Jivana Heyman
Hello and welcome. This is the yoga Revolution podcast. My name is Jivana Heyman. My pronouns are he and him. This podcast is an exploration of how we can live yoga, right? And how we can apply the yoga teachings in our lives. We'll discuss the intersection of yoga and social justice, as well as how to build a practice that supports our activism. All my guests are contributors to my new book, yoga revolution, building a practice of courage and compassion. Thanks so much for joining me. Let's get started.
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to the Yoga Revolution Podcast. I'm so excited to have my friend and special guests. De Jur Jones here today with us. Hi, De Jur.
De Jur Jones
Hello Jivana. Thank you so much for having me.
Jivana Heyman
Yeah, thank you for being here. How are you doing?
De Jur Jones
I'm doing great. I'm up early with my pet children, my pet cats and they've been running around making a lot of noise. And so I'm awake on a very early on a Saturday morning. Thanks for asking.
Jivana Heyman
Yeah, thanks for doing this with me and I wanted to actually formally introduce you first before we get started and Okay De Jur has been a yoga devotee since 2001. She attended Loyola Marymount University's yoga therapy program. She teaches a therapeutic style of yoga suitable for most students. Along with having taught countless mainstream classes. There's your offers programs and classes to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, unhoused populations, mentally challenged seniors, foster youth, those in recovery, human track trafficking victims/survivors and staff that serve all those groups. De Jur is a contributor to the yoga service counsels, best practices for yoga in the criminal justice system. She's an Accessible Yoga ambassador. Yeah, and featured model in my book Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Everybody. So I was gonna say that again, you're it's all you that book. Also a model for yoga after 50 For Dummies by Dr. Larry Payne, and you're in Melanie Klein's embodied resilience through yoga 30 mindful essays, right? And De Jur moonlights as a flight attendant. And I'll put your website in the show notes. Did I miss anything there? You got a lot going on.
De Jur Jones
I know. That's plenty. Thank you. Thank you. Um, I wanted to first before we actually begin to just give an honor to the land that I'm on to the ancestors that cared for the land and I'm on I'm in Los Angeles, the land that I am occupying is the Tongva and Gabrielino nation's land. It was stolen from them by colonizers and renamed Los Angeles, I just want to give honor to them give space to them, and at their ancestors, past and current, they're not all gone. But I just want to give a moment just to honor the land that I'm on. And I encourage all of you out there in listening land. To do a do some a little easy research is Google search for land acknowledgments and find out whose land you're occupying and give honor to those people. This land was theirs before we showed up here before the colonizers came. So we always want to keep in mind no matter what we're doing, that we honor the land that those people that those nations that those groups to very good care of, without any help from any outsiders.
Jivana Heyman
Great, thank you. And I can say I'm on Chumash land here, which is now called Santa Barbara, California. So thanks for that De Jur. I was wondering if you could what I've been doing in these podcasts is asking the contributor to read their contribution, what you wrote that in the book, you're set, you're actually the very beginning of the second section of the book, which is about service and about the outer revolution of yoga. So the first section of the book is about inner practice yoga philosophy. And the second section is really about how you take these practices out into the world. And you talk about it so beautifully. Can you read that?
De Jur Jones
Yes, I can. I chose to be of service as a volunteer yoga teacher to bring yoga therapy to incarcerated and inform and former formerly incarcerated people around Los Angeles counting those forgotten communities really thrived from their Accessible Yoga programs, for many of them, and or jail was the gateway to the first hearing of the practice of yoga. Many of them go on to have a home practice and seek out community classes upon release once they get on their feet. In my classes, all bodies are welcomed. I asked people to bring their cellmates and friends and even those that did not, quote feel Like doing yoga, they were invited to rest during the entire class. I, it brought me so much joy when students share that something that was physically bothering them when they entered the class felt a bit better, and that they walked out with yoga tools to treat the issue in the future. Thank you. Thank you.
Jivana Heyman
Yeah, thank you. I was wondering, are you back to teaching in person, because I started,
De Jur Jones
um, I'm back to teaching in the federal prison in person. And in the residential, home for the mentally challenged seniors. The other locations, have not had us had us back yet. You know, those types of places are still going, going on with breakouts of COVID. As you can imagine, why the tight living quarters, etc. And just not ever any good health care in those kinds of places? Because they're the forgotten people. So yes, I mean, back in two places for live or in person teaching.
Jivana Heyman
And how has it as it changed? Since COVID?
