Episode Transcript
Brendon Orr (00:00)
Jeri welcome to Yoga scussion It's so good to see you.
Jeri Winkelmann (00:04)
Thank you so much. I've missed you. I missed seeing your face.
Brendon Orr (00:05)
Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (00:06)
Bye, Jeri
Brendon Orr (00:08)
so Jeri, we appreciate you being on a yoga discussion. When did you initially come to yoga? And when would you say the yoga bug bit you?
Jeri Winkelmann (00:08)
Hahaha.
So about five years ago, my oldest son announced that he was getting married. And I had this moment of panic knowing that I was going to be in a thousand photographs. And I just wasn't happy with where I was with my health and my weight. And so I started looking around for something that would just be good for me, something that I could commit to that might help me.
get to a place where I could put on a dress and be in front of a camera. And I tried a number of different yoga classes and then serendipitously fell into a shtanga. And it just really spoke to me. And so I've been going ever since.
Brendon Orr (01:03)
Would you say, what would you say it was about the style or the environment that really resonated with you?
Jeri Winkelmann (01:13)
As a former recovering dancer or dance instructor, think Ashtanga spoke to me because of its similarities to ballet and bar work. You come into the studio, you do the same types of thing over and over with this idea that over a long period of time, right, you will see
strength and flexibility increase and it just felt really similar, familiar. So I think that was it for me.
Brendon Orr (01:46)
Mm, mm.
Gina Clingerman (01:46)
⁓
Is there a real connection between the body and the breath in dance in bar that kind of mirrors yoga? I haven't done any of that. Okay.
Jeri Winkelmann (01:54)
Yes, very much so. Yes.
Yes, very much the same thing. You concentrate on breathing and even the way your face, right, maintaining a look that is relaxed and calm and in control, sort of regardless of what your body is experiencing. So kind of some of that same thing.
Brendon Orr (02:19)
And I'm not sure Jeri, how long have you been practicing yoga? I mean, either at a studio or otherwise. What does that practice look like?
Jeri Winkelmann (02:30)
I think just over five years. There should be a chip or something, right? At the five-year mark. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think so.
Brendon Orr (02:38)
to track.
Gina Clingerman (02:38)
Yoga anonymous. Yogi's anonymous. Yeah, I like this idea.
We need, we need these little milestones.
Jeri Winkelmann (02:47)
Exactly!
Some kind of acknowledgement. I am doing this and it's important.
Brendon Orr (02:52)
Well, I recall like when we first connected, maybe it was five or so years ago, it would have been, you know, when I was settling a bit in Lincoln, Nebraska, and, you know, a friend had told me about a new studio that was opening up Yin Yang Yoga. And so I had just had a referral based conversation with that owner and started teaching classes. And, you know, it was,
Jeri Winkelmann (03:09)
Mm-hmm.
Brendon Orr (03:19)
you know, spotily attended, but it was like regularly attended from some folks. And then, and then you were one of us, you know, ⁓ a couple people who started showing up. And then you just, you never left me alone. You just kept coming. And so what do you think about like, because I've had a similar experience, right? Like there's just something about that bug biting you in that moment.
Jeri Winkelmann (03:32)
day.
Brendon Orr (03:44)
Right? So like, what do you think it really was? Was it like a sense of camaraderie, know, similar personality types? Maybe you were calling this community. Like, what are your thoughts along those lines?
Jeri Winkelmann (03:56)
I feel like the connection was to your voice and maybe your personality. You remind me a little bit of my son, right? You're a little bit of a closet nerd. And so.
Brendon Orr (04:04)
Mm.
Gina Clingerman (04:12)
⁓ that is the sweetest thing. I
love this.
Jeri Winkelmann (04:19)
And so I think that was the connection. And then the fact that sort of the same people, and it was a smaller group, so I was comfortable in the small group, and the people who are there just felt open, inviting, welcoming, right? I always felt very much at home and I didn't have to be self-conscious about my body or what I was doing or, you know, I mean, I just felt comfortable.
And then I've learned, right, over time by going occasionally to other classes or being out of Thailand and I want to go to a class. Yogis are just that way, just even in mass, right? You can get a whole room full of people together practicing yoga. And for the most part, I've never felt judged or, you know, I've just felt welcome. So I think
Brendon Orr (05:10)
Hmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (05:15)
I think it is a community of people. think, I don't know, right? Does yoga draw those people or do those people become yogis and become better people? I don't know which way it goes, chicken and egg kind of thing, but yeah, it was good.
Brendon Orr (05:21)
Hmm.
Well, it
seems like you're talking about like this thing that you can bottle, right? And then you know, like you take your sips with your attendance. But like, have you ever tried to share like that great yoga goodness from the bottle with anyone else in your life? Do you find like you're like that, that night that Nagy yoga person trying to bring people to the studio or? Yeah, yeah. mean, raise your hand, right?
