Inspiring Conversations with Alexandra Juryte of Breathe Meditation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Juryte.

Hi Alexandra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. Raised in Sydney, Australia. I’m a graduate of Fine Arts and Fashion Design.

After I graduated, I held a few interesting roles here and there for different design/retail organizations but they didn’t lead to anything and I was hungry for a lot more outside the rigidity corporate world. At a tender young age of 24, I decided to embark on a long expedition of travel and exploration.

Like most Aussie Backpackers, I went out on a limb not knowing what to expect and what would come. I saved enough money to last me a year. However, things quickly took a long extended turn and I would end up traveling for over 10 years on my own.

My first-ever introduction to meditation came via the Buddhist tradition some 20 years ago. After reading a copy of Alan Watts’s The Way of Zen – I began practicing some of the recommended meditations. After traveling and trekking the world for over 10 years throughout Asia, India, Japan, and Europe I undertook Yoga studies in Rishikesh, India.

Rishikesh sits peacefully at the foot of the Himalayas, where you can see yogis meditating along the Holy Ganga River every day. I studied under Yogi Shobbit Ghanshyala​ learning Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Flow, Yoga Therapy, and Sivananda.

My journey continued with studies with Master Teacher Yogacharya Sandeep Pandey in Yogasana Philosophy, Meditation, Pranayama, Shat Karma, and Yoga Nidra, followed by studies in Ayurveda and Yoga Restoration. Inspired to learn more about meditation I then undertook formal training in Meditation and Holistic Studies at The Meditation Space in Sydney, Australia.

My primary focus and teaching are in breath-work, Japanese (forest bathing), mindfulness meditation, zen meditation, and the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra. I’m committed to constantly helping others in understanding and mastering the art of breath, meditation, and Hatha Yoga.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to teach, lecture, and contribute to many events and wellness studios here in the USA and internationally. Most recently, I taught at local community libraries in New Jersey. Providing a gateway to many residents who had not experienced meditation or in some cases to afraid to explore.

During and after the post-COVID – Pandemic it became crucial that people were eager to get back to some normalization or have access to some kind of healing. Here’s where mediation and Yoga Nidra came in at the right time. With so many wellness studios shut down or closed indefinitely in New York and New Jersey at the time, where I was residing I wanted to give back to the community by offering classes at a place that everyone could relate to and not be afraid to attend. The library represents a second home or a place of learning for many people. So teaching and offering classes to libraries was a perfect fit.

Partnering and collaborating with local libraries proved immensely rewarding for many local residents, senior citizens, and high school/college students who at the time were all stuck in limbo. By having access to Meditation classes and learning about the wonderful healing powers of Yoga Nidra small steps were taken in restoring people’s lives, reducing anxiety, becoming more self-aware, but more importantly healing.

Yoga Nidra is a powerful meditation technique adapted by Swami Satyananda Saraswati from the traditional tantric practice of Nyasa. It is a healing technique that helps to remove deep-rooted tensions in the body and mind by consciously entering a state of complete relaxation. Often referred to as conscious sleeping or sleeping with awareness, Yoga Nidra is quite different from regular sleep. In sleep, we are unaware of and have no control over the relaxation process.

We can sleep for hours and still awake feeling tense and uneasy. For this reason, according to this practice, sleep is not considered relaxation. In Yoga Nidra, we use a simple yet profound method to systematically reach total relaxation – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When I’m not globetrotting… In my spare time, I like to attend to my garden, teach the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra, give lectures on mindfulness, and I’m the founder of Mind. Body. Soul an annual event that specializes in healing and restoring at festivals and educational institutions. I’m also an active attendee of the Triratna Buddhist Society and call Clarkdale, AZ my home. ​

​We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Becoming a Meditation teacher definitely has had its challenges. Since here in the USA it’s still relatively new and surprisingly most people struggle with meditation. An overly saturated market of youtube videos, Instagram, and mobile apps has killed the true essence of meditation. Unlike a yoga class where there’s a lot more movement through a sequence of asanas, Meditation requires nothing but complete surrender of the mind.