De Jur Jones
Yeah, so I'm in the federal prison, it's in downtown LA called the Metropolitan detention center, Los Angeles. They are to wear masks when visitors are there. And I don't mean visitors, their family, I mean, visitors like me, volunteers for the different groups that they participate in like AA and NA, they have to wear masks. They are because they are considered podding when they're with each other, they don't have to wear masks because they live together. In the senior home, what has changed is we used to do yoga in a in a room that has been converted into a bedroom now and so but there's a there was there is an interior garden, or interior patio that I never knew was there. I've been at this place about four years. And so they've moved that class out into this patio that would do their we only do chair yoga, because of medications and balance challenges. We only do chair yoga, and so they have the chair spaced out and the people there, you know, they wander in and out. So it's a very fluid class and anything is acceptable. You know, they sometimes come and sit down in front of me and fall asleep because they're medicated. But they are I asked if they can wear I asked the escorts or the attendants that assist me there. Can they please make sure that those their masks because they are not typically masked in their hallways, again, because they are potting together? So I've asked because I'm coming from the outside, you know, for their safety as well, because I am a flight attendant too. So I'm out there in the world as well. But that the students when they come in and sit down in front of me, I asked the first to please make sure they have a mask.
Jivana Heyman
Yeah. And so can you describe your classes more? Like? Can you describe what you're teaching? Is it chair yoga? You said in that one setting? Is that what you're doing everywhere? Or is it a combination chair and mat.
De Jur Jones
Um, so in the federal prison, we do regular mat yoga, they do have chairs there, but they are stuck down to the floor so we can't move them and put them assemble them into a semi circle or circle to do chair yoga. And I would love to show them that because as you can imagine, they sit all the time they just sit they don't have an outdoor got grounds to walk on in this particular facility is a call the recreation deck or the rec deck. But there's you know, it's just a place where there's air from outside outside and they play basketball there it's still not really outside. And so I would love to show them tools to do you know, chair yoga because they are getting most of their day they are sitting but I don't have access to chairs in there. And I guess partly why they're glued down to the floors for you know, some time that thinking is always violence but maybe that they would fill them at the guards or something. I don't know. But anyway,
Jivana Heyman
we'd have yoga mats to have
De Jur Jones
they have yoga mats yes, they know we don't have we we've had props in different prisons we've been in and they kind of come and go and some of them we bring in and then we have to take them out when the program is over. This particular place never had props. And so we just work on the mats and we do standing and we do some wall depending on the wall that's in front of us some of the walls don't have like a clear access to the like a long while so we just make we just make do lots of standing and lots of mat work. Pardon
Jivana Heyman
Yeah, I was wondering if you focus on asana mostly do other duty Any other practices with them like breathing or meditation? Or is it to is it too challenging
De Jur Jones
we do a little mindfulness in the beginning, when I do that a grounding, it's kind of, in my mind a little combo of mindfulness and grounding, because I am, you know, asking them to think and feel, do the five senses, etc, and then checking on their breath. So there is there is in the beginning, when I do the grounding, it is a very mindful time. And I think it's really special for them. Because there is, this isn't this place doesn't have a lot of racket like the county jails. But if they need, you know, I would think they might have tools to kind of tune out some of the unnecessary sounds that they have to put up with daily living. Um, I do talk about the past i, we do breath work. And I talk about how the breath can help them to resettle their nervous system. You know, obviously, there's a lot of things in there that they cannot control. And sometimes they might feel like they're at the end of just like, I am so done with my life right now. But just thinking about using the breath, to just settle that feeling and just know how to respond to certain feelings that come up, using the breath, because we know the things don't go away, whatever is annoying, US is not going to go away, it might go away. But typically, it's sometimes a recurring thought, and why am I here? How did you know how did my life turn, whatever it is, whatever it can be, but how to, especially when things pop up how to respond to those things in a thoughtful way, and not just lash out or react in a way that could cause more cause harm to someone else, cause cause harm to their own personal file, you know, because their behaviors obviously are documented, if they're not doing the things they should do. And so we want, you know, I would think they want to keep their file as clean as possible. Some of them are pre trial. So they really behave well, because they don't want any additional nonsense on their file. When they go see when they go into court and see that, you know, the court phase of their, their situation. Some of them, a small percent of them are called cod raise, I didn't know I knew what this word meant, but I didn't know what it meant in the prison since until this year, it means they are short time. So there's like maybe, sometimes 50 cadres and they are also you know, doing doing the good things because they just want to leave and they've done the majority of their time, a lot of the time was done at faraway prisons, then when they go into the when they're going into trial phase, they're brought to these prisons that are in downtown, so they could be quickly brought over to or not quickly, but easily brought over to the courts, then the short timers, you know, they release those beds in the long term prisons to have the short timers come into the city facilities so that they can open the beds in the long time long term facilities for new incarcerated people.
