Yoga brought with it greater peace, energy and freedom to Jessica Noifeld. Now she’s sharing the practice with anyone ready to experience similar transformation.
- NAME: Jessica Noifeld
- AGE: 32
- OCCUPATION: : Founder of Middle Path Movement Yoga School
- YOGA YEARS: 15+
Why did you start yoga
I suppose it was a sort of rebellion! Growing up I was told not to practice yoga. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease as a child which went hand in hand with hyper mobility. Doctors said yoga was the worst thing for me. I went to my first class in my late teens with my sister. I remember giggling at everyone breathing so heavily, but leaving that first class with a profound sense of peace and eager to learn more.
Favourite yoga haunts
I have a few because travel makes my soul happy. There are favourite mountains, beaches and jungles, but here in London, there is this one tree I feel supper connected to. It makes me feel grounded as soon as I lay my mat* out beneath it. I don’t know if it’s because I crave nature so much when I’m in the city, or if that tree has superpowers, but the way I feel when I’m at those roots is blissful. I’m a mum of three; I have a three year old and nine[1]month twins and when I take them there, they also feel calm and at peace — my three year old sometimes even pulls out her yoga mat and practices with me.
How has yoga changed your life?
I went from barely walking to being the director of an international yoga school! My body is healed, my mind is strong and I curate programmes around the world for individuals to find the healer within themselves and overcome their fears! I never in a million years thought this is where I would be now, but I can truly thank yoga in all its forms for the path that I am on.
Best yoga moment
I think it was when I took a group to Mount Everest Base Camp on a yoga excursion. We spent 12 days putting the practices of yoga into action and when we finally made it to base camp I remember meditating and praying with gratitude: “If 10-year-old me could see me now!” It was truly a life-changing experience and a dream come true.
Anything else
I’m so proud of the community of teachers that have come together to form The Middle Path Movement School. I started MPM with the intention of bringing together everything I’d learnt on my self-study mission around the world. When Western medicine said I wouldn’t walk, I packed my bags and left for south-east Asia at 19. I didn’t want to take the harsh medicines I’d been prescribed, I knew there was something better for me; I couldn’t believe this was my fate. I spent the best part of 10 years away, learning from holistic therapists, monks and indigenous teachers. Now 13 years on, we are a community of teachers that spread the word of The Middle Path around the world to anyone who is ready to transform!
Jessica Noifeld is the founder of Middle Path Movement Yoga School (middlepathmovement.com)
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