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Interview – Jenna & Aleysha

Interview – Jenna & Aleysha

Meet the visionaries behind In Alignment Yoga School, Jenna Switzer and Aleysha Derksen, as they share their journey, inspiration, and aspirations. Dive into their story as they unveil the essence of living “in alignment” and the transformative power of yoga both on and off the mat. From their heartfelt mission to their choice of Bali as a sacred space for growth, join us in exploring their profound insights and future endeavors.

1.⁠ Who are Jenna and Aleysha? Please introduce yourselves.

Hi! My name is Jenna Switzer and I’ve been a yoga teacher for over a decade and lead workshops, trainings, and offer coaching online and all around the world. I’m passionate about anatomy, philosophy, and supporting others on their personal development. 

 

& I’m Aleysha Derksen, based in Ottawa, Canada. Similar to Jenna, I have also been teaching yoga for over 10 years. I have a passion for the magical and mystical side of life and I let this inspire the way that I teach and weave themes and philosophy through my classes. 

 

Together we have founded In Alignment Yoga School – a soul-led creation that we have been nurturing over the past 7 years.

 

2.⁠ What inspired you to start In Alignment Yoga School, and what does “in alignment” signify to you?⁠

In Alignment Yoga School was born out of the desire to share what we love and what we know to be true: that yoga can help us to activate our inner healer and align us with our most intuitive self. We know that yoga has the power to transform lives on and off the mat and we want to empower our students to tap into this magic and embrace this alchemical process for themselves. 

 

When we find ourselves in the flow of alignment, that is, living and acting from a place of truth and intuition, this is when life starts to feel more like ease. There are immense benefits in the process of ‘cocooning’ yourself while exploring this new found alignment. When you step out of the current of your everyday life and give yourself a chance to intentionally create new patterns and pathways, the transformation is profound. We are both passionate about travel and the benefits that it has on the brain and body, so running our teacher training in beautiful Bali feels absolutely ‘aligned’ for us.

 

 3.⁠ ⁠What is your drive and mission?

There is a story we both love about a golden thread that is continuously woven into the tapestry of the world. We envision this thread (the Sutra) to be the wisdom and teachings that we’ve been given by our own teachers and the life experiences that we have learned and grown through. It is our mission at In Alignment Yoga School to continue the ancient tradition of passing the golden thread from teacher to student. Our students will continue to weave this thread through their community as leaders, and the ripple outward effect of these teachings continues as the lessons and Yoga is expanded.

 

 4.⁠ ⁠Why did you choose Bali to host your journey and retreats?

Bali is one of the most spiritually alive places on earth; truly a magical island, and the Balinese people are some of the most beautiful, kind hearted humans we have ever come across. There is a connection to spirit, an appreciation of nature, as well as a sense of community here that is different from anywhere else. Yama Balian serves as the perfect cocoon for our students to learn, to grow, and experience a rich and profound metamorphosis of self. 

 

 5.⁠ ⁠looking towards the future, what are your aspirations and goals? What projects are you working on right now?

We are currently working together on a few projects. A couple that we can share with you right now are a two week integration and meditation portal for our recent graduates, as well as a 6 month mentorship program to support new and aspiring yoga teachers. And of course our signature 200 hour training at Yama Balian happening next February 1 – 20 2025! 

 6.⁠ ⁠What’s on your self-realization dream list?

Jenna: Living in Bali I have been learning Indonesian Bahasa. This is something that I want to continue to develop. I have also become obsessed with freediving lately and a personal goal is to dive to 45 + feet. Traveling to Egypt is something that I hope to do within the year. I am also in the midst of creating a line of luxury products that support women’s pleasure. 

 

Aleysha: I would love to broaden my offerings as a retreat facilitator and become a certified cacao practitioner. Cacao has been a big part of my own personal practice over the last few years and I hope to share this gentle, yet powerful, heart medicine with my community in a more structured way soon. The science of Ayurveda is also something that I have felt the pull to explore more as a student.

 

7.⁠ ⁠Who was crucial in your development, or inspires you? You can name three and why.

We both were privileged enough to work one on one with yoga mentors when we first started our yoga teaching journeys. This allowed us the opportunity to gain first hand experience under the watchful eye of a more experienced teacher. For both of us, our first mentors, Todd Lavictoire and Paula Munroe had a huge impact on our development and inspiration. 

We also deeply inspire each other. Although we are co-creators of In Alignment Yoga School, we are both such different people, live very different lives, and our minds work in completely unique ways. Yet as we continue to work closely with one another we are able to teach each other through our individual vantage points when it comes to our shared passions and convictions.

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