Portrait of the founder of Yog'n'Run: Sophie Jean-Jacques

My name is Sophie, I have been practicing Yoga for 3 years, I live in Paris but I am a girl from the South. Yoga teacher for 1 year, I have also been a wellness masseuse for 4 years. I founded Yog'n'Run which combines yoga and running in the same session. The sessions take place from the beginning of March to the end of September in parks. I love traveling, discovering new horizons, meeting radiant and positive people. I am also part of the Parisian Amazons. My first retreat will be in Menorca in the Balearic Islands in May 2019. Are you coming?

It was only natural that I asked him a few personal questions about his yoga practice, which I am sharing with you today.

How did you get into taking care of yourself?

I started Yoga quite by chance during a Kite & Yoga retreat in Morocco. When I returned, I resigned. I didn't know yet what I wanted to do but I knew that I had to stop being in a job where I didn't belong. I left to do humanitarian work in an orphanage in Africa. Then after a few months when I returned to Paris, I knew that I wanted to practice, discover, learn and then pass on Yoga. That's what happened, I am now a teacher. Believe in your dreams, settle down, think carefully and then go for it. Life is short!

What practice for your well-being?

All Yoga practices bring something different and they complement each other. Depending on my mood, my energy, what resonates in me, I would choose a dynamic practice, Ashtanga, Vinyasas or calmer, gentle and slow with Yin.

What is the ritual of your practice?

I practice at home late at night, I light candles, burn white sage or palo santo, roll out my mat and turn on Spotify on shuffle. I always wear comfortable clothes, my hair tied up, I place myself in the center of my mat in Virasana, the hero pose and there I close my eyes, I enter my bubble, my deepest self. I like to be there. I feel good there.

What do you get out of it?

A calming feeling. I always thank my body and especially the universe for being able to move and breathe freely.

What do you carry in your yoga bag?

Palo Santo that a yogini friend brought me back from her home in Colombia. I also always like to have a little essential oil, either bitter orange in the morning to awaken my senses or Cedar in the evening to return to the earth, the forest. I am a Parisian Amazon ;-)

What is your favorite object/accessory?

My mini Tibetan bowl that I can carry very easily in my bag, it has an incredibly pure sound. It was given to me by a Vietnamese friend.

What would be your advice for Tayrona Yoginis?

Listen to your body, your desires, your needs and without judgment with a lot of love and patience towards you, your body, practice, practice and practice again. If you can share this with a friend it is wonderful, but yoga is you facing yourself. You will learn the wonders that are hidden in you if you are ready to listen to them.

Where/how do you practice?

I practice from home, but I also like to practice in different studios in Paris, in order to be guided by the teachers who inspire me and make me grow. The word Namasté then takes on its full meaning.

What is your mantra/favourite phrase?

“Leave the past behind you and use it to move forward.”

Find Sophie on Instagram