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LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: NEW JERSEY

Photos and Article by: WANDA BOGACKA-PLUCINSKI

TRAVEL

New Jersey, nicknamed the Garden State, is surprisingly a very culturally diverse state and it’s home to iconic names like Frank Sinatra, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison. It is not only diverse culturally, it has undeniable differences in its landscape too. The northern New Jersey landscape is mountainous and rocky, while southern New Jersey has beautiful flat farmland. But what New Jersey is probably most known for is its famous beaches, which stretch for 130 miles along the Atlantic Ocean coast, from Sandy Hook to Cape May. It’s also the home of some of the best yoga teachers and studios in the nation, who like me, happen to call New Jersey home.

Paul and Shire Lopresti are the owners of Yoga Revive yoga studio as well as Revive Juice and Bowls vegan restaurant in Marlton, New Jersey. Paul is a truly rare teacher, and has been dedicated to health and fitness his whole life. As a young adult, due to some pretty serious health problems that left him in debilitating pain, he tried yoga as a means of healing himself. After taking just a few classes, he was hooked and knew that yoga had the power to be transformative. So, in 2014, he got his Bikram yoga certification, followed by Barkan Hot vinyasa in 2017, and most recently cYoga in 2020. As a teacher, he is extremely passionate about helping everyday people, as well as athletes, overcome their struggles through the act of movement and mindset. I’ve taken many of his classes, and although his style of teaching is tough, it’s also deeply caring and compassionate. He’s a teacher who is not only well-trained, rooted in years of knowledge and experience, but also comes from a genuine place of understanding.

Paul is married to Shire, whose curiosity and love for yoga is what lead her to practicing hot Bikram yoga and eventually even meeting Paul. She fell in love with yoga and Paul! She went on to get certified in various styles of yoga, as well as inferno hot Pilates, kettlebells, barre, and yin yoga. Shire’s goal is to not only focus on the physical aspects of yoga and wellness, but to also continue to build a genuine community of yogis at the studio. After all, what’s a yoga studio if not for its community? Because Shire has an incredible intuition and deep sense of caring for others, she’s able to bring support, harmony, and love to the yoga studio. Most students will say that the studio is their home away from home and their community because she is able to create that for everyone who comes there. Shire is a certified cYoga teacher, as well as a meditation and breathwork instructor. She is also a dedicated student, expanding her knowledge under Jimmy Barkan.

Our third featured yogi is also a lawyer. Meet Jennifer Mohamed, affectionately known as Jen the Yoga Lawyer. Yes, you read that right! Jen has been practicing law since 1998, and teaching yoga since 2011. Her journey into yoga began in college and law school to help her manage stress and build strength, but Jen also credits yoga for helping her heal, discover her voice, and embrace her life’s purpose. She holds a 500 hour certification in Hatha Yoga, certificates in Vinyasa Flow, meditation, and lifestyle coaching, and extensive training in Eastern philosophy, shamanic healing, and Pilates. Jen offers an online wellness membership community and teaches in person at HealthQuest in Flemington and Dig Yoga in Frenchtown. What is so refreshing about Jen is her authenticity and fearlessness in being herself. She is passionate about helping others harness the power of yoga, especially women in the demanding field of law, to effect positive change and transformation. Her mission to empower others to be their best self through yoga is inspiring and frankly contagious.

As part of the Celebrating Age issue, I asked these inspiring yogis to share here the advice they would give to their younger selves.

“You know who you are more than anyone else ever will. Trust your instinct and be that person, and everything else will fall into place.”

Jennifer Mohamed

@jentheyogalawyer

“As an aging yogi, I would tell my younger self that yoga can be the best gift and tool in life. It’s been a journey of self-discovery: physically, it’s a way to unwind, to relieve tired muscles and calm the mind, but also a way to connect with myself, heal, a way “through” difficult times of daily life, and a path with which to walk on to the next life with grace.”
Paul Lopresti

@thebudoyogi

“Yoga has been a unique gift throughout my life; from a newbie, to a teacher, to opening a studio, then to opening a vegan restaurant, each stage holds a special place in my journey. Looking back, I would tell myself to trust where you are in this very moment, and always be yourself!”
Shire Lopresti

@shiremaclo