Jivana Heyman
So when you said you, you said you're helping them work with their own minds? Is that, like, do you say those things to them? Like, do you talk about kind of those concepts? Or are you are you giving them the skills without really going into that philosophy?
De Jur Jones
I don't go into yoga philosophy there. We kind of have to keep it kind of generic in there. However, I do talk about managing emotions as best you can. And I don't know, I don't have lived experience. And I mean, I hate those places. I keep saying how awful those places are. And they are awful they are I think they need to be totally redone as a method of, of having people to give their time for things that they've done. But no matter how awful that's why I keep going back. Because they people like them meet people like us on the outside that care for them. They don't know me, they don't know my name. They don't know who I am. They don't need to know any of that. I go in there from a point of service and just knowing how, you know, poorly, they're treated. Um, and I read a lot. I listened to a lot of prison podcasts, to really you know, to know, like the US prison system sucks. That sucks big and the best one that we should be following is the one in Norway. They have the lowest recidivism rate of the world. But we choose to do it our way and to make it a moneymaker, you know, the American way. So everything's about money, not about caring for people, not about rehabbing them. It's not about restoring them. It's none of that it is how much money can be sucked from them and then their families, suck them dry. Keep pulling people in the system overcharging over sentencing, blah, blah, blah. So
Jivana Heyman
how do they respond so like in general when you when you offer these tools to you Like, they're I mean, it's probably different for each person but I just wonder what the reaction is.
De Jur Jones
So I do on occasion do check ins and checkouts where I asked them name and how they feel right now one word, and then we check out name and how you feel right now, as we go through the class Am I you know, ask how's everyone doing? Does anyone make make any comments, a lot of times when they're done, they will say, when I came in here, my back was killing me now it feels much better. And I you know, say now you have tools that you can use, you don't have to wait for us, we come once a week for an hour, you don't have to wait for a yoga person to show up in front of you to take care of yourself. My foot was hurting when I first came in my ankle was hurting when I first came in now it feels a little bit better. My bed, you know, shoulders and all that. And as I mentioned, their furniture is awful. So they have very little they're sitting on stools. Um, the bedding is like a thin pad. It's not a mattress that we sleep on, on the on the outside. And so they have a lot of physical ailments. And I mean from muscle and bone ailments, not even other, you know, illnesses. But but so they do comment on how they feel. When I prompt them, you know, and I always go through the class, asking them to notice how things feel, as we go through, if you notice any changes, as we go through and compare the you know, whatever the right shoulder to the left shoulder, the right side to the left side, how do you feel? No, you know, because, as we know, a lot of traumatized people, they are living in another place, they're not embodied in their body. And so to get them to kind of, you know, they've checked, a lot of them have just tuned out on physical feelings, for many reasons, not just yoga, but just things that have happened to them. Or things they've done, that they are, you know, floating around above themselves. And so I'm asking them throughout the class to just notice what they feel, you know, name, name it to themselves not out loud, necessarily. But, um, and so yes, yes. To all what you ask them to.
Jivana Heyman
I'm curious about you how it feels for you, like, in your approach to this kind of service? Like what? I heard you say that, you know, you feel like, they need us they need people on the outside. And, but is that what motivates you? Like, I'm curious, what is there something that you get out of it, or that you could share about?
De Jur Jones
So when I first started, what, okay, when I first heard of prison yoga, it blew me away, because I never knew yoga to be anything other than studio or gym, or home yoga, I guess, home practice. So that was a big, it made me really curious. And I found a way to go in there. And it was kind of a novelty. In the very beginning. When I say Peter, people are teaching prisons, and like, really, you know, and it was kind of a novelty, a little ego thing going on there. I you know, I did enjoy that. But that was before I knew much about the prison and jail system, then I started reading, and then I started listening to talks then. And, you know, also, like I mentioned podcasts, to really give me an understanding of not just what's going on here in LA county jails and prisons, but around the rest of the country. Um, and so it became a thing that where I would take off every single Saturday from my job, these were volunteer positions every single Saturday in order to be of service to these places. And while I'm in there, I'm learning about the system in real time, learning how to deal with the officers in there, and just, you know, the hurry up and wait, they they're never in any hurry to accommodate the volunteers, unfortunately, you know, the thinking of where's the where they go, and you know, it's kind of punitive all pretty much all the time. So it became when I realized when I you know, what people would say, you are, I would tell them, I'm not here for money. There is no financial reward for me being here. And I'm grateful that I can come into places like this because it's really hard to get in. And I'm grateful that my record allows me that I can be clear to come in places like this. And they don't really get that because they have not had a lot of that in their life, you know, in their lives where people are going out of their way to show up for them. And so it became what one of my yoga teacher friends. It became my heartbeat. That's an expression at a teacher down in San Diego uses are used to me, she said it's my heartbeat, and it is my heartbeat. I get really excited to go in. I get really excited to be with the incarcerated people. They are really grateful to know that people like us go in there for nothing other than to be of service. That's the only reason I'm doing this to be of service. I mean, nothing they need us i That's the other reason. But I'm only going in there to be of service to share information, to offer information for them to try to heal themselves while they're incarcerated. And, as I mentioned, many of them go on to find yoga on the outside, once they get situated. The first things they look for when they're released, of course, are jobs and housing. And yoga comes eventually, many of them do have practices in their cell or in the, in the, in the rec room that they can use, they do on their own, there was a prisoner in a few years ago, the federal prison that would would would teach a yoga class to the men. And he's been in there since he was a teenager, and he was probably near my age, I'm 65. So that's all he's known. And he learned how to meditate to save himself from harm, self harm, and from going insane in there. And so that's what I come in there with, you know, a little break from the routine. I don't just teach and I interact with them a little bit, we have a little bit of conversation of things that aren't even related to yoga. Um, we were talking about traffic the other day, and the guy asked me what's traffic like out there? And I said, it's like pre pandemic traffic. And I told him there was in the beginning pandemic, I just drove up and down the 405, because it was totally empty look like apocalypse. Right? So I said, it's not like that. Now it's back. So talk about outside things outside current events, as well. But
Jivana Heyman
I'm just curious. I mean, thanks for saying that. I think it's so interesting that it sounds like you get a lot of benefit from the service, that there's a sense of, maybe that it gives you a feeling that you're doing something important and meaningful. Yeah, I'm trying to I'm trying to understand this, you know, the practice of service, you know, karma yoga as a yoga practice itself, and how it's like, it's not that it's not so much just about doing good, but that it gives you a sense of meaning it connects you with other people, like there's so many things that bring - so many aspects of service that bring direct benefit to us. When doing it, you know, to the one offering service? I think, really well.
De Jur Jones
I think that you know, when I think about how much time I goof around, you know, on my days off at home that this definitely you know, and we go through it, I'm not whining, but we go through so much to get cleared. And they cancel the class on a whim like we get we are the classes are over at the federal prison until January, quote, because of holidays, and I'm like what holidays, we have Thanksgiving weekend and we have Christmas week, you know, and we have New Year's and so all those other days that the demand can be have other women too can be having yoga, they cancelled like a two month block and our clearances are only good one year. And so I feel like because of lockdowns and stuff, I probably wasted four months, not me wasted, but four months of my 12 month clearance has been wasted by not me, you know, and so we go through a lot to be there. I mean, most the average person would say, eff this, I'm not doing it. You know, it's orientation for hours it is TB tests. It is you know, driving back and forth. And you know, it's a lot and so the average person would not go through this they would just go like Dude, I don't know Meals on Wheels or something easy. But it's it's that much of a driving force particularly for me I'm speaking for myself that I I really Chase leads to be in there I chase leads, um, I you know, put up with cancellations and, and even showing up and being turned away because now there's a lockdown earlier in the morning. It was not a Lockdown. Lockdown happened on my drive in. And it's really frustrating. And it is part of the system. It is part of teaching in these kinds of places where you just kind of have to patiently wait. And that's kind of pull some of that patients from my airline job because we are waiting for something every time we show up for work for that job waiting to board waiting to land waiting to, you know, all of that. And so, it is very meaningful. And I think, you know, there have been times where I felt like I am done with this done being dragged around. But then, you know, underneath that I was like no, I'm lying. I'm not done. I want to keep on going you know, so it is it's something that really I'm passionate about. I can also speak on sort of tiny bit behalf of incarcerated people where my peers will tell me Well they must be guilty because they're in there and I'm like okay, let me school you real quick and especially If they're not a person of color, then I have to talk about the racist part of this country and incarcerating people of color like water, just throwing them in there throwing them in there throwing them in there for loitering, just standing, being can't even be if you're being and you're black, you're loitering, you can't just be you know, so that it also gives me opportunities in other ways to speak on behalf of prisoners, and I'm not in there. I'm not around to judge what they've done. And I will say that there is at least 20% of people that are incarcerated in the United States that are wrongfully convicted, they are totally innocent. And so not everyone in there is guilty. Not everyone in that wrongful conviction kind of thing could happen to any body on this planet, by lying and cheating, police line manipulating evidence, manipulating witnesses. And so any of us could be in that system. And it is hard to get out of there and start a new, you know, so it's so I get that's the other little benefit on the outside that I get to kind of educate the unknowing public of what's going on. Because again, prisons and jails are, especially prisons aren't usually put in places were out in the wilderness somewhere, you know, of course, the land is cheap out there, but where they're forgotten about they are forgot to people are totally forgotten about by the rest of society. Unbelievable. Yes.
