
Yoga Teacher Spotlight: Jack Utermoehl
Jack Utermoehl is a dedicated yoga teacher whose journey—from struggling to touch his toes to mastering arm balances—has not only transformed his own life but also fueled his passion for connecting people through yoga, mantra, and mindful community.
Jack Utermoehl
Location: Grand Junction, Colorado
Studio/Affiliation: Bhakti House Yoga Studio
Types of Yoga: Vinyasa Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Hot Yoga, Mantra Yoga
Yoga Certifications: E-RYT 200, YACEP

Yoga Teacher Spotlight
What inspired you to start practicing yoga, and how did it lead to teaching?
"In my very first yoga class, the teacher said 'today, we're going to levitate,' she had my attention.
While we didn't actually levitate, we did practice feeling lighter, experiencing lift through tolasana (scale pose). Not that I could do that in my first practice, I actually couldn't even touch my toes without bending my knees.
However, ever since my first class, I have sought the ability to feel weightless, like when I scuba dive, through my practice.
Today, I've fallen in love with arm balances of all kinds, ways that take my weight off my hips giving me this sense of levitation."
What’s the most rewarding part of being a yoga teacher for you?
"Seeing people come together.
In a world where everything seemingly can be done online, people are coming together in rooms to practice yoga together.
It's an interesting experience. The practice is one of solitude and personal movement however before and especially after, you see the people, the community come together to chat.
Friendships, partnerships, and relationships all form within this in-person community.
We're so disconnected from people these days- it's good to have a place where we can come together."
What does yoga mean to you beyond the physical practice?
"Yoga cured my depression.
Yoga has fixed and healed a lot of my issues and illnesses but curing depression, giving me the tools to overcome depression, this was the miracle I needed to fall in love with yoga.
The physical practice is an interconnected dimension of mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Through my practice, I aligned these and felt the power of my own volition emerge.
The philosophy, the presence, mindfulness, the community, and people all brought me peace.
So yoga beyond the physical really means peace to me.
Om shanti shanti shanti"
What’s your go-to mantra or yoga philosophy principle, and why?
"I often break out in chanting various mantras throughout my day.
The first mantra that ever really came to me, became an essential part of my life and practice, was the shiva mantra within the Sivananda yoga tradition.
I think mantra, the tool of sound, is the most powerful aspect of yoga practice. It can change your mind, it can focus your attention, and it can evoke the greatest experiences within.
I not only chant mantra, but I share mantra meditation with others.
I sell malas and practice japa in my kriya yoga practice."
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned from teaching yoga?
"We have this innate desire to grow, change, and perform- be productive.
While all of this is good, we ourselves do not always need to push this process.
We must grow in accordance with our own level of comfort and ability. There's no destination, only the one we make. Why then do we not stop a while and enjoy what we've created?
When I graduated from college, I remember specifically during our graduation speech being implored not to let life fly by. To take a moment to stop and smell the roses.
Even if that's cliché, who cares. Stop a while and enjoy who you are. Let it play out in the great Lila (divine dance).
We have nowhere we need to go, nothing we need to do, and no one we need to be."
What’s your vision for the future of your yoga teaching and practice?
"I want to connect people through the power of yoga.
Meaning that I feel the most joy when I experience people gathering for a great purpose. Yoga is a great purpose.
There's a concept in Sanskrit called 'mudita' which means the joy experienced from another's joy. Freudenfreude in German.
Love is the desire for good in another, even at the expense of yourself.
I wish to bring the world to a more peaceful place.
I can only do that in my part, and my part in that is simple. Connect people through yoga.
One of the last, if ever, human aspects to be replaced by AGI and robotics."
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