I am independent yoga educator based in Washington, DC. Yoga has helped me discover ways to move my body that feel good, stay calm in stressful situations, and lead a more fulfilling life—and I love helping others find that, too. Students and fellow teachers say I’m a knowledgeable, fun, and engaging teacher. But really, I am just a guide or coach to empower you explore the practice of yoga in ways that are most meaningful to you.

I encourage students to let yoga meet them where they are—from first-timers to seasoned practitioners—in an atmosphere grounded in authenticity and kindness. In addition to private instruction and corporate and studio classes, I lead teacher trainings, workshops, and retreats at home and abroad.

Besides teaching, I’m a working artist and love being outdoors—sailing the open ocean or walking barefoot on the earth, a legacy of growing up on Cape Cod. Once upon a time I was a fundraiser for universities and nonprofits. Now my work is to help people invest in themselves, one breath at a time. Find out more @jonathanwoodyoga.

If you’re interested in my own yoga journey, continue on:

Growing up, I wasn't good at sports, and I decided I just wasn't athletic—a story I carried into adulthood. Then in 2001, a friend took me to a hot yoga class. I left sweaty, buzzing with endorphins and, for the first time, understood I could move my body in ways that made me feel strong, capable, and at peace with who I am.

Yoga sent me searching for deeper meaning, and I've studied meditation, breathwork, various religious traditions, and yogic philosophy. Eventually yoga was less about the poses (asana) ad more about the mindset, a way of moving through the world. My practice of yoga has helped me to slow down and experience the present with more attention—and when it happens, use discomfort as a pathway to something more comfortable, or at the very least authentic acceptance.

Traditionally, the physical practice of yoga is there to help us to prepare the our bodies for meditation. It today’s fast paced world we can use it as permission to pause, center, and find our breath. Asana is a starting point to understand the body and then go beyond it. Whether you're brand new or years in, there's room for you.

Off the mat, I'm often hiking with Tucker, my yellow Lab, or sailing, reading, cooking, and laughing over dinner with friends. I studied art and art history in college and still paint —mostly landscapes of the mid-Atlantic farmland and the Cape Cod marshes I grew up on.

We all carry baggage that clouds our present. My job is to help you move through it, so you can make choices your future self will thank you for. Today, I work with students one-on-one — online and in person, worldwide — as a yoga teacher and empowerment coach, and I co-lead teacher trainings and mentoring programs for new teachers. Here's what students say about me.

And I co-lead yoga teacher trainings and mentoring programs to help new teachers grow and flourish. Here’s what students say about me.

My teaching centers on helping you understand yoga asana (poses) by exploring how they work in each your unique body. With coaching clients we move beyond the poses to explore yoga’s philosophical framework, breathwork, and other tools for living a more meaningful life.