Jeri Winkelmann (05:46)
my gosh.
Yes.
That is me. That is me. And
right. And people are sometimes surprised, right? Like you practice yoga? Yes. Yes, I do. And you should as well. Really everyone should. But I really believe, right, you send the message out over and over and over and you never know when it'll be the right moment for it to be received. So like a good commercial.
Brendon Orr (05:59)
Mm.
Jeri Winkelmann (06:17)
you see it 10 or 15 times on the air and you ignore it completely until that moment when you need an air purifier and all of a sudden that's the best commercial you've ever seen. my gosh, that's the thing. So I'm of the mindset that I'm going to continue to nag and remind and just drop hints here and there about how wonderful this is until it hits at the right moment.
Brendon Orr (06:28)
Mmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (06:41)
So many people in my life, I just think, could benefit in so many ways. I have 85 year old parents who live on their own. They both drive everywhere they go. They're super healthy. I mean, just got back from Florida, taking them on a trip to the beach. They're a riot. I love them to death. And I just think, wow, a little bit of this, a little bit of stretching, could really...
make you feel better. And yeah, so I throw that out there all the time.
Brendon Orr (07:15)
Yeah, have you gotten or won any converts over the years?
Jeri Winkelmann (07:20)
⁓ yeah, yeah, I have. Casey, who was the friend that I initially recruited, right? Come be in class with me so I don't have to do this by myself, has stuck with it. My mom has kind of hit or miss yet, ⁓ but she, when we're together, she will participate with me, right? And we talk about modification and
Brendon Orr (07:35)
Hmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (07:43)
you know, here's what this should look like and here's what it could look like for you. And my new, I guess she's not super new, but my daughter-in-law is a yogi, teaches yoga. And between the two of us, now my oldest son routinely goes to class because he goes with her, he goes when we're together. And even my younger son, who was a baseball player for a while, he was converted by a coach who brought a yoga instructor to baseball.
This is college level baseball, just the benefits against flexibility and mobility and strength. And so he's really been, he kind of tried it then let it go, but he's been open. So when I suggest, hey, let's go to class, he'll come with me.
Gina Clingerman (08:11)
Yes.
Brendon Orr (08:28)
Nice.
Gina Clingerman (08:28)
That's wonderful.
An old head coach, I don't know if he's still the head coach of the Seahawks, the Seattle Seahawks, but he would have his students, he would have his players do ⁓ yoga and meditate before every game. And I think that was the year that they almost won the Super Bowl.
Jeri Winkelmann (08:45)
Yes.
Gina Clingerman (08:50)
But I was like, I was telling everybody, my gosh, like, why are we not doing yoga and sports? Because it's so good for visualization, calming you down, preparing you, like, for warming the body up, you know?
Jeri Winkelmann (08:52)
Yeah!
It makes sense.
Yes.
Brendon Orr (09:02)
Yeah. And I think I've read that that's spread, but I think the Seahawks and Pete Carroll, I think is the coach that you're talking about. I think it like became popular with them because, know, they were playing so well and then we're like, the people should be doing this, you know, on the practice field, you know? So yeah, it makes, it makes one wonder how, even beyond the physical aspect, like how,
Gina Clingerman (09:13)
they played so great that year.
Mm-hmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (09:19)
Yeah.
Brendon Orr (09:24)
Practicing mindfulness or even just pranayama or meditation can really help people. mean, professional athletes, sure, but in a variety of professions.
Gina Clingerman (09:35)
Mm When I was first kind of starting back into yoga, I was running before, before I headed back into like a really intense time of practice in my life. And it was amazing how just learning how to breathe better, it made my running so much better. So much better. Like I could just breathe better. I'd be running and it was like, I can breathe so good. And that was all from breathing in my classes, you know?
Jeri Winkelmann (09:59)
on.
Brendon Orr (10:02)
Mm, mm.
Jeri Winkelmann (10:02)
And I feel like
running really compacts your muscles. And then this idea of yoga just sort of offsetting that and stretching and making you less injury prone and allowing you to run longer.
Gina Clingerman (10:16)
Mm-hmm.
Brendon Orr (10:17)
Yeah, I
don't know if any listeners would be able to connect with this or either of you, but you know, I was running a lot in my twenties and into my thirties and I stretched. I wish I had stretched more and, even during that time, I wasn't really doing yoga, any type of yoga. So I really wonder how those running years may have looked a little bit different. You know, obviously in the West, seems like we're very like,
Jeri Winkelmann (10:29)
No.
