Barefoot Freedom Yoga Gives Back Through Mind, Body, and Soul
Photo by Keith Stewart
Barefoot Freedom Yoga studio owner Jolene Wright (bacground)breathes out along with her student Emilie Beagle Monday.
October 1, 2014
Sullivan native returns home to open studio
by Ariana Cherry
Reporting in Sullivan
To Jolene Wright, yoga is more than just exercise. It’s about finding a calm steady body and mind while living a peaceful productive life. Wright truly understands that meaning on a personal level. Not only is she the owner and yoga instructor at “Barefoot Freedom Yoga,” but she is also a veteran. After graduating Sullivan High School in 2001, she joined the Illinois National Guard. Soon after, she was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Barefoot Freedom in 2004.
After her return from Iraq, Wright entered Southern Illinois University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in forestry outdoor recreation. She then moved to Colorado to work as a forest technician. While in Colorado, Wright noticed yoga all around her. She, herself had been practicing since 2002, but it had become more prevalent during her time in Colorado. What seemed to be a new calling, she embraced it by undergoing training to become a yoga teacher. Her path to becoming a yoga instructor was lead by her teachers Shannon Paige, Nancy Kate Rau and Gina Caputo, and after dedicating her time and energy to yoga, Wright earned the credentials to become a 500 hour Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher while also becoming certified through Mindful Yoga Therapy.