Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Lohrey.
Hi Jessica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in a rural area in southern Ohio with parents who took a “live off the land” approach to life, I developed a strong bond with nature and the woods around our little log cabin. Although I saw the value and beauty in our lifestyle, I always felt like I was missing out on the perks of modern living. After all, it was the 1980’s and it seemed everyone else was living large!
Upon graduating from college, I tried my hand at living in the “big city.” I found much to explore and was quickly immersed in a busy new life filled with wonder and adventure. I moved from city to city for nearly 30 years exploring the world of corporate America. No matter where I lived, I could always find places to hike and be alone in nature. My relationship with nature kept me physically fit, emotionally grounded, and mentally stimulated. I relied heavily on it!
In 2007, I found myself in Fort Lauderdale, FL working for a large corporation in the natural products industry with a side hustle as a yoga teacher. My marriage was falling apart and I was working long irregular hours. I was always busy, always exhausted, and couldn’t find a way to slow down. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t find wild green spaces where I could be truly alone to recharge my batteries and reconnect.
I saw that the acceptable pace of life keeps us disconnected — not only from diverse activities, social interaction, and healthy food but from ourselves, emotional well-being, and physical well-being. I felt tired, sad, desperate, and alone.
I worked for my mother’s herb business as a teen, and since then had kept a shoebox full of essential oils. One day, desperate for contact with nature, I pulled out every essential oil that had come from a tree and mixed them together. I was AMAZED at how much better I felt after inhaling it! I began to share the blend in my yoga classes. The students loved it. Soon yoga studios began to sell it, and Tree of India Aromatherapy was born!
Within a few months, I opened the first Tree of India shop in a tiny space that I rented for $500/month next to my friend’s yoga studio. In almost no time, I outgrew the space. Over the next 10 years, Tree of India continued to evolve through Farmers’ market booths, wholesale accounts, private labeling, a webstore, and 3 different retail locations. My fast-paced life did not slow down. If anything, it had become more frantic, more busy, and more stressful. I was now a recently divorced female entrepreneur with big passions and few resources.
I reached another “turning point” in 2016 when I left Florida for the mountains of North Carolina. I spent the next 3 years exploring my relationships with Tree of India, yoga, nature, and my personal well-being. I dove deeper into my yoga studies, went on a pilgrimage to India, and began to connect the dots. I realized that Tree of India is about moving at Nature’s pace. It is about surrendering into the flow of life, letting go of worry, allowing things to evolve naturally, and accepting every outcome as it is.
I feel strongly about helping to create a more connected world through my work as a yoga therapist and aromatherapist. Today Tree of India is a simpler operation that allows me to share and serve more. The Tree of India School of Yoga and Oxford Community Yoga allow me to share the gift of Yoga. I am sure they will continue to grow and evolve through the years as all things do! Tree of India Aromatherapy is now a webstore that I can easily run from my home office.
I know the pain and isolation of the disconnected, artificial world in which most of us live. The pace of it is damaging and toxic. Nature is medicine. The study of the self, the study of nature, and the study of yoga are one and the same. If you struggle with the symptoms of a fast-paced life, I invite you to look inward. Settle into a few moments of stillness with yourself, with nature. Inhale and feel the nature that is already within you. Feel it as acceptance. Feel it as joy in simply being here now.
Jessica is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) with the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is certified at the highest level as an E-RYT 500 and Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) with Yoga Alliance. She specializes in private yoga, teacher training, and mentorship, and showing others how to use yoga as a therapeutic tool for maintaining physical and emotional balance in our busy modern society. Jessica is also a Certified Aromatherapist and Business Member of the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My greatest struggle has been figuring out a way to dedicate my time to studying and teaching yoga full-time while maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the teachings and earning enough to live comfortably! Persistence and creativity are my two greatest allies. I’ve learned so much along the way!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I can’t say that I am teaching anything unique or new. Yoga belongs to everyone and has existed for at least 5000 years. Here is our working definition of “yoga” at the Tree of India School of Yoga:
Yoga is about devotion to truth and understanding. Part of being a yoga practitioner is training oneself to identify unexamined assumptions and explore them. We do this through objective self-observation of our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and actions. Yoga also provides a system for accessing our inner resources — wisdom, compassion, contentment, courage, and gratitude among others. Yoga is about acting in a way we believe to be right while surrendering control over the outcomes of our actions. We practice out of love for the self, with a desire to know the truth, for the benefit of all beings. Yoga is a lifelong practice.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love Jonathan Foust’s podcast.
Dr. Gabor Mate
https://drgabormate.com/book/the-myth-of-normal/
Anatomist and Somanaut, Gil Hedley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug
Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Hareesh Wallis
The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oxfordcommunityyoga.com
- Instagram: @oxfordcommunityyoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oxfordcommunityyoga/
