, it could be an exercise class, and that's okay. We're going to move our body and I'll tell you how to do it in a manner that feels safe. But if you're open to exploring the practice, then it would be things like really paying attention to the breath and when let's suppose that you're not able to breathe while you're holding a strong pose, do you forego the breath to keep the pose going, in which case, if you're doing a yoga practice, I might ask you to check in with your thoughts and see what your thoughts are around. Why are you holding this pose when right now, your body's having a hard time with it? You know so. Yes, I understand you want to build strength. I get that. But if you're going to a place where now you're not maintaining form or you're struggling, is there be curious about what your thoughts are? What is going on in your mind? Is there judgment? Is there lack? Is there attachment? Is there? You know? Are you able to back out of the pose a little bit and can find your breath again, find your form again and notice there now? Is there thoughts about? Is there judgments around that? So, just kind of getting to notice different things that come up in the practice and sometimes sitting through discomfort.
Jen Steers:So we talk about I'll say not to rescue yourself, and sometimes that means something as simple as shavasana at the end, where you're lying in stillness. Um, I can see sometimes, you know it's's really really difficult for people. They're trying to look at their watches and you know what is. You know what did the workout look like on their watch. What time is it? Where are they going to go? You can tell they're thinking about other things. They just lying around on the ground is driving them crazy. I felt that before too. So I'm not saying it in a judgmental place.
Jen Steers:But to sit with that, to go, okay, you know what? Can you sit in stillness? Can you lie in the stillness and notice? Yeah, you're kind of antsy here. Your mind is busy, your body's fidgety, you want to get up, you want to go, you want to get going, but I'm asking you to find that stillness and be present for a little minute. And then what comes up for you? So, yeah, I'm uncomfortable as hell. Okay, can you just sit with that, see what's on the other side of it, be curious, don't be mean about it. Just notice what's on the other side of that. Will it reveal something to you?
Jen Steers:And generally, the harder it is to do that to take those five minutes of just sitting in stillness or lying in stillness and letting whatever be, be, whatever comes up. Whatever comes up comes up and you're not changing it or trying to fix it or rescue yourself, but just sit with it and see where it is. The harder it is, probably the more. We need to do some of that. That's sort of how you can choose to play with it in your practice.
Jen Steers:But it's kind of to come into a yoga practice and say, you know, as a, as a spiritual practice, I think that part really is living your life off the mat. So to come in it's kind of like going to church. You can go to church and go and sit in church for an hour and enjoy the service and think of all the good things that you should do. But are you able when you walk out in life here's where the opportunities are we kind of plant the little seeds of the practice. Now, when you're in life, can you have those seeds kind of grow a little bit?
Jen Steers:Take those moments.
Susannah Steers:So, Jen, if people are interested in finding you, are you doing online classes? Are you doing like? Where can people find you, Either in the Ottawa area or if they're outside of Ottawa?
Jen Steers:Okay, what I'm working on my own self right now is that idea of not waiting for the perfect. If you want to find me right now you're not going to find a snazzy webpage because I don't have it yet you know you could find me on Facebook, so you can find me there. You can find me on Instagram, Jen Steers. I have a little bit of a social media. I'm doing little reels on my phone, so if you want to reach me at this moment, it would probably be the easiest way it would be through Facebook or Messenger or Instagram, and I think they're going to get posted up on the show notes how to find those. So, yeah, feel free to read them. And I do one-on-one. I can do one-on-one online, I can do one-on-one in person. I've also done and continue to do, you know, workshops for offices or mental health or wellness workshops. I've done that for schools too. I've done some girls day school things with the guidance department, and then also one-on-ones corporates or a person. If you're in the Ottawa area, that's great.
Susannah Steers:Well, Jen, I've got to say living 2,000 miles and change apart is always hard, but it's great to be able to spend a little bit of time with you today and to get to share you with my people.
Jen Steers:I love spending time with you, too, all the time.
Susannah Steers:All the time, all right, well, take care and I'll see you soon.
Jen Steers:Thank you for having me.
Susannah Steers:Thanks for coming. Take care. Bye,
Jen Steers:All right. Bye.
Susannah Steers:I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Subscribe and, if you love what you heard, leave a five-star review and tell people what you enjoyed most. Join me here again in a couple of weeks For now let's get moving.
