Clonakilty yoga teacher Jess Hatchett has been chosen by Laya Healthcare to blog about yoga, health and well-being.
CLONAKILTY yoga teacher Jess Hatchett has been chosen by Laya Healthcare to blog about yoga, health and well-being.
Each month, Jess, who has been teaching yoga for 15 years, will be uploading a new video that is aimed at giving people a gentle introduction to yoga.
‘I was really surprised when the company approached me,’ said Jess, who learned that the offer had come about after one of her students, Doreen O’Mahony, who works in marketing for the healthcare company, had recommended her.
Doreen was convinced that Jess could make yoga accessible even to the uninitiated. In that respect, Jess does have form because a TEDx talk she did in March 2015 has been viewed thousands of times. She also contributed an online blog to a national newspaper in the past after another student spotted her potential as an online instructor.
‘Laya said they wanted someone who would not only apply themselves to the physical postures but also take a holistic approach and address mental health issues, as well as physical health. ‘In that regard,’ Jess said, ‘the focus will be on helping people to understand and manage stress and anxiety because they are now regarded as the number one cause of disease.’
The first introductory video went online at the beginning of August and there will be five more videos posted during the first week of each month until January 2018. The videos can be seen on the Laya website under a new section called Thrive, which is geared towards preventative practices like good nutrition and regular exercise.
Jess said she is delighted to have been chosen by Laya as their Thrive yoga expert. ‘What I want to try and get across is that yoga is an amazing way to support mental health problems, which is such a massive issue in Ireland at the moment, particularly depression.’ See www.jesshatchett.ie.