BJ Neubauer

e-RYT 200, Breathe Into Recovery

• Tell us, when did mind-body first bend you to its will? Several years ago after attending my first yoga class I realized I had been missing the total package that wasn’t present for me in other fitness avenues. The peace of mind, mental clarity & physical lightness that yoga offers allows it to be a lifestyle & not a ‘work-out’. 
• Besides your obvious coolness, what makes you qualified to teach? As the mother of a teenager, my coolness factor is highly debatable at the moment….with that being said, compassion & empathy are two qualifying factors in my teaching approach. I’ve trained under DeAnna’s Breathe Into Recovery ™ and Amy Weintraub’s LifeForce Yoga ® programs to deepen the experience for students. We can all be teachers when we share experience so I feel fortunate to learn from students as well as other teachers. 
• What other things are you qualified to do? In my previous life I had a drafting business & provided drafting services to environmental engineering firms but felt drawn to ‘being the change I wanted to see’ so I left the corporate world. Now I am a massage therapist when I’m not teaching yoga. But, alas, I return to my current mantra “as the mother of a teenager” so if you’re 16 and live in my house I guess that just qualifies me to be all up in your business.
• What can we expect to see, hear and do in your classes? Hopefully my classes will help students see the light we possess that connects all living beings. I love music and mantras fascinate me so you will hear lots of those healing sounds along with chakra seed sounds connecting asana & breath. Classes usually begin with a safe container, bhavana & an intention we carry throughout our practice. You can expect to smile in classes. I also dig the effects of Yin yoga so that will sometimes sneak (is sneak a yoga word?) into my classes to blend all the juiciness we create with flowing movement.
• What pose/move do you dig the most and why? Oooh, so hard to pick just one. I would say fish ( matsyasana) for the health benefits. It opens the heart & awakens the thymus gland while stimulating the crown of the head to stabilize the mood. And since you asked, another favorite is extended side angle (utthita parsvakonasana) because who doesn’t like to say that?! It is such a long, strong pose that always meets me right where I am. 
• If you could push a button and remove a pose/move from history, which one and why? Good bye reclining hero (supta virasana) because he is not friends with my knees. or my back. or the tops of my feet. Ok, now I’m just whining …. 
• Like, what’s your sign man? Sun sign is Scorpio but my ascending is Pisces which fits me so much better. (and it also allows me to work here with all the other, um, cool Pisces kids) 
• What are 3 things that make you smile real big and cheesy? My husband making omelets on Saturday mornings, my kids laughing and dogs get me everytime! 
• What is your favorite quote when you’re in need of a little inspiration? Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectation, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are ~ Rachel Remen 
• If you could do anything to change the world, what would it be? Our world should not have hungry children. anywhere. 
• Any other interesting information you would like to share with the nice people reading this here Bio? Let’s see, I grew up in the military so I love to travel. I also love to cook, read, and hike. I have been married 24 years & have two kids; a son all grown up & a lovely daughter at home in Flower Mound. Can’t wait to meet you in a class. Namaste.