Jessica Bellofatto, founder and director of JBYoga, East Hampton, NY, is best known for her easy laughter, radiant energy, and extensive knowledge of the body. A momma of three, yogini, doula, home birth advocate, surfer, triathlete, avid stand up paddle boarder, SUP racer, and one of the pioneers of SUP Yoga (yoga on the paddleboard), Jessica has inspired thousands of students in their journey to better understand themselves and their world. She herself has been a dedicated student of Hatha Yoga for the past 20 years. Her interest in yoga was piqued at the age of 18, while she was majoring in dance at New York University. She completed the intensive year-long teacher training program at the Jivamukti Yoga Center with beloved teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life in 1996 and has been teaching ever since. First and foremost a student, Jessica has studied extensively with many notable and amazing teachers, and has been most deeply influenced by her Jivamukti roots, along with the intensity of the Ashtanga Yoga system as taught by Sri K. Patabhi Jois, and the beauty, clarity, and intelligence of the Iyengar system.

A former dancer, Jessica teaches from a deep understanding of movement as art, movement as play, movement as therapy, and especially, movement as a spiritual practice. She is also interested in the stillness within and between the movement; the spaciousness of silence. Jessica’s dream for herself and her students is that we may come to remember the love, the beauty, and the miracle of who we truly are, and that we may access this truth through the body. Through reveling in movement, whether it be yoga, dance, surfing, running, swimming, paddling; we learn to honor and respect this incredible gift and gain health, vitality, and happiness in the process. As we dive deeper, we move beyond the level of the physical body to something even greater and more fulfilling.

In 2011, Jessica was chosen to be one of Athleta’s Sponsored Athletes, and writes regularly for the Athleta Chi Blog. In 2012, she was chosen to be an ambassador for the Boga Yoga Paddleboard (a board designed specifically for yoga). Jessica teaches sold out yoga retreats around the world and is most happy outside, in nature, preferably wet.