Brendon Orr (10:44)
performance oriented, know, we're setting goals, we're trying to accomplish goals and everything. But I admit that even my mind is wondering if I would have had a regular yoga practice, how would have how would that have actually maybe led to some of those experiences being better? I know on some runs I was racked with feelings or thoughts of self doubt, right? ⁓ Maybe that process would have been different, you know, maybe I would have been living more in the present moment has
Jeri Winkelmann (11:05)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Brendon Orr (11:11)
Has that played out in either of your lives and like any other type of pursuit or outside interests? ⁓
Jeri Winkelmann (11:19)
I think for me, just that idea of focusing on breath and no matter what stressful situation you're in, right? I can be in the middle of a board meeting and something starts to explode and it's like, okay, we're gonna just focus on our breath and this is gonna be fine. And it's helpful. I mean, it just sort of keeps you centered and nothing that's going on around you impacts you quite as much.
Brendon Orr (11:44)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (11:45)
so
true. It's so true that just and I think we forget that the breath is such a wonderful free tool, right? That our body that we can access in our bodies like we're so externalized in our kind of capitalistic modern world where it's like, we'll buy something to reduce stress and it's like you have this free tool in your body already that like is both autonomic and can be, you know, manipulated like if you don't want to pay attention to your breath, it doesn't stop.
Jeri Winkelmann (11:53)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (12:15)
But if
you want to like, you want to like take things down a notch or, you know, regulate your nervous system, just start paying attention and breathing deeper and exhaling longer. And it's, it's the one thing that I wish we taught a little bit better in yoga classes, especially to beginners, you know, is like, this is a tool, this is like free. It's a thing that you have always in your body. Like it's.
Brendon Orr (12:41)
Yeah, like a breath first
approach.
Gina Clingerman (12:43)
Yeah, it's a bridge. mean, it's a bridge between your mind and your body and your mind and your emotions, your body and your emotions, you know, it's, it's lovely.
Jeri Winkelmann (12:52)
And I wonder, right, do we need to start teaching that idea to really small children, right? That idea of, okay, you feel out of control, you don't have great language skills, here's something we can focus on together here for just a minute. Let's just take a couple deep breaths together. That just feels like that would be helpful.
Brendon Orr (13:16)
Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (13:17)
seen
people do this with their kids and it's so amazing to me like while I'm witnessing it I'm also thinking like my god I never had an adult walk me through just taking a beat taking a pause breathing as a kid I never had that and I look at those poor little nervous systems right they're just like experiencing everything for the first time they have no idea what the world is made of or how they're supposed to react to it and
Jeri Winkelmann (13:37)
Yes.
Right.
Gina Clingerman (13:43)
When I see those kids practicing that, just gives me so much hope for the future of everyone that like these kids are learning how to be self-modulated and like resource themselves in a way that I never had that I had to teach myself really by going to yoga and becoming a yoga teacher.
It's super awesome. And I think there's, think there are a lot of people who are doing that. I've seen my friends who are parents doing it and it gives me a lot of hope. Yeah.
Brendon Orr (14:11)
Yeah, it's been normalized and you know, Gina, you can speak to this too, maybe, but when we were getting into teaching kids classes, weren't, didn't seem like it was super common at studios. And I'm not sure when that started shifting, maybe during the pandemic, perhaps, ⁓ without me observing that trend. But now certainly it seems like a lot of studios will have a tandem, kids offering and,
if you want to call it, you know, an adult, you know, class offering so that parents and kids can go together addressing that, you know, common concern for parents, right? Who's going to watch the kid or kids so that I can go take a yoga class? Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (14:54)
Yeah.
Jeri Winkelmann (14:56)
Yeah. I love that.
Gina Clingerman (14:58)
Yeah,
at the studio I started teaching at, always had a kids class that we did with the Children's Center in our town. And so that was really great. had always done that. And then I would also have parents ask me if they could bring their kids to class. And I'd say, yeah, bring them. It was wonderful. I loved having kids in my class. And they would just do the same thing the adults were doing. ⁓ they were great. It was great.
Jeri Winkelmann (15:21)
Yeah.
Brendon Orr (15:25)
Yeah, I wish I started when I was a kid. Maybe I would have been less closety, dorky. I would have been more comfortable in my dorkiness, Jeri. Maybe I would have worn that on my sleeve a little more. I thought I, you said nerd, nerd, that's right, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I guess they're just cousins, but as. ⁓
Gina Clingerman (15:34)
you
Jeri Winkelmann (15:35)
You're not a dork. You're a nerd. A nerd, not a dork. Yeah. Get the terminology right.
Brendon Orr (15:47)
It's funny. I kind of feel like I wear that on the sleeve a little bit, but maybe you're right. Maybe I said, maybe I should embrace that a little bit more. Yeah. So like Jeri, you were talking earlier about how yoga has really helped you. you know, I think the word, ⁓ that you were using that has been resonating is, you know, developing the sense of calm. We know you work in the airport industry and.
Jeri Winkelmann (15:54)
Embrace that, yeah.
Gina Clingerman (15:55)
You
should. Nerds are the best.