Jivana Heyman
I wanted to talk about trauma informed teaching a bit because I know that's something you teach on. I feel like there's a lot. There's some confusion that I see in the yoga world about it, like teachers talk about all the time. But I feel like sometimes they maybe over simplify it. I don't know. Do you have a? Do you have anything to share about it? Like maybe like why like the overall like, purpose of trauma informed teaching something like that?
De Jur Jones
Yeah. So I have come, I did not know about trauma informed anything. Prior to learning about trauma informed yoga, I mean, of course, I had a very small understanding of cheap people that were traumatized, but no understanding of long term traumatization. And people living with trauma that they've suffered, like, you know, 30 years ago, they're still living with that. And I had, I had no idea about that. So that also was something for me to experience to learn about and read about in study. When I learned about trauma informed yoga, knowing how some of the ways that I was teaching prior to learning about trauma informed, could have traumatized people, like pressing down on shoulders, without even asking I because it has happened to me, like a lot before I started teaching or before I had an understanding of trauma informed, and I was not so bothered by it, but I am not everyone, you know, and so I could see how someone that had been held, could have a total flip out internal flip out if a teacher comes along patent on them, you know, and so I used to, you know, with certain classes give little tiny foot massages with lavender oil, and I wouldn't even asked that was just because it happened to me, teacher would just do it. And I'm like, for me, I'm like, Yes, Please rub my feet, my flight attendant feet are tired all the time. You know. So that was extremely eye opening. And I did a deep dive into learning about how to teach trauma informed yoga, and what is trauma, trauma sensitive yoga, etc. And how many levels of trauma there are in in life, you know, how things I never thought about, like generational trauma? Yes, we all have that. But I didn't really think about that until Gail Parker. You know, Dr. Gail Parker's just opened my eyes or, you know, the hearing almost crash and you have a physical reaction, you're not even involved in the car anything. And you feel that like, you know, kind of upsetting feeling, and that's a little tiny tap of trauma just a little bit, you know, so the various varying degrees of trauma, and how I could best be the best teacher of, you know, I would just imagine everyone in front of me as a student, whether I'm inside or mainstream, has had some sort of trauma, medical trauma, you know, being adopted being you know, having been Refugee and Immigrant just immigrating, not even refugee immigration, just that is very traumatic coming away from all you know, in the language that you're familiar with. Just thinking of people that have been involved in like our California wildfires, not just the the people's the people whose homes were gone. But also, us down here, like with the Santa Barbara fires down here in LA, we're getting a smoking, I'm thinking, oh, you know, I'm feeling like the animals, the sun is red, you know, my friends up there, just all of that is very traumatizing. So, you know, I didn't get a lot of people poopoo I'm not I don't have any trauma and I'm lying to myself. I, I disagree, but okay.
