Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Haydu.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A few days ago, someone approached me in the grocery store: “Aren’t you the dance teacher who works with kids? You know, the one that does all those fun classes in the schools?” A few days before that, a client arrived for his massage session accompanied by a friend who said, “I remember dancing here in the street during COVID when you hosted those community Dancejams- they were so awesome!” A few weeks ago I was greeting a massage client whose husband wanted to meet me first to ask, “Don’t you have that studio in Pacific Grove where I went to that amazing gypsy jazz concert? I still remember how great that night was- my friends and I had so much fun!” Yes, I did, yes I do, yes I am all those things, or they are part of me.
Twenty one years ago, I opened a studio called EVOLUTION, Integrative Wellness Coaching. I chose the name EVOLUTION very intentionally. As my business partner and I debated what we should call the place, I knew it would be critical that we not pigeonhole ourselves, even though we both had specialties- hers in triathlon training and mine in core training and dance. I knew there was a whole spectrum of practices to continue learning and teaching, and that we were just opening the door to a long journey. We were driven by the belief that wellness is a dynamic dialogue, not an idealized destination. I also chose the word evolution as an invitation for students to explore movement with as much curiosity as goal driven motivation. Over these many years, the studio and how people moved in it, evolved with me as I deepened certain practices, let go of others, and hosted teachers and artists to share their talents alongside me. The space has not just been a vehicle for my own career; it has intentionally become a platform for a dynamic conversation about how to live with embodied awareness. Evolution studio has grown into a safe container for people to find nourishment, support and healing so they can feel into their bodies as vehicles for vitality and self expression.
Let me share these lines from Krista Tippett, creator of the On Being Project:
“Like Rilke, I believe that our questions are some of the greatest gifts we have to offer to ourselves, the world, and others. Questions are a mighty form of words. They are wellsprings of creativity and growth. Culturally we are far too focused on our competing answers, when all the while across our many chasms we are holding kindred longings and aspirations that could lead us into listening, friendship, communal pondering, shared life.”
Questions can also arise from our conversation without words, through the language of our bodies. Our bodies present us with a fascinating kaleidoscope: complex, multidimensional, confusing and sometimes wondrous. That wellspring of creativity and growth we all long for is right under our noses, between our toes, and flowing in our spines. There is a vast universe unfolding in our organisms every moment, and at every stage of life. Meeting ourselves with compassion and kindness is fundamental to all this inquiry. This creates the safety and honesty needed to be fully alive in our beings, even as our world and bodies constantly change, often in ways we cannot control. This befriending of our bodies allows us to meet pain with courage, disease with patience, and even death with grace. While our physical bodies can challenge us, they can also deepen our experience of joy, peace, and even ecstasy by giving us a visceral sense of them. I believe our bodies are an incredible gift, not something to fear or try to transcend.
I began exploring movement as far back as I can remember. As a child, I took dance classes, but I also danced at home with my siblings, at the beach, and in my head when I would doze off on road trips. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve climbing rocks and running through the breaking waves on the shores of Moonstone Beach in Cambria. As I moved into young adulthood in Santa Cruz, my body became a central tool for growth, inquiry and self expression. I explored the ocean, the mountains, the world around me with my body: surfing, hiking, bicycling, tennis, yoga, and of course dance. Although I was a double major at UCSC in Politics and Studio Art, I also wanted to understand my body, and push my physical abilities, so I studied biomechanics and became a personal trainer and movement coach. My evolution into teaching always stemmed from a deep passion for the questions as much as for sharing the tools and techniques I was learning. It still does. My classes are meant to be more conversation than monologue. I believe in direction and discipline, but I also believe in listening to our bodies with a deep reverence and curiosity. Methods have value and can give us a map, but they cannot replace the intuative listening that our bodies ask of us. That self-knowledge is something we grow into with experience. Finding safety and nourishment by befriending our bodies is the real driver for my work.
I began teaching dance as a college student, substituting for teachers I was learning from. As my personal training and group fitness skills grew, I kept my yoga practice just for me. I resisted teaching yoga for a long time, because I felt uncomfortable with its commercialization, all the way back in the early 2000s. (The industry that has been built about yoga is a subject for another long conversation.)I did eventually begin teaching yoga classes and that became central to my career for many years. During that time I studied Yoga Therapy with the Niroga Institute in Berkeley, CA where I was introduced to some amazing teachers who expanded my awareness of movement as medicine and the importance of trauma-informed teaching. This program also integrated a multilayered understanding of the body, far more complex than the standard anatomy taught in mainstream fitness training.