Jeri Winkelmann (15:57)
Exactly.
Mm-hmm.
Brendon Orr (16:16)
I think lately, especially, that doesn't seem like the most calm place to be. So would you maybe sharing with us and the listeners any specific type of experience or kind of what you try to bring to that role or that line of work or how you think that there's a bit of a connection here?
Jeri Winkelmann (16:23)
Yeah.
Yeah, I embrace the role of the calming presence. And so in any environment, but especially at work, right, I try to be the person in the room who is bringing the temperature down. And I find that I can do that with my voice, right? You can speak more slowly, be really intentional, engage with
people, eye contact, that kind of thing. And I've had people tell me, you know, in a crisis, you're the person we want in the room. And I think I just have the ability to get through that. And then I have to deal with myself later. But in the moment, I can generally retain a sense of calm. And I do think while yoga helps me directly in those situations,
it's almost more helpful on the backside when I'm dealing with me. Because, right? Yeah, that part, that's always hard. Yes, and it used to be you'd go in a small room, shut the door, and then just cry or scream, or you had to do something. And now I'm more likely to go into a small space and just breathe and close my eyes and have a moment.
Gina Clingerman (17:38)
I was just gonna ask that, like, is it a place where you go to like unravel that? ⁓
Jeri Winkelmann (18:01)
that you might call a meditation or just that sense of self-awareness that, okay, here's what happened, but it's not internal. I have the ability to sort of keep that external stress external.
Brendon Orr (18:09)
Hmm.
Yeah. Do you see, do you see that rubbing off on colleagues or does it, what do you think? These are probably the same. These are probably the same people who won't go to the yoga class. ⁓
Jeri Winkelmann (18:19)
No, not yet. I'm hopeful. I remain hopeful. Probably won't go with me to class.
Gina Clingerman (18:21)
Hahaha.
Yeah.
Jeri Winkelmann (18:30)
I know. I've had a thought about maybe we could have a class right here in my administrative office. We'll do it in the kitchen and we'll do it once a week and whoever wants to come can come and for 10 minutes we'll just, you know, do sun salutation. You know, some day Those are the big dreams.
Brendon Orr (18:46)
Yeah. You know, there's a,
there's a theory out there and I'd be curious to see if this manifested in your life in any way, Jeri, you know, I've talked to plenty of people about like, what really brought them to yoga? Where were you in life? And for myself included, I don't really think I allowed the bug to bite me until I experienced a very challenging time. And
Jeri Winkelmann (19:03)
Mm-hmm.
Brendon Orr (19:08)
I've spoken to many other people where they got serious about a yoga practice when they encountered a very challenging time. So did that manifest in your life in any way or did it manifest in a different way?
Jeri Winkelmann (19:22)
Yeah, think it was truly, think many women deal with struggling with body image and, you know, looking in the mirror is not your favorite thing to do and truly the idea of being in photographs, right? I've always been the person on the flip side of the camera. I love to take pictures. I don't want to be in them. I...
almost to the point where I became obnoxious about not being in photographs. And I just knew I wasn't going to have that option. And I didn't want my own personal hangups to impact that lovely day, right? I didn't want my thing to get in the way. So I just, it was like, okay, I've got to do something to get this under control so that at least, you know, I can make this okay. I can get through it and...
And I don't know what I was looking, I was looking for something and I've tried running and I despise running and I, you know, played volleyball for a while and really enjoyed that, but that requires a team and a league and stuff I didn't immediately have. And so I don't know how, I don't know what it was that when I went in search, yoga was the thing that
came out of that. I don't know what that trigger was, but I know as soon as I saw it, it was like, that's the answer. And I just need to keep at this until I find the right class, the right group, the right style. And yeah, I'm glad I found it.
Brendon Orr (20:43)
Mm.
Gina Clingerman (21:00)
Do you think that the practice of yoga and this idea of like the mind body kind of bridge, mean, right now, I mean, we talk about the mind body bridge, but it's like the mind and body are not separate, they're the same thing. But do you think that that, the way we talk about that in yoga classes, that it did make you feel stronger, right? Like you got stronger and you probably got...
Jeri Winkelmann (21:22)
yeah, yes.
Gina Clingerman (21:25)
you know, thinner because you got stronger. But do you think that your confidence, may be built your confidence and just being in your body.
Jeri Winkelmann (21:28)
Yes.
Yes, yes. I, yeah, I think some of it is just intentional awareness. And I think some of it is about being in a group of people all in tights. And it's like, ⁓ okay, right? We're gonna do this together. This is gonna be okay. Some of it is about the language, I think. In the studio that I practice in.
Gina Clingerman (21:34)
Can you speak a little bit about that?
Jeri Winkelmann (22:00)
Right, namaste is on the wall and the definition is on the wall and it's about seeing each other, not necessarily external physical characteristics, but seeing really who you are as a person and accepting that. I do think that spoke to me and helped me really.