So it became, you know, a way for me to teach? Well, I'm very thoughtful in the cueing that I use. I'm thoughtful in the, in the words that I select not just cueing, but in conversations, speaking about different groups of people, like I don't know if the audience has noticed, I have not said prisoner, inmate, convict. I call them incarcerated people or people that are incarcerated. And so how we name people, you know, how we talk about groups of people, I used to use wheelchair-bound, and I learned, I learned those are people that use wheelchairs, they're not wheelchair-bound people at the airline on our categories of passengers, some of them require real wheelchairs, we call them wheelchair pastures. And it hit me one day, I'm like, that is so wrong, you know, to call them that. Or, or we'll say, or we have three wheelchairs, meaning the people, not the chairs. And so I've corrected my own language at work. No one knows that at work, but I've corrected myself because I know better, you know, yeah, I'm so just thoughtful, you know, like just anybody, if you want to do it, do it. Like, remember, we've been taught the pose you hate the most is the one you should be doing. And you know, that could be a trigger for someone that we don't know their situation with that particular. So he opposed, but a shape of their body, it might be a trigger. So I invite do what you want to do rest on the other ones, you know, don't feel obligated, I'm just a guy guiding. I'm not you don't have to do what I say if you like in the prisons, if you they asked me Miss, can I use the bathroom. And I'm like, I don't work here, you can do whatever you want in my class, go to the men's room, come back, you know, whatever you want to do. And so I'm just having an awareness of, you know, just constrictions that people have been, have been placed in because of whatever it is that they whatever they're going through, well, I don't want to be that.
Jivana Heyman
I appreciate that. Because that's kind of what I was getting on is that I feel like, we sometimes get caught up in the details. And they're important, like you said, language is important. The way we refer to people is important, and people should have the power to decide that themselves. But in the end, it's a really a question of power and giving people more control over their bodies in their lives rather than us as the teacher deciding, you know what I mean? So,
De Jur Jones
like, I started places, yes, I started saying this year on my, in my Zoom classes, I teach a couple of private, they're not private, they're closed. They're whatever, I guess they're private, but they're actually closed classes. That you are your best yoga teacher. If I asked you to do something you don't like you don't want you don't have to do it and you don't have to struggle with Oh, like this. I hated it. Just don't do it. And just stop breathe just take some breaths we'll catch up together you know here you can try this maybe try this one to see if you like it. And so I started this year it just I've heard it many times but I just started me personally using that that phrase is you are your best yoga teacher if you need to take a break please feel free you don't have to wait for me you don't have to ask me if you want some water have it get it bathroom go whatever you need to do.
Jivana Heyman
Yeah, and I think that's what it means to really become more advanced in yoga is to increase your sensitivity to your own needs you know and so to me as a teacher it's like I can help you encourage people to do that you know to like become more aware because sometimes trauma all these different kinds of trauma
Unknown Speaker
yes
Jivana Heyman
right us from how we're feeling
De Jur Jones
silence us, yes can silence us from you know being able to just say this really makes me uncomfortable I you know, and I don't even ask for like you don't have to tell me your arm hurts. I don't need you to divulge your your health thing if I mean if you want to feel free but some people like you know I can't do that I broke my arm you know? And I'm like okay, it's okay then you don't try this you know. I also wanted to right here before we move on just thank you Jivana because you were instrumental in obviously opening my eyes to trauma informed and Accessible Yoga. So I want to thank you for that in my growth, my growth as a yoga teacher you know your books and trainings have helped me immensely and have given me you know, more confidence as I've gone along over these years.
Jivana Heyman
And while I appreciate that I love spending time with you I'm very grateful to you for yeah being the the model I hate to use that word because you're more than a model. You're like, the teacher in my book, you know, you're like the one doing the poses, and Accessible Yoga, that book and, and now you're in this book to, you know, your contributor to yoga revolution, which I really appreciate. I just, I love the way that you talk about your work, I just find that you're just so straightforward. And you're always put people in the middle in the center of your focus, like, really think about the people that you're serving and what they need. And I really appreciate that.
De Jur Jones
Thank you.
Jivana Heyman
What else? Do you want to share anything else?
De Jur Jones
So, um, let's see, we talked about me and my airline gig, what were we talking about?
Jivana Heyman
Well, one thing I found out is you talked about how it's about waiting a lot learning how to be patient, but I also thought it's about to me, I would think it's about being patient with other people like, yes. I don't know how you do it, honestly.
De Jur Jones
Yeah, it's hard. And I do have some filters. Like, I'll just up talking instead, you know, just you know, when you when you're, when you've hit a wall with someone you trying to reason, like the poor man, the other night was telling me he could not wear his mask while he was sleeping. And every time you wake me up, and he said, I'm trying to rest go away, and I'm like, go away, do just was being a man. So I said, Okay, I'm gonna go away to talk to the captain and I, you know, so you have to sometimes learn when, when people are leaving, you know, and these are these kind of firm direct. Well, what we are suggesting thing. And so just knowing Yeah, knowing when to just stop. And when you're not, you know, making any progress and just like letting it go and doing what ever you need to do, or do the next thing, whatever, you know, whatever, whatever, let it go, do whatever you need to do. And so you know, that how God, that's a really important part of being a flight attendant is to it to be you are like a wall of people throwing stuff at you, not literally, but just over the years, over the years. And so you learn how to not say ftu out loud, you know, you might say it in your head, you might roll your eyes, but I've, I've mastered the third eye rolling so I don't roll my my net. Actually actual eyes, but I will roll my third eye. Because it's sometimes ridiculous up there. And so so you know, it is it has taught me control for real, because, um, you know, you know, people seem to think they have because they bought a ticket or they bought the meal, you know, at your restaurant are the thing that they get to kind of run roughshod over you. And so, it does teach you, you know, there was only one time I started crying, and that was when I was new. And then I'm like, never again, will I cry and not inquire in front of the person, but just the situation. That has never happened. That was 40 years ago, you know, 30 years ago. And so you get a really like armor you get armor on you and that does actually benefit you out in the real world. Yeah, a strange way cuz I yeah,
Jivana Heyman
I would say like anyone who's in a service profession, it seems like they need to learn those skills. You know, you learn that you just can't let people get to you. You know? Yeah,
De Jur Jones
you can't and and also, what was I gonna say on my fleeting thought it just flew away on or interrupted
Jivana Heyman
you. But I just I think it's such an important and interesting topic, because I don't think we talked about that, like, what, how does yoga appear in service professions? So we talked about yoga as service but what about people who are doing service like you said, restaurant workers or hospital workers or people in the airline industry? Like there's just so many people out there who are caring for us all the time. So mostly invisible, I don't think we appreciate that. And that and the challenge of that. Yeah. The self control. I'm always amazed.
De Jur Jones
Yeah. And then people all the time say I don't know how you do it. And I don't know how I do it. I just know that I do have an armor suit on when I show up there. I don't know it is not a job. You know, you people imagine Oh, you're traveling all over the world land by the pool, drinking, drinking. Pina Colada, whatever your favorite drink must be so glamorous. It takes a lot to get to that hotel pool. You know, let me tell you and so it is not just like I say that going into jails and prisons as a yoga teacher. It is not the flight attendant job is not for everybody because it is it is you need to be bulletproof. Pretty much when you when you show especially these last five years, the other administration years ew and COVID year. I've never seen I just my hashtag is #CanIhavemyoldjobback That's my hashtag. I want my old job back pre all of that. But, um, so yeah, it's so it, you know, it honestly does serve me that armor does serve me out in the in the real world as well. Because you know, I can maneuver much better in when I'm not at work because I'm not under the control of a corporation. So that has been helpful. And you know, again, the waiting, waiting, waiting. It's the same thing with dealing to get into these prisons and to even get into the space where the where the incarcerated people are waiting for you. You are left sitting and you cannot say I had a nine o'clock. I have said that though, but politely. My class was supposed to start at nine. It's 9:10. And I hate to take time away from the students like can you please and I say nice to saw, but can you please hurry the fuck up and get me in there? Because I only have one hour, then okay. I'm sorry about my F bomb.
Jivana Heyman
Okay, I love it. you crack me up. And I mean, honestly, De Jur you have so much wisdom, I think that armor you talk about is something that, you know, we could all really think about, like how we use our practice to defend ourselves when needed. Like, I don't think that's a common conversation and yoga in the yoga world. And, you know, yoga is not just about being more sensitive, it's also about being stronger. Right. And I think a lot of the practices actually make us more sensitive. I remember, you know, when I first started practicing very seriously, like, it was hard for me to be around people like I started to feel other people's feelings a lot. Yeah. And I had to really learn other ways to be and I think what you're talking about are those skills that we can use to like to help our mind, and our body and energy and emotion like respond to other people. And that's really interesting, very interesting.
De Jur Jones
You know, and you me, I don't always have to have the last word, you know, even though I want the last word to happen. And sometimes people say stupid stuff, and you just don't even respond, and then they're a little dumb comment. It just floats in the air. And there's no reaction to it. And then the person probably is like, what did I just say, you know, I suck. It's, you know, but yeah, it the armor serves me well, and not just at work, you know, but it took me years of building that armor as a new flight attendant was not we were not born like that. And, you know, it's just it's definitely not the job. We thought it would be when we applied our domain in 2021. I mean, even the ones coming on board, the new hires in 2021. Oh, no, you know, again, glamorous travel knows flying standby. Always by the pool, might have nighttime layovers, no pool, you know, so, it's, it's definitely not the glamorous job.
