about Jen
Jen Nigro
i’ve been teaching some form of movement for 30 (!!!) years + have served as teacher, student, + mentor to dozens of other movement professionals. alongside yoga teacher + doula Janel Feliz Martir, i created The Joy Project in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn in 2018 after leaving a nearby studio.
prior to Joy’s creation, i served as talent + training manager with Crank Cycling NYC on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, + as creative director for Flow Factor, also on the Upper East Side. i recently finished 2 years as director of movement for Sacred Space Astoria in Queens. outside of Joy, i offer vinyasa + workshops alongside an incredible team at Brooklyn Yoga Project.
in addition to open class, i facilitate healing through yoga, somatics + Reiki practices for those with PTSD + C-PTSD.
my training:
i completed my RYT-200 with Yoga Vida NYC in 2016 + went on to mentor with Christine Chen (Spellbound Yoga) + Dennis Teston. i later completed my trauma training certificate with Exhale to Inhale, led by trauma specialist + Reiki Master Tara Tonini, which led me to pursue additional studies in somatics.
i completed my 3-tier trauma + somatics training with Peter A. Levine’s Somatics Experiencing International in 2020 + went on to study Dr. Levine’s work through Professional Education Systems Institute + the Kripalu Center. later, i studied trauma therapeutics with The Embody Lab, allowing me to employ additional therapeutic techniques like visual aids in my work with survivors. i am a current student of Dr. Linda Thai’s generational + systemic trauma work.
i am also a Usui Reiki Master Teacher (attuned through Reiki Masters Gina Cunningham + Kim Alexandrescu) + often incorporate somatic healing into my energy work where appropriate.
i am an upcoming guest on The Unlearning Podcast with Leslie Cottle, have been previously featured in Yoga Love Magazine, + have facilitated numerous trainings throughout the US for school teachers, healthcare professionals, + administrators with the aim of creating safer spaces for all survivors of trauma. i remain a DOE-approved trauma educator in NY, NJ, CT, AZ + UT.