Gina Clingerman (22:21)
Yeah, like D, it like D commodified what it means to have a body in a in a culture that centers and objectifies that. Yeah, that's beautiful.
Jeri Winkelmann (22:30)
Yes, yes.
Brendon Orr (22:33)
Well, and it's tricky too, because, you know, I mean, it's a well discussed thing about as yoga evolved in the West after being brought to the West, you know, it became this, you know, commodified thing, you know, like how to, how can we sell this and no better way to sell that with, with the attractiveness of the female form. so I really appreciate that we're actually touching on this aspect, you know, of, I guess you might say yoga culture.
You know, like the tights and the, the, the Lululemon. could drop, I could drop other brand names and it's interesting how being in the space for a while. I don't necessarily claim to have a finger on the pulse of where it's at right now, but it seems like the day and age where that form of yoga, the, spa form of yoga, like that still obviously has its.
arena and it's following because I think that's always going to be a target demographic, right? That's because when you just think of the culture, right, that's going to be where a good chunk of people go. And that's where my journey began. it was, it was fitness mirrors, popular music that was catchy and your class attendance was probably largely influenced by how good your playlist was. Yeah. Yeah. And so it's interesting to see how.
Jeri Winkelmann (23:50)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Brendon Orr (23:54)
I think this kind of authenticity or people searching for something a little more, I don't want to say traditional, but something maybe a little deeper seems to also have grown over the last decade. I don't know what either of your thoughts are on that.
Jeri Winkelmann (24:10)
I think for me, that's another reason why Ashtanga spoke to me. I was looking for, I was looking for a workout. I was looking for something that would make me stronger. And there were lots of yoga classes that were.
just not as intense. So I wanted to say cute or more fun or write the music was boppy and you could go and that was great. But I left not feeling like, I felt okay, but not like, okay, I really got something out of that. Ashtanga, I mean, I've been doing this now for a while. It has not gotten any easier.
get to the end of every class and I'm so thankful that I got to the end of the class. And I walk out and think, okay, you really just did something, right? That's something to, yes, to be proud of, to pat yourself on the back. You've done this, you're continuing to do this, you're continuing to show up, and it's worthwhile. Not that any other form is not, but for me when...
Brendon Orr (25:08)
accomplishment.
Jeri Winkelmann (25:23)
Right? I work every day. I commute an hour each way to get to work. I have a family. I have other responsibilities. I work with my parents. I don't have a lot of free time. So if I'm going to commit an hour and a half, twice a week, to something like this, or three times a week, I mean, my goal is to get to three times a week. I'm working on that. That has to really be meaningful in my life.
and this has filled that role.
Brendon Orr (25:56)
Yeah, Jeri. ⁓ I remember when I found out that you didn't live in Lincoln, you lived in Omaha, the Omaha area and that you had this commute even during, ⁓ winter days and you were still showing up so regularly. And when I, learned that, I admit that like it made me think about if, if Jeri is showing up. Then.
Jeri Winkelmann (26:08)
Mm-hmm.
Hahaha
Gina Clingerman (26:23)
Yeah.
Brendon Orr (26:23)
I need
to make sure I'm really sure. Not that I didn't already have that. Don't get me wrong. Not that I didn't already have that intention, but I do think that I remember that moment where I was just like, wow. You know, I need to honor this. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. Appreciate that.
Jeri Winkelmann (26:24)
I need to be there. Yeah, yeah. ⁓
Gina Clingerman (26:41)
I'm wondering, Jeri, yeah, you have a very full life. So like, what keeps pulling you back to your mat? Like, what is your motivation to continue to devote yourself to this practice and keep it central in your life?
Jeri Winkelmann (26:58)
The benefits for me are really tangible. I'm a better human. I am more calm. I am more focused. I am less anxious. My health is better. And I need to be present. I need to be present for my family, for my parents. I just learned recently I'm gonna be a grandmother. So I have, thank you, thank you.
Brendon Orr (27:17)
⁓
Gina Clingerman (27:17)
Congratulations!
Jeri Winkelmann (27:21)
So I'm
even more motivated, right? think today when, I mean, none of us know what our life expectancy is, but as I spend time with, again, my 85 year old parents, you begin to think, okay, I could be around a while. And I would like that time to be full of adventure and travel and good health and good mental health.
And this is part of that journey. think this is a way for me to get.
Brendon Orr (27:53)
Hmm. Yeah, and I'd hope up. that's what I was just thinking. You know, I mean, it's little statements like that, where if I would just look at some of the same people that I've nagged about yoga over the years and just kind of give them like a knowing nudge or, you know, or look, it's like someone else is someone else is saying that someone else is saying it. Like, ⁓
Jeri Winkelmann (27:55)
and maybe be better for other people too, you know?
Hey. Yeah.