I do recommend that one go outside the realm of social media platforms and truly experience meditation at an Ashram, Zen Buddhist Monastery, Indian Temple, or a quiet yoga/wellness studio with an advanced/experienced meditation teacher or simply take the more natural approach as the Japanese do with Shinrin -Yoku – known as forest bathing (walking meditation) in nature.

In my early days of teaching, relatively new students would fidget, yawn, fall asleep and in some cases never return. I learned early on not to take it personally but remind myself from my own Masters… as they taught me, that meditation takes time and practice.

With that dedicated practice as a teacher/Instructor, I’ve been given the gift to continue on with the teaching and have seen great results and rewards from my students or anyone that has attended my workshops, classes, or events.

We’ve been impressed with Breathe Meditation, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My craft lies in teaching Yoga Nidra Meditation. Though I teach various types of meditation such as;

• Mindfulness meditation
• Spiritual meditation
• Focused meditation
• Movement meditation
• Mantra meditation
• Loving-kindness meditation
• Visualization meditation

I’ve mastered the art of Yoga Nidra and I’ve committed myself to teach and educating people on this practice. Yoga Nidra translated as yogic sleep, is a five-stage process that begins with a body scan to engage one’s physicality. It incorporates meditation on the breath, the balancing of emotional states, visualization, and self-healing. I generally add some dharma talk or storytelling to the practice, this deepens the experience for many participants.

I’m pretty strict and disciplined in keeping to its original foundation as when it was first introduced and taught by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. This provides a more genuine experience and profound healing effect, vs. many teachers who might add tricks and unnecessary fluff!

I’m at a heightened state in my personal and professional life right now that just about all my experiences are something to be proud of. They took hard work, discipline, love, and compassion. However, in most recent times I did put an event on at Boonton Holmes Public Library, New Jersey called “Mind, Body, Soul” a successful event that brought the community together through the power of healing.

As the founder of Mind, Body, and Soul… I wanted the community to move forward from the enclosure that COVID restricted us all. Collaborating with the Libraries Director I had for some time pursued her with the idea of putting on such an event in northern New Jersey. We collaborated with other business wellness professionals and I speared headed the event over three days.

It was nice to see many familiar faces from the community come out and experience a reset and restore wellness event that gave them access to meditation, yoga, and other holistic classes.

Interesting question. I would say my most signature trait is my voice. Anyone who first sees me or looks at an image may not realize I have a deep soothing voice. I’ve been told you I’m the female version of actor Morgan Freeman since our voices are very similar in pitch and tone.

Having a powerful voice that carries across the room in meditation is absolutely crucial! It will either break or make you and ultimately determine your success. The voice is everything in a guided meditation. So my voice is my gift! Here are some reviews that have been written about me.

Absolutely Amazing Experience!
Alex’s voice is so soothing and relaxing. I thank you for all that you do to help others in mind, body, and soul.
– Chelsea M.

Alex, this was a deeply beautiful experience: It was a gift to move and float with you and everyone in the room.
– Katherine V.

I really enjoyed Yoga Nidra with Alex. Her voice is incredible, especially when she guides you through the body scan, it completely relaxed me. I would do this practice again.
– kiki. L

Wonderful! The instructor is very informative. She has a very soothing voice. The experience was very relaxing.
– Ruth. B

The relaxation and warm-fullness of the instructor’s words made me feel safe & secure. It was nice to take quiet time in the presence of others. Thank you for the warm welcoming message in reminding me and others to be kind to ourselves.
– Terri. H

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
As a practitioner, teacher, and instructor – I’ve always kept the motto “Keep it simple, Keep it real! Meditation including that of Yoga is a spiritual transformational experience. Therefore my characteristics and teaching methods are from Sanskrit traditions.

You will never catch me posing in a bikini overstretching on a beach in asana or posing for attention. This is not what the yogis taught or the great zen masters.

Contact Info:

• Email: breathetohealmeditation@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.breathetohealmeditation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breathe_meditation_teacher/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreathetoHealMeditation/