An Interview with Jennifer Buergermeister

Yoga has many proponents and fans as well as movers and shakers. Some of these people may be well known and others may not be as familiar to us. I want to use these interviews to help you get to know some of the people of yoga.

jenny buergermeisterAs far as a mover and shaker on the scene for Texas yoga, there is hardly a bigger proponent of yoga than Jennifer Buergermeister. You may know her through her yoga studio Jennyoga, but you may not know she is the founder of the Texas Yoga Conference. I had a chance to meet with Jenny recently and ask her a few questions about the upcoming Texas Yoga Conference that will be held in Houston, TX on February 20-22, 2015.

Julie: How is the Texas Yoga Conference different from other yoga conferences?

Jenny: The Texas Yoga Conference is not a conference in the traditional sense. Over the years it has earned a reputation for being a city escape, festival and annual retreat. This event displays the heart of a great state, created for Texas by Texans, the conference brings instructors and presenters from around the world to Houston annually. Our goal is to make Houston and Texas a ‘mecca’ for Yoga.

Julie: What do you hope the participants will experience from the Texas Yoga Conference?

TYC iskon 2015Jenny: Come for the yoga, stay for the health benefits, because the Texas Yoga Conference is an opportunity for all-around improved health. No one can deny the research about the basic benefits of yogic practices, particularly the breath-centered practice. The Texas Yoga Conference is for everyone, because health and wellness are for everyone. It has nothing to do with religion, or the color of your skin–it only has to do with the quality of your life. When you practice mindfulness, everything else falls into place.

And come for the music – Everyone will have the opportunity to attend concerts on both Friday and Saturday with Vish from The Mayapuris and Bhakti House Band. The very popular traveling bhakti bands contribute to the overall feel of the conference with music segments peppered throughout the weekend. The concerts are open to the public with tickets priced at $10 prepaid, $15 at the door.

Julie: That sounds great. Who can attend the conference? Do you have to be a yoga expert or yoga instructor?

jenny buergermeisterJenny: A yoga conference might sound intimidating to a novice practitioner, but it’s actually the perfect place to discover and deepen a burgeoning practice. The conference is a fertile place for a beginner. There is no need to worry about getting your foot behind your head. What’s important is that you are tapping into a great community. It’s not just about the asanas (yoga poses), but about discovering all of the access points the conference has to offer–philosophy, history, chakras, deep breathing–and developing paths of discovery through them. With nearly 70 presentations on the schedule, the event brings regional and national yoga teachers who offer classes at all levels of experience, from the beginner to the advanced student.

Julie: All six of the Texas Yoga Conferences that you organized have been hosted in a different location, but this year it seems like that you have found a home for the conference.

Jenny: Yes, our new home is at the new ISKON Hare Krishna Houston temple in Oak Forest. One of the benefits of moving around was to connect and show unity with each location. When we were at the George R. Brown people were like, “Wow! You’ve really made it now!” but now we want to get traction; to plant a seed, and let it grow.

The Texas Yoga Association is proud to announce the 6th Annual Texas Yoga Conference to be held Feb. 20-22 at the recently completed ISKCON Temple and Cultural Center on 34th Street, Houston, Texas 77018. You can find the full Texas Yoga Conference schedule here.

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