Brendon Orr (28:17)
Maybe it's a good opportunity to maybe transition to a little bit of silly questions. And so when I think about what my home practice has looked like, like I remember during the pandemic years, Jeri meeting, over zoom, and that being kind of weird at the beginning and then like seeing you and others practicing at home and thinking about how your home practice might be because it was like the pandemic. ⁓ did what does your home practice look like? mean, I know you've, you've touched on
how you have a demanding career and other responsibilities like with family. Of course, there's value in that community and showing up to a public class, but is there times where you meditate ⁓ in moments at home? Is there any type of practice off of the mat that plays out in your life?
Jeri Winkelmann (29:02)
Yes, that's an ongoing journey. I have heard you say a hundred times, you got to do this every day. You do this at home. You do this, you know, when you wake up in the morning before you go to bed at night. And I, it took me a long time. It probably took the pandemic, honestly, to get me to even try this at home. Right. I am so much more motivated.
If I go to class and I'm showing up for other people and there are other people involved, that for me is commitment. If I'm home, then there are a thousand other things I need to do. so taking time to do yoga at home has been one of my biggest challenges. And so I've really started to deconstruct what that looks like.
It's like, okay, you're not gonna give yourself an hour and a half right now to go to the basement and get your mat out and do a practice. That's okay. You can take 10 minutes here in the living room and get on the floor with your schnauzer and do some stretching and start to breathe and be really intentional here for a few minutes while you have time. And giving myself permission to do that in little bites has made a difference for me.
Brendon Orr (30:21)
Yeah, I heard the mention of a schnauzer there and believe it or not, I actually had a question along these lines because when I think about how when I was really committing to a personal practice where I was at in life, you know, I had a couple of dogs and a cat at that point in time and I had to learn that if I wanted an uninterrupted practice, I had to be alone with the door closed like in a room. There was not going to be any like communal space in the house where this was going to play out because I would just go to this room.
Jeri Winkelmann (30:43)
Yeah. Yeah.
Brendon Orr (30:50)
Wasn't closing the door. And I remember acutely, like it was at this moment in time where I was shifting from terrified of shirshasana headstand to I am going to learn this and do this. And all those times where I was up against the wall learning and then moving away from the wall and. Dogs sneaking in and licking my face and making it much, much harder or a cat coming in and slinking its way like along me. I'm like,
Jeri Winkelmann (31:01)
Mm-hmm.
Yes? Yes! Yes!
Brendon Orr (31:19)
not making this any easier, Fuzzy Companion. So do you have any fun stories that you might share along those lines? Has anything like that happened to you?
Jeri Winkelmann (31:27)
Oh, absolutely, right? George is my schnauzer and he's, you know, he's my dog and I can't, there's no way for me, that's not true. I could go to a room where I could lock him out, but then again, that's, that makes that more difficult. So if I can get on the floor with him and he thinks, Ooh, this is playtime and, and work with him.
then it's good for both of us. And again, it just gives me that additional motivation. Right now I'm giving George one on one time. I'm getting some stretching in and he's thinking it's great. So you're right. If I was, I have so many challenges in yoga. If I was really working on something that scared me, I'd probably try to do that alone. But if I'm gonna just get that 10 minutes of happy time,
Gina Clingerman (32:00)
I love it.
Jeri Winkelmann (32:24)
I'd just as soon do it with George there.
Brendon Orr (32:27)
Yeah, I'll pop it, pop it, talk.
Gina Clingerman (32:28)
I love that
you are, you know, there's so many yogis who have such good intentions and it's like, yoga every damn day. Like I'm going to do an hour and a half or an hour or whatever. And it's like, sometimes I just want to be like the reality of our lives as householders, right? The reality of our lives, like taking care of our aging parents and our children and our grandchildren, our families and our dogs and our jobs is like, like we are going to be blessed to get 10 minutes in a day if we get it in.
Jeri Winkelmann (32:39)
Yep. Yep.
Yes.
Gina Clingerman (32:58)
day, you know? And yeah, when I'm on my mat, I'm like, all animals welcome. I'm like, everybody get in here. We're all going to like, who's around on the floor? I love it.
Jeri Winkelmann (33:04)
Yeah.
Yep. Yep.
Brendon Orr (33:10)
Yeah, so thank you, Pets, for all of those moments to practice reflecting and not reacting and also what you've added to those present moments. Yeah, so Gina, do you have any questions?
Gina Clingerman (33:16)
you
Well, I was gonna ask you, what is one part of your practice right now that's like just really nourishing you, that's like feeding you, filling you up? And it could be a pose, it could be a specific pose, it could be breath, but like, is there something right now that's just like keeping you going that when you get to it, you're like, ⁓ yeah, this, this.
Jeri Winkelmann (33:46)
Hmm.