In 2005 I took a big leap by opening my own business with a colleague. EVOLUTION was a collaboration in its inception, and the strength of the partnership lay in our different perspectives coupled with mutual professional respect and passion for our work. We were both very active in our local community and both worked at our local city sports center. When we opened our studio, we had a passionate vision for integrating medical wellness, sports-specific and core training, restorative and healing arts. At that time, few people were integrating those elements. We designed and ran an employee wellness program for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, that addressed stress management and community fitness classes. In our first year we hosted a wellness fair with over 100 participating organizations and partners. From the beginning, we knew this was about more than just our skills as coaches; it was about our ability to collaborate, share knowledge and build community.
After the first few years, my business partner had family and career demands that drew her back into nursing full-time, leaving me wondering if I could keep EVOLUTION going on my own and if I even wanted to. After a transitional time when I just dug in my heels, I began to open the space up to more creative and artistic experiments. I hosted a Salon Series featuring live music nights, community song circles, salsa and tango dance classes, ocean sound healing, acroyoga, and Thai massage. I introduced mindfulness and yoga to kids through after-school programs and creative movement classes in the public schools. I continued to practice as a trainer and coach, but I allowed myself to dive deeper into somatic movement practices, partner work and healing arts.These paths helped free me up to grow; they helped me evolve in my own body and how I relate to movement. Partner work pushed my edges and helped me practice things like trust, support, and respect in visceral ways which in turn helped my teaching and mentoring evolve. While teaching and running a studio, I also kept taking classes and training with my own teachers. At age 40, I auditioned for a dance company forming in Santa Cruz and was chosen to join! I had to learn new methods of Haitian dance, totally new to me, and I loved the challenge. I trained and performed alongside dancers 20 years younger and realized that there were skills my seasoned body had in movement that were different than my younger self, and just as valuable.
And while I delight in movement of all kinds, I also began to understand the power of pausing, the importance of stillness. In my career and in my own organism, I’ve become increasingly fascinated with the quiet power of body work, massage and healing touch. That journey began with a deep dive into Thai massage and continues with Esalen massage and Deep Body Work. I enjoy the complex dialogue between our inner lives and our visceral bodies. There are so many layers. The gross body layer, the physical anatomy, is truly wondrous. And that is just the beginning. After many years of using my body to teach, coach, and guide movement, I find a great reverence in meeting the body at rest. In this different role, I am present with the person, just as they are, without encouraging them to DO anything. I offer touch not to fix something broken, but to offer nourishment and witness.
As I said above, the world continues to change, whether we are ready or not. After 21 years of maintaining EVOLUTION studio in the same space, the building owners gave me notice to vacate to make way for a hotel.I kept that space going through the loss of my business partner, recessions, the COVID pandemic, my brother’s death from cancer, my own cervical disc replacement and a myriad of challenges. But I don’t own the building. Even after 21 years of hard work and passion, there are no guarantees. Change can be thrust upon us, wanted or not. So now old questions are resurfacing about who I am: What is my work in the world? What are my guiding values? How do I practice both resilience and release, perseverance and poise in a big life transition? What am I most passionate about now and how can I share it with the community? How do I evolve?
What I know is that what I built in EVOLUTION studio is not so much about the physical space as the values I have cultivated: curiosity, inquiry, dedication, respect, resilience, and compassion. These values anchor me as both a student and a teacher, so I will bring them into whatever the next incarnation my personal evolution takes.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh, what a long and winding road it has been! Struggles are part of everyone’s journey, aren’t they? There were economic downturns, recessions, the COVID pandemic shutdown, landlords and rent increases. My business partnership dissolved and I had to figure how to run a business on my own. My brother became sick with cancer and as his primary care taker I had to leave my business and career for blocks of time, sometimes unexpectedly. Then of course there are injuries,. When you use your body for your work, and your body breaks down, that stops you in your tracks. Of course, it only calls you to a greater level of honesty in practicing what you preach. Cervical disc replacement surgery was one of the highlights of those challenges.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about EVOLUTION Transformative Arts?
You can refer back to my long winded intro, but I can reiterate that what I do is help people befriend their bodies with awareness so they can find more joy, more vitality and savor this life viscerally. I am know for helping people with their core strength and movement skills, but more so I am know for being authentic and down to earth in my coaching. My teaching style is accessible and creative, and I am know for being able to blend a variety of tools to meet people individually. Another thing I am known for through my studio, EVOLUTION, is building community. From concerts, to workshops, to song circles, the space has been as much of a community playground as a training studio. I am most proud of the amount of people who have come through EVOLUTION and tried something they have never done before, or renewed their sense of motivation to actively engage in nourishing themselves.
What’s next?
Again, referencing my introductory notes, yes big changes are afoot. After 21 years operating out of the same studio space, I have to move out.
I am looking forward to facing uncertainty with curiosity. The possibilities are wide open! What will the next incarnation of EVOLUTION studio be? Will it even be a fixed place?
Pricing:
- Training prices and wellness coaching $75-$200
- Body work and Massage pricing $150-$200/hr
- Consulting and Workhop pricing variable
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evolutiontransformativearts.com
- Instagram: @haydujennifer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Evolutiontransformativearts/
