Name: Jennifer Converse Schelter.
Title: Founder of Yoga Schelter and the non-profit organization Yoga Unites.
What I Do: I do what Martha Graham called "being an athlete of God." What I don't do is knock 'em dead. I knock people alive - physically and soulfully - through awakening the physical body and inspiring people to be fully alive in a way that works for them. A student recently said to me, "The doctor said I got two inches back, and I don't have any more pain in my shoulders." So what I do is give people back to their physical self - which is like giving someone access to their vitality and flow. The body is the storehouse of the soul. I offer yoga (in the holistic tradition of awakening the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual assets of the body and mind.) in the spirit of an artist. I lead meditation, creative visualization, and writing groups/retreats that hold a space and inspire people to articulate their own experience and feel safe in telling their truth. Dogma makes me puke, and so does a lot of the "yoga industry." What I do is champion nonjudgment and a way for individuals to learn and feel great about their physical process and or mental, emotional or spiritual process. People come to me for a physical experience, and they end up loving me for the metaphysical and very human aspects I bring to the table. I am a master at the physical wellness, alignment, strengthening aspects. And I offer the spiritual aspects like a buffet. I was named Best Yoga Teacher 2008 by Exercise TV - it's because of the soul stuff, mixed with my obsession with taking the body seriously, with respect. Without the soul stuff, yoga is not yoga. I seem to be blessed with an innate gift of reflecting people's potential and helping them access their fluid, flexible and creative self. Basically, I am the Goddess of Be Real and Be All You Can Be. I work with retreats, group classes, and corporations to get at the heart of what creates thriving, balanced, happy and effective leaders and people. That and I do like to date: smart, soulful, confident men who aren't intimidated easily and like to talk and laugh about anything. I do like to learn how to surf. And do like to eat a lot. And travel.
How did you discover Yoga? In grad school, University of San Diego/Old Globe Theatre Professional Actor Training Program - it was a required course. I discovered that I had no relationship to my body, other than "Whip this thing into shape!" which over time is an insane way to relate to oneself - very torturous. It was the first time I began to peel the layers of the onion and get to know myself and my body as a partnership.
Yoga is important to Philadelphia because: Philly is fantastic. But let's face it: Philly has major low-self-esteem issues. So many people are worried they're not enough, not in New York, Washington or Los Angeles, with a bigger salary or a bigger life. I think of this as of this as one of those SAT questions: Yoga is important to Philadelphia as Mayor Nutter is important to Philadelphia: Both are change agents, proactive for new possibilities. That's what Philadelphia needs: good self-esteem, awareness of one's gifts, and a feeling of being cherished. Yoga is important to Philadelphia because it's a change agent for empowering, centering and calming human beings and getting them in touch with themselves, and giving them the tools to value themselves. With the amount of violence in our city, yoga is a great idea. I have started a nonprofit called Yoga Unites, which has a proposal out to work with men coming out of the prison system to empower their ability to feel good about their transformation and themselves. I'm one of those who love to see people thrive and live their dreams. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a city where everyone (not just "yoga people," but the mainstream) was aware that we were all just trying to support one another to live our dreams before we kick the bucket? Sign me up. That's why Yoga is important to Philadelphia and to me.
The professional achievement I'm most proud of is: Working with humanitarian lawyer and Philadelphian Susan Burke, in defense of innocent Iraqis tortured in Abu Ghraib. I have taken two trips to Istanbul, Turkey, to be a compassionate witness and notetaker, while former tortured detainees give their testimonies. After such a life-changing experience, I needed to do something with (and detox from) what I learned. So I wrote a one-woman show called Love Lessons from Abu Ghraib that played to a sold-out audience at the Fringe Festival 2007. The play is an inspiring journey into tales of Iraqi prisoners and uncovers the beauty of new friendship, justice, and even dating advice. I wrote this play to express my passion for my Iraqi friends and my outrage toward the U.S. government's disregard for human rights and the Geneva Convention. The play points to the power of facing and transcending fear, the healing power of listening, and the joy of going beyond preconceived notions and stereotypes to connect.
What's a Yoga position that, after all these years, still gives you trouble? (C'mon, admit it): Lotus position. It's supposed to be the "Oh-so-peaceful-meditative" pose, but when I'm in it I think, "Who invented this?" I have very long legs and whoever invented the lotus position must have been in an enlightened trance, half my height, and bow-legged. That or in denial. The other thing that gives me trouble is the good, old "letting go": savasana, the final relaxation pose. You know, I am a beginner at nonattachment. Letting go intellectually is easy; living it is what I would call practicing being the master. I feel like a barnacle sometimes. Calm and passion go hand and hand for me. I let go when I can express my passion.
Recent book: Somatics, by Thomas Hanna (great on the myth of aging), and The Language of Letting Go, by Melody Beattie (great for times when I think, "What am I doing?," which is pretty much every day).
Recent movie: Sex and the City. Sarah Jessica Parker is fantastic.
I'll know I'm doing a good job if, in five years: I am creating passionate works of art (offering yoga/meditation/writing retreats, writing plays, performing pieces, painting), that inspire as many people as possible to bring out their truth, and value their heart and authentic self. I'll know I'm doing my job if I am working with communities I would never have known I'd work with: political, business and artistic leaders to bridge differences and leave the world a more sane and beautiful. I know I sound cliché, but I'm being honest. I'd like to be the Oprah of yoga. I'd like to have a format for sharing: on TV, some large platform or medium that forwards kindness and universal consciousness for a positive cultural shift. A daily yoga show on Oprah would be nice because it would be seen in Iraq, and I'd enjoy planting some new seeds of understanding between the West and the Middle East. Healing and inspiration - that would be nice. Healing, inspiration and fun.
That and I'd like to be half-naked on a beach in the Caribbean, married to my soulmate.
Jennifer Schelter's one-woman play "Love Letters from Abu Ghraib" will be performed Saturday, June 21, at 7 p.m. at The Virginia Evans Theater of the Please Touch Museum, 210 N. 21st Street, 215-991-7642; tickets $20-$25