I've become more comfortable in down dog. don't know, Brendan, I don't know you remember this. Yoga instructors say things like, now we're gonna rest in down dog. And.
Gina Clingerman (34:03)
Yes,
I've said that.
Brendon Orr (34:06)
Yes, guilty.
Jeri Winkelmann (34:07)
That
is just garbage. I'm sorry. For me, down dog is a super challenging pose. And I really have to think my way through it. Some of that, I have back issues. there's just, I have to really be intentional about getting into that position and then making sure I'm in it correctly and then breathing through it because I find it difficult. And so it's taken me a long time to just get to...
Gina Clingerman (34:10)
Yes.
Brendon Orr (34:10)
You
Yeah.
Hmm.
Gina Clingerman (34:30)
Mm-hmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (34:35)
Okay, now I can be in this position that I'm going to be in a lot. And I'm starting to feel better there. And I feel good about that because for the longest time it was like, there's got to be something wrong with me because I'm getting a down dog and there's no rest there. ⁓ And so was like, okay, what am I doing wrong with this? And it just, just figuring out that, okay, nobody's telling you to rest physically. We're going to get in this position. Then we're going to breathe and we're going to get comfortable with where we're at.
Brendon Orr (34:50)
Mmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (35:04)
⁓ It took me a long time to get to that interpretation.
Gina Clingerman (35:04)
Yes.
Oh, I so want to mirror your experience. Yes, I've had the same. And now when I sometimes I will say we're gonna rest here and I will say, but I know this isn't rest. I know you're working really hard. So see if you can drop in. Can you drop into what you're doing? Because it can be rest in like a weird way. But like I yes, I can mirror that 100%. I fought with down docs so long.
Jeri Winkelmann (35:11)
Hahaha!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes.
Brendon Orr (35:35)
you
Jeri Winkelmann (35:36)
Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (35:36)
So long. And then you do, you
recognize that like, I'm not in child's pose. I am like stabilizing. I am pressing. I am pushing. I am breathing. I yeah, I am opening. And then I'm settling into the sensation of all of that. It's so activating. man, what a great answer. Thank you. That was a beautiful answer.
Jeri Winkelmann (35:42)
Right, this is active. It's active.
Brendon Orr (35:47)
Opening.
Jeri Winkelmann (35:48)
and
Yes.
Yes.
Brendon Orr (35:59)
You
You know, and it's, it's maybe a little like trendy and uninspired, but because I don't think I've ever actually asked you this question, Jeri, do you have a favorite Asana or pose or maybe it's a two-part question. Do you have a favorite and do you have one that maybe, you're learning to love? Let's say that.
Jeri Winkelmann (36:22)
So my Sanskrit is really not good. So there's a pose that is a bind.
Brendon Orr (36:24)
Mm.
Jeri Winkelmann (36:30)
with one leg extended and one leg bent, and then you bind around your back.
Brendon Orr (36:35)
Oh yeah, maybe that's Murat Yassin of B or A. Yeah, yeah. Mm-mm.
Jeri Winkelmann (36:37)
Yes, A. So, Marichyasana
A, I have achieved some level of ability.
And so I'm just really proud of that. And there's another O and B, Marichyasana B, I feel like is achievable. that, and I get scolded in class with this, don't push it, don't, you know, we're not, don't hurt yourself, don't put, and it's like, no, I can do this.
I can get there. If somebody would just push on this shoulder and push on this leg, right, I could get to that pose. So it helps me to believe that it's possible. And then it also is a nice reminder of this goes slowly and you're going to make progress, little bits of progress over time. And that kind of comes and goes sometimes. But there are poses out there that I feel like if I just worked a little harder, I could get to. And that's, that's.
helps encourage me to keep at it.
Brendon Orr (37:39)
Yeah, yeah, that's an honest answer. Yeah, yeah.
Gina Clingerman (37:42)
Earlier in our conversation, you said that Ashtanga is really hard, really difficult. And I wonder if...
Jeri Winkelmann (37:47)
Yeah. Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (37:50)
If the difficulty, I don't know if this maybe resonates, but if the difficulty is that you are improving, you are getting more. So you're going to, you know, that next Croma up, as we would say in like a teacher training, you're getting to that next, okay, now we're going to straighten the leg instead of have the leg bent, or now we're going to add the bind it in. So, so you're meeting yourself always at the threshold of what feels hard, but is actually like you're doing it.
Brendon Orr (38:20)
Yeah.
Jeri Winkelmann (38:20)
Yeah,
I think that's part of my personality type. And again, why this is such a good fit for me because I am competitive, I am driven. And so always having that next threshold in front of you. I mean, I just know there's so much more for me to learn, right? I still feel like such a beginner. And yeah, I do think that keeps me coming back.
Brendon Orr (38:27)
Mm.
Yeah, so as we kind of wind down the yoga discussion with you, Jeri, maybe being as pithy and concise as possible, maybe just one to three words, if you can. What is yoga to you?
