AM ALUMNI
Jenna Kanungo | @Jenungo
AM V200 - DEC 2021
Washington D.C., USA 🌎
I have been a doctor of physical therapy in D.C. for four years now working in the general orthopedic field. I love working with patients who have posture, balance, and neurologic deficits that affect their every day life. I use breathing and a movement control approach to improve their pain and function and believe that if we can teach our children how to breath and posture themselves properly before they mature we can evolve past a lot of chronic pain issues. I have been a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist and Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist (dry needling certified) for 2 years now and recently have been diving into concepts from the Postural Restoration Institute to use diaphragm breathing to impact alignment and symmetry in the body. I love teaching and have taken 8 full time clinical students over the past 3 years and hope to pursue more work at the University level.
Reflecting on the AM YTT Experience
| Why did you choose Authentic Movements for your YTT? | |
| I chose Authentic Movements because of the emphasis they put on exploring what feels right to the individual student. The concept of an “AM pocket” where you give the student time to explore the movements they’ve just learned and how to express them within themselves is exactly what I want to instill in my patients and is my preferred method of practicing yoga for myself. Just like the members of this group, I value the importance of teaching the individual how to move safely and effectively for their body type so that they can move freely on the mat in order to explore their bodies. Their cueing is phenomenal and I have taken a lot of movements from their practices and incorporated them into my clinical practice. As a physical therapist, I am so happy to see physical health professionals teaching basic movement concepts like hypermobility versus hypomobility, active mobility versus passive mobility, and postural control throughout the entire course so the average person can exercise more safely and independently. | |
| How did the online training platform work for you? | |
| The online platform was great for someone who can’t take 2-3 weeks off of work for an in-person intensive. The group has organized the content and assignments so well that at some points I would be journaling on my own time and then move on to the next lecture and find one of them talking about exactly what I was journaling about. Almost like they…planned it? With the online platform you definitely get more information and can pause, rewind, and take breaks as needed so you are able to absorb the information. I certainly could tell that I wasn’t getting the full experience by not being immersed in the yoga/meditative setting 24/7 and instead was being distracted by common day life. But, it only left me more excited to do an in-person course with this group in the future. | |
| How has your teaching changed since completing the AM YTT? | |
| Since completing my 200 hour YTT I have built up an even larger bank of cues that work for a wider variety of individuals. I have also learned how to use props more creatively and am more confident in my ability to design a 1+ hour flow in a well organized and thoughtful manner. I also learned concepts regarding spinal stabilization during hyperextension and rotation movements that has helped me teach the “scarrier” movements to patients with low back pain in a way that makes them feel safe. | |
| How have you engaged with the AM community of alums and students during and after the training? | |
| I have not yet begun to engage in the AM community but hope to do some live teachings in the future! | |
| What was your favorite part of the course content? | |
| I loved the live teaching components spread out throughout the course. It gave me a chance to practice teaching to strangers and multiple people at the same time and allowed me to receive real time feed back from the instructors. The instructors give such timely and personal feedback and are always so supportive. I can’t wait to meet them in person! | |
OTHER AM ALUMNI
Annemarie Canales
Houston, Texas, USA 🌎 An avid practitioner of many movement modalities including gymnastics, dance, and martial arts, I started following Authentic Movements back in 2017. I attended my first retreat with them in 2018, which affirmed what I already knew - I HAD to...
Megan Mathers
Saint Helens, OR, USA 🌎 I live in the PNW in a tiny house with my partner and dog. When I am not on my mat I am outside adventuring or gardening, reading, cooking, or talking to my plants. Complete workshops; Yoga Foundations with Matt Nelson, Creativity in your...
Juliet Moreno
San Antonio, TX, USA 🌎 My name is Juliet I grew up, reside, and teach yoga in San Antonio, Texas. I found yoga five years ago through a journey of seeking healing, restoration, and recovery. I wholeheartedly believe that yoga helped me with all of those things...
Fredi Starr
Clarion, PA, USA 🌎 I've been practicing yoga for roughly 8 years, the last 4 years being an avid practitioner and I have been teaching since Sept ‘19, creative vinyasa being my primary offering. I have completed two 200hr Yoga Teacher Trainings, first one with Brett...
Mireya Farias
Pismo Beach Ca/ Las Vegas Nv/ soon to be Florida resident 🌎 I am a bit of a wild child with a strong curiosity for exploring the unknown. This creates a very playful and dynamic environment in all things I do. My yoga journey began in 2016 which has laid down the...
Radwa Radwan
Sheikh Zayed, Egypt 🌍 I started Yoga in 2020 and I fell in love with it. Then I decided to take the 200 YTT. Currently, I teach a small group and I want to teach more groups. [email protected] on the AM YTT Experience Why did you choose Authentic...
Chelsea Roth
Novato, CA, USA 🌎 I began my yoga journey about 6 years ago on a whim by attending a class at a local gym, and have been hooked ever since! My passion is making yoga accessible and fun for all bodies and skill levels. I earned my foundational 200 hr training through...
Dia Seskin
New York City, NY, USA 🌎 Dia Seskin is a New York City based yoga instructor and hand balancer. Dia completed her first 200 hour teacher training in NYC, with a focus in power yoga. She completed her second 200 hour teacher training with Authentic Movements and is...
Sarah Knutsen
Astoria, Oregon, USA 🌎 The AM Virtual 200 was my first training, but I am very eager to continue learning. Looking forward to starting the AM Virtual 300 in July!OTHER AM ALUMNI