Yoga: A Path to Body Confidence | Jeri Winkelmann

November 26, 2025 • 00:04:03
Yoga: A Path to Body Confidence | Jeri Winkelmann
YogaScussion: Yoga Talk, Culture, Philosophy & Practice
Yoga: A Path to Body Confidence | Jeri Winkelmann

Nov 26 2025 | 00:04:03

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Hosted By

Gina Clingerman Brendon Orr

Show Notes

Airport executive Jeri Winkelmann came to yoga five years ago for the "wrong" reasons—wanting to look good in wedding photos. What she found was Ashtanga's challenging, repetitive practice that reminded her of ballet, a practice that's made her calmer, more focused, less anxious, and "a better human." Commuting an hour from Omaha to Lincoln even in winter, practicing with her schnauzer George, and being "the calming presence" in crisis situations at work, Jeri shares honest truths: down dog isn't rest, 10-minute practices count, and yoga is "life, connection, health."

Topics: Ashtanga yoga, body image, airport industry, breath work, family practice, home practice challenges, competitive personality, beginner's mindset, aging parents, grandmother, pets and yoga, professional development, calm presence, crisis management, commuter dedication

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Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker A: But do you think that that the. The way we. The way we talk about that in yoga classes, that. That it did make you feel stronger? Right. Like, you got stronger and you probably got, you know, thinner because you got stronger. But do you think that your confidence, it maybe built your confidence in just being in your body? [00:00:20] Speaker B: Yes, yes. [00:00:22] Speaker A: Can you speak a little bit about that? [00:00:24] Speaker B: 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. Right. Namaste is on the wall and the definition is on the wall. And. 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? [00:01:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Like d. It like decommodified what it means to have a body in a. In a culture that centers and objectifies that. [00:01:15] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. [00:01:16] Speaker A: Yeah. That's beautiful. [00:01:18] Speaker C: 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. How can we sell this? And no better way to sell that with, with the, 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, 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, like, arena and it's following because I think that's always gonna 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. You know, 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 I think this, 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. Something seems to also have grown over the last decade. I don't know what either of your thoughts are on that. [00:02:52] Speaker B: 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. Right. The music was boppy and, you know, you could go. And that. 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 am so thankful that I got to the end of the class and I walk out and think, okay, you really just did something right. [00:03:46] Speaker C: That's an accomplishment. [00:03:48] Speaker B: 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. Right. I.

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