About Jenni

A bit about me:

When I originally created The Urban Poser I had one simple goal in mind: to provide a resource for women like me who wanted to experience all the vibrancy that life had to offer, despite whatever obstacles stood in their way. I originally created the site in 2010 as an extended resource for my Yoga students who were looking to deepen their own practices, but quickly expanded it to include one of my other great passions: food.

I have always been a strong advocate of natural foods and healthy living and I have a deep passion for beauty and presentation. So naturally, I’ve always tried to create recipes that both support a vibrant and healthy lifestyle while also providing all the enjoyment and fulfillment that come with a robust culture of food.

After battling through a series of health-related issues (read more on that here), I started developing recipes to support my own health journey. After sharing some of these recipes on the site, others with similar dietary needs began to reach out and share their stories with me. I quickly realized that my desire to bring beauty and vibrancy to others had found a new audience and so I began developing and sharing more of the recipes that we were enjoying in our home.

Today, The Urban Poser is a resource for anyone who loves beautiful and accessible food (and photography) and is on a path to experiencing a life that is more vibrant and fulfilled. Be it the recipes, or yoga routines, or just a glimpse into my family’s day, it’s my sincerest hope that what you find here helps lift a burden, shine a little light in, and provide some hope. Even if we’ve never met, we’re all on this journey together and the best road trips are the ones where you discover new friends all along the way.

More on My Yoga:

I’ve had the privilege of teaching yoga for over 12 years. During that time I’ve enjoyed being a part of the rich and diverse yoga community and have been given the opportunity to contribute to that community by hosting workshops, participating in training retreats and writing a number of articles for print magazines. But by far, my deepest personal passion when it comes to yoga is using it to connect with and help empower women. The capacity yoga has to positively affect our hormones and change both our physical and psychological habits is profound and remarkable. And it also has this beautiful way of helping us to change the way we look at our own bodies.

I believe yoga is for EVERY-BODY. Some of the most advanced yogis I have known had severe physical limitations. I believe it’s critical that we do away with this notion that yoga is only for the “bendy” or “skinny” people. There are no pre-qualifications. True yoga asana is not about “how much” you can do, it’s about how well you can meet yourself there on the mat…just as you are.

“The key to right teaching is in the adaptation of yoga to the individual, not the individual to yoga…the whole spectrum of yoga practice must be carefully adapted to the individual’s situation. Nothing can be forced.”   ~T.K.V. Desikachar

Classes: Currently I am not teaching any group classes. I am however, available for retreats, privates (both one on one and private groups, in homes) and to write articles on yoga, both digital and print. Connect with me at jenni@theurbanposer.com for details. Also, keep checking back for more instruction here on the blog, with both articles and videos on building a safe and robust home yoga practice. I believe that “yoga at home’ is where we make the deepest connections to our bodies. My teaching style focusses on good technique as well as body positivity and accessibility for all. You will find that my sessions have a pretty traditional yoga vibe to them, but with a casual atmosphere that is easy to learn in. You can check out a few of my written articles HERE & HERE

Yoga Certifications & Registrations: 

E-RYT 500 (Through Samatva Yoga)
Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga care (Through Mamaste Yoga)
Yoga for kids and family yoga ( Through Let’s Play Yoga)
For Auto Immune conditions (Through Liz Franklins Yoga in Chairs:)

Additional Trainings & Specialization:

Restorative yoga (Through Judith Lasater)
(Yoga) Recovery support for EDNOS and other disordered eating recovery
Stott Pilates Mat

More on My Photography and Equipment:

I am a self-taught food photographer and food stylist. When I first started to post recipes to my blog, I quickly realized that if I wanted people to want to make them, the recipes would need to be represented well. So I went on Craigslist and bought a Kodak Share ‘point and shoot’ camera (for less than $50) and that’s what I used for about one year. It took me most of that year to realize that I should be shooting inside with filtered light instead of outside in the direct midday sun, hahaha!

My first DSLR Camera was a very old Cannon 20D – with a whopping 8 megapixels! My cell phone currently has more that that! Some of my favorite pics were from that camera though…like these Samoa Donut ones and these Caramel Apple Macaroons. Those recipes were my first “play” with dark shadows and backgrounds. So, I guess you could say, mine was a “school of hard knocks learning”. These days though, there are so many great tutorials and books to get you started. And remember, the camera doesn’t take a good photo…you do. Learning photography is a crazy fun road. And I apply the same Julia Child quote to learning photography, as I do baking pastries… “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”

If you are interested in collaborating or working with me let me know. I love to connect with other photographers and foodies! Find out more HERE.

What’s in my Camera bag now?

Cannon 5D Mark III (like THIS)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 (like THIS)

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens (like THIS)

Tamaron 24/70mm lens (like THIS)