Jivana Heyman
I wanted to mention one. One thing that helped me like, this is a really subtle thing. But I noticed that like, after I would teach a yoga class, sometimes I would feel like I take on people stuff, like if I were if people are having a hard time in my classes, or emotional or are going through some serious illness or something. And so I find I needed to create like a ritual for myself after I teach to let it go. And my friend Cheri Clampett, who's an amazing teacher, she taught me to wash my hands, which is so obvious I'm doing it anyway. But like, every time after I teach a class I go and wash my hands, usually like all the way up to my elbows and just feel like as I'm watching, I just feel like I'm letting go of all their stuff like all the stuff that other people are going through.
De Jur Jones
Yes, I do the same thing when I'm going out of the of those spaces are actually most of my specialized populations when I'm leaving their space because it's really hard to even look at the seniors that are kind of catatonic you know, to look at them and they are non responsive. It's really, you know, it's awful to look at that and so I carry that that love for them around I leave out of there too, you know, it's just, it's, it's hard and many of them, their families cannot control them cannot take care of them, or there is no family. So I feel for them for that as well. You know, and so I do have so I do handwashing as well for two reasons. Like you said, we were gonna wash hands anyway. But it is a ritual of releasing like you what you just said thank you, Cheri Clampett, we appreciate that, um, but also to, you know, just to, like, end where I am now and to step out into outdoors and to carry on and so kind of that ritual, but also oftentimes I feel so full of either sadness or, I don't know, gratitude that I go out into the car and just cry. Not every time, but just weep. And those are cleansing tears. And just letting me know that I'm not just some robotic yoga teacher going in and doing my job and coming right back out and just going, let's have a green drink, you know, um, but too, I really I do pick up on it. And you know, just knowing that in any life to be in a in a, in an arrangement where you are not free. So the seniors, many of them at that potential home will wander off if allowed out the front door. So there's always an eight and a wall risk, and you have to they let me in and out. So it's not like I just go in and fling the door open. But I'm in some can go out and go to the store and walk out in the neighborhood and it's in, it's in a residential neighborhood as well. So they can walk around, look at the flowers, they can come back, but many of them will be lost out there. And so you know, thinking of the last liberty because of mental illness, or lost liberty, because one big bad mistake that you made, it's really makes me sad, you know that, but but, you know, I'm here to to, again, offer some help, in some ways to manage do that. I was so grateful when that senior center called me. I don't remember what month it was. But I cried. Lady call into this is the lady from the senior plays, because I felt she was calling to have to call me back to work right. And I'm just bawling on the phone. I'm like, I'm so sorry. She's I said hasn't did everyone make it through last year? And she said yes. And I'm bawling more because no one passed away from COVID. And then the staff all made it through and more tears. But it was a call of great happiness, because she was the first place that called me back to work in person, you know? So um, that to the question, yeah, so the ritual is hand washing hand washing also.
Jivana Heyman
Thank you for saying that and crying. I appreciate and cry. Cleansing tears. I need more that. Yeah. Anyway, so Well, thank you detour. I really appreciate your sharing and being so honest and straightforward about it all. This, you're here. So like clear in the way you describe things.
De Jur Jones
I asked you, you know, I appreciate you but you don't know to what depth I just always am so grateful and honored when you invite me into your projects. Ah, COVID tears. I've just wanted you to know that I'm always honored. And I'll say yes, every single time and thank you for thinking about me. And your friendship too. And your friendship.
Jivana Heyman
Thank you. I appreciate that. Thanks for always being there and being my friend too. So thanks De Jur It was great talking to you. And you know, I guess we'll leave it there. I'll put links to all your to your website. In the show notes, and hopefully people will, you know, learn more about you. Yeah, thank you.
De Jur Jones
Thank you. I love you.
Jivana Heyman
Love you too.
De Jur Jones
Thank you. Thank you Jivana.
Jivana Heyman
Alright, alright.
Thanks so much for listening and joining the conversation. yoga is truly a revolutionary practice. Thanks for being here. If you haven't already, I would love for you to read my book, yoga revolution, building a practice of courage and compassion. It's available wherever books are sold. Also, you can check out my website JivanaHeyman.com. There's some free classes on there and a meditation and you can find out more about my upcoming trainings and other programs. Hope to see you next time. Thanks. Bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
