Jessica Girija Jewell
Yoga Teacher, Astrologer, Mentor & Studio Manager
Girija (also known as Jessica) began practicing yoga in 1999 in Albuquerque, NM, after a herniated disc led her to seek deeper healing. Her path into yoga emerged from a long-standing commitment to inner transformation, having entered recovery from compulsive eating in 1988. Over time, yoga became more than physical therapy — it became a mystical path of remembrance, both on and off the mat.
She is especially grateful to her teacher, Kim Schwartz, a Mahaswami in the Kriya Yoga lineage, who first told her that yoga was a mystical practice. With great humility and depth, he opened the doorway to subtle awareness and inner experience. Much of Girija’s teaching continues to be rooted in the wisdom Kim shared from his more than fifty years of practice and teaching. A photo of him rests at the studio, where his presence continues to bless the space.
Girija practiced for nearly a decade at High Desert Yoga in Albuquerque before moving with her husband and young children to New Haven, CT, where she continued her studies at Fresh Yoga, inspired by Heidi Sormaz’s intelligent and embodied approach. In 2012, the family relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Girija completed her teacher training and began offering classes to the local community.
Since receiving her 200-hour teaching certification in 2013, Girija has taught yoga with devotion and care. Her classes are slow, spacious, and intentional — emphasizing postures that support nervous system regulation and invite the body, breath, and mind into deeper harmony. Each class reflects her commitment to yoga as a whole-life path and spiritual discipline rooted in compassion, discernment, and presence.
Girija is also a practicing astrologer and long-time student of yoga philosophy. She offers astrological consultations and spiritual mentoring for those seeking clarity in relationships, alignment with soul purpose, and a more intimate connection with the sacred rhythms of life.
She especially supports women navigating compulsive behaviors, emotional intensity, or difficult relationships — those who long to live with greater spaciousness, self-trust, and inner freedom. Her guiding intention is to help others cultivate a healthy body, peaceful mind, and loving heart — one breath at a time.
Girija began teaching in community spaces, including the YMCA and several local studios in Lincoln. When the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted in-person classes, she offered yoga online to a small and devoted group of longtime students. That season of contraction became a deepening — a return to essentials, and a reaffirmation of her commitment to yoga as a sacred, stabilizing force.
In 2022, she joined Yoga Together Lincoln at the invitation of a fellow teacher. When life circumstances called her colleague away, Girija stepped into leadership, guided by a quiet nudge from the building’s owner, who simply said: “I think this is yours to do.”
Though the path to holding space came through loss, rupture, and moments of doubt, Girija answered with a quiet yes — not from ambition, but from deep listening. Yoga Together Lincoln continues to grow as a sanctuary for sincere seekers, shaped by her devotion to spiritual practice, inner transformation, and community care.
In the same spirit of unfolding, Girija received her spiritual name at the close of a Sanskrit workshop with Swami Prem Sadasivananda. Without knowing that she had spent many years working in mountain environments as a field biologist, he offered her the name Girija — daughter of the mountain. The moment felt like a soul-recognition. Every time she hears it, her heart lifts, and she remembers who she is.
“I know what it means to walk through storms—
to feel too much, want too much, weep like rain, and still rise again.
The tears are not the end. They are the opening.”
—Girija
