I recently had the pleasure of getting to know Jennifer Hansen. Like many people Jen found her passion in college, for me it was the ice-cream store around the corner from my house, for Jen it was yoga.
A yoga class that was meant to simply fulfill her requirements quickly turned the tides in her life. By the end of the semester, Jen’s love for the practice had grown and her teacher swore that one day she would be teaching classes of her own. Fast forward to today and Jen has been practicing for ten years, founded her own company, Mettamade, and holds pop-up yoga events with a twist throughout New Jersey. Now grab a glass of wine, fold your legs into lotus position and read on.
How did you come up with the concept of MettaMade and when did you decide to make it a reality?
In 2015, my best friend and I attended Wanderlust 108 Brooklyn festival and we participated Metta meditation with thousands of other yogis. It was my first experience with Metta so I learned that it is a Pali word that means spreading loving-kindness: practicing kindness to yourself and others will ultimately spread and come back to you in a positive way (the power of manifestation). We were so inspired by the meditation that we collaborated (her love of design and my love of yoga) to form the idea of a pop-up yoga events company. This is how we came up with the company name mettamade. In January 2017, I took over the business as sole owner.
What is unique about your practice and Metta popups?
The events are held outside of the traditional yoga studio and held in unique, beautiful spaces. Every event focuses on the theme of kindness and has a social gathering to bring the community together such as wine tastings, beer tastings, brunch, spa days, coffee, etc. My practice or teaching style is unique in the sense that I try to make every event open to all levels. I want beginners to feel comfortable as well as the most advanced yogis to feel challenged.
Where's your favorite space to practice?
My favorite yoga space in terms of a studio is Bask Hot Yoga in Jackson and Brick, NJ (I teach there too). It is a beautiful space and I truly feel at peace! When I am not in a studio, I love to go near water to do my own flows on the beach.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
Watching people come together after the yoga class to make new friends. I love when people come up to me after a class to thank me and tell me how much they needed that. Those moments really warm my heart!
Tell us something that you hope all Yogis take away from your pop-ups.
Mettamade events are a judgement-free zone, and we welcome all with open arms. I hope that the yogis who come to my events continue to speed loving-kindness to themselves and to others (we all know the world can benefit from more kindness). I hope they leave a Mettamade event with new friends and fuller hearts!
What is one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Trust the process. Manifest the crap out of what you want, see it happening, envision it. Believe in yourself. There will always be obstacles so focus on your soul purpose of why you want to do this.
How has Babes in Business helped you?
Babes in Business is an amazing community that I am proud to be a part of! I am beyond inspired by all the hustle from these women. It is admirable to see everyone come together as one instead of against one another. Babes in Business has helped me grow in terms of social media and learning tips from each entrepreneur on the Slack team.
After meeting Jen, I realized that you never truly know when inspiration will hit you. It's not something you go looking for but more so something you stumble upon. And when you find it, you better make sure you work your hardest to make your dream a reality. Or, if you, like me, aren't quite sure what it is that makes you tick, surround yourself with hardworking, empowered women, like the gals in Babes in Business for that extra push of motivation. And always remember to treat yourself and others with love and kindness.
If you're interested in learning more about Jen and Metta check out her website https://www.mettamadeusa.com/ and follow her on Instagram @mettamadeusa