Student Spotlight: Jonathon Wood

Yoga Heights is made up of students who are fascinating people.  We are excited to introduce you to them one by one via the blog! Meet Jonathon!Yoga Heights: Why do you practice yoga?Jonathon: I practice yoga because it is a practice. It's there for me no matter what else is happening in my life or in the world around me--divorce, travel, new job, surreal political realities--all I need is myself. All I need is myself and my breath. Along with knitting, it's my favorite form of meditation.YH: Tell us about your first experience at Yoga Heights.Jonathon: My best friend brought me. She knows me better than just about anyone else and knew I'd feel at home at Yoga Heights. We walked in together and set up our mats alongside each other. And then class started and I let everything around me melt away. An hour later I knew I'd found my yoga home. YH: What classes do you go to at YH and why?Jonathon: All the classes at YH are great. I love the variety of teachers and their teaching styles. No matter which YH class I take, there's always at least one nugget that helps me understand the pose better or find a deeper, richer expression of it.YH: What do you do when you're not on the mat?Jonathon: It depends on the time of year, actually. In the warm months, May through September, I live on Cape Cod. I own and operate Cape Cod Linen Rental, alongside my parents, providing sheets and towels to vacationers. Then it is back to Maryland/DC from October through April and my art studio. My days are filled with art making (painting, collage, knitting and other fiber arts) and nurturing that same creative energy in others. I teach painting classes, lead art materials sessions, and facilitate art-based team building workshops (@jonathanwoodartist).  YH: Where did you grow up?Jonathon: I grew up just two miles from the beach in the town of Brewster on Cape Cod. Its a magical, mystical spit of land jutting out into the Atlantic ocean. Henry David Thoreau sums up the Cape like this: "The seashore is a sort of neutral ground, a most advantageous point from which to contemplate this world." For me, a walk along the the beach helps me find center again.YH:What neighborhood do you live in now? People love to know about their neighbors!Jonathon: Takoma Park, Md. is where I make my home. I love living in a place that's basically a progressive, urban village where neighbors know one another and shop keepers remember your name. Plus, my bestie and I live 5 minutes apart from one another for the first time in our lives since high school!