Jeri Winkelmann (39:03)
my goodness.
Brendon Orr (39:04)
Feel free to take your time. One to three words, if possible.
Jeri Winkelmann (39:10)
yoga, life, connection, health.
Brendon Orr (39:19)
Yeah. Close the book as far as I'm concerned.
Gina Clingerman (39:22)
Yeah.
Jeri Winkelmann (39:23)
Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (39:23)
She
wrote the answer. We're done.
Jeri Winkelmann (39:25)
Check it out.
Brendon Orr (39:26)
Yeah, yeah and Gina to wrap up the call I think you've got a question for Jeri, right?
Gina Clingerman (39:33)
yeah, I do. I don't know. Are you a book reader?
Jeri Winkelmann (39:37)
I am.
Gina Clingerman (39:39)
Do you have any favorite books, yoga or otherwise that you think kind of sum up how yoga helps or creates space in our lives? I'm always looking for references and I think our listeners are also.
Jeri Winkelmann (39:52)
No, no. So my nerd comes out when I read. So I read things like The Lord of the Rings. I mean, I read fantasy. I read murder mystery fiction. Yeah. So I sort of read to escape. ⁓ So I, yeah, I've always got this list of books. It's like, okay, those would be really good to read if you want to.
Gina Clingerman (39:53)
Okay.
Brendon Orr (40:01)
Hahaha
Gina Clingerman (40:01)
⁓
love it.
Brendon Orr (40:04)
Fiction, yeah.
Mmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (40:16)
you know, get better at this and do this and this would be helpful. And then when I actually have that moment to read the stuff that I grab is like, yeah, I don't get it. Yeah. Yeah.
Gina Clingerman (40:25)
Pure imagination, just fun. Nice,
I love it. So what's the best pure imagination book you've read lately?
Jeri Winkelmann (40:34)
Gosh.
I love Avatar. I love that series. ⁓
Gina Clingerman (40:41)
Like Avatar
the Airbender?
Brendon Orr (40:43)
Is this blue people avatar or the, my opinion, much cooler, yeah, avatar the last airbender?
Jeri Winkelmann (40:49)
Yes.
Gina Clingerman (40:49)
the Last Airbender.
Jeri Winkelmann (40:51)
The kids got me into that. I just love that. And again, that your imagination can kind of just run wild.
Gina Clingerman (40:57)
Yeah. Did you see the episode where they went, they went down the chakra, the chakra one? That was one of the best episodes of the whole, of the entire, like, my God. It was so good. ⁓ I feel like I gotta have to go watch that again.
Brendon Orr (40:57)
Hmm.
Jeri Winkelmann (41:02)
Yes, yes, yes, that was awesome.
Brendon Orr (41:09)
Yeah, seconded.
Jeri Winkelmann (41:10)
Love the visuals. Yeah.
Brendon Orr (41:12)
Mm-hmm.
Gonna have to go track that down again.
Gina Clingerman (41:20)
Yeah. I love that series.
Brendon Orr (41:21)
Yeah. Yeah. No, it's a great, it's a great show. It's a great show.
Gina Clingerman (41:25)
So would you mind saying this is yoga discussion? Because we're going to kind of wrap those into our ⁓ intros.
Brendon Orr (41:32)
Intro.
Jeri Winkelmann (41:34)
Gotcha. This is Yoga Session.
Brendon Orr (41:38)
Jeri, it is truly an honor to have you on this recording of Yoga Session. Even though we're miles away, the energetic connection is always there. And so just thank you for your dedication to your practice, because that's helping the world. So thank you.
Jeri Winkelmann (41:57)
Thank you. Thank you.
Gina Clingerman (41:57)
It is. Thanks for spending
your time with us. And I know that you said earlier in the interview that, you know, your yoga practice isn't like getting people at work, but you also said that everyone comes to you and is like, we're the person you want in the room. And I think that really speaks to what you're cultivating in yourself and in your, in your aura and in how you like present to other people, like being a practitioner.
It's there. They're seeing it whether we think they are or not.
Brendon Orr (42:29)
Yeah.
Jeri Winkelmann (42:29)
I appreciate
that. I'm taking that with me. Thank you.
Gina Clingerman (42:32)
I want you to, because you are, and I can see it.
Brendon Orr (42:32)
You
Jeri Winkelmann (42:38)
Thank you, Brendan, it was so good to see you. Gina, love to meet you.
Brendon Orr (42:38)
Alright, thanks everyone. Yep, good to see you too. Bye bye. Yep. Yeah, we'll let you know ahead of time when this comes out, okay Jeri? Alright, bye bye.
Gina Clingerman (42:43)
Nice to meet you. Thank you so much.
Jeri Winkelmann (42:46)
Thank you.
That sounds great. Okay, thank you.
