Beautify

Meet today's Birthday Girl, Adrianne "Ajax" Jackson, owner and chief yoga officer of Magnolia Yoga Studio. With a dedicated studio space in Storyville, Zoom classes and outdoor park sessions, the soulful woman, with a zen vibe and voice like honey, is always ready to roll out her yoga mat with a wellness welcome. 

Happy birthday, Ajax! We're bringing you a dozen treats from The Cupcake Collection to celebrate. What's your favorite flavor?
Sweet potato!

Best thing about connecting with your students virtually? 
We can help keep a sense of normalcy going for our community by offering classes from their favorite teachers at the same time now online and within the comfort of their home where pets, roommates, partners and children can join. We love that! We also get to reinforce how significant your health and wellness is more than ever during this health pandemic, since a lot of this disease is centered around the respiratory system and our immune system which are yoga's top specialties and benefits. 

You have opened some limited-capacity classes—how does it feel to be back in person? 
It feels empowering, like we have a secret society that comes together in the name of health and wellness. Nowadays because of all the risks, everything we do and everywhere we go has to be intentional and essential. We believe yoga is just that, especially at Magnolia Yoga Studio! Thankfully through a wonderful community and network of amazing people in New Orleans, many who are clients who happen to be doctors, we were personally consulted on how to safely re-open. These local heroic doctors who are working directly with Covid gave us very easy and practical advice to ensure our members' safety. 

Three myths about yoga you'd like to dispel?
Myth: Yoga is for flexible people. Fact: Flexibility is your reward for doing yoga; it is not a prerequisite. 

Myth: Yoga is for women or for skinny white women. Fact: Yoga originally was only for men and has undergone so many stages of evolution. If you trace yoga back far enough, you can find its origins in Africa as in most things. However, yoga has specific original ties to Egypt, to be precise. The technology that is yoga spread throughout the region and throughout the ages like many good ideas, innovations and techniques. So the refined yoga practice we know now has its origins in India. Africa and India are both motherlands with Black and brown populations so, in many ways, our ancestors practiced yoga and for us in Magnolia Yoga we make sure this history, the representation and the lineage are all highlighted, We are 100% Black owned and 100% open to all!

Myth: Yoga is just about stretching. Fact: Yoga is an ancient technology with beautiful, simple yet complex scientific approaches to the mind + body experience where stretching, balancing, deep breathing, meditation and self-realization is really what it's about.

Favorite podcast?
Weekly Energy Boost With David Ghiyam - they are second to none!

What’s on your birthday wishlist?
A trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for an extraordinary hotel and spa experience at the Montage Hotel, chocolate cake by Bittersweet Confections, champagne, tequila, a new piece of jewelry from Porter Lyons, radiant skin by Tata Harper, a positively magnetic soul by the studies of Kabbalah, healthy and loving family and friends, prosperity by way of the universe, peace by way of my inner peace, abundance by way of my creative spirit, good health by Magnolia Yoga, my highest destiny with my soulmate passionately waiting for me... and that will do for this year!

One thing people would be surprised to learn about you.
I speak three languages and I aspire to be able to orbit the Earth one day!

How many candles are you blowing out this year?
I am blowing out 15,695 days worth of candles which equates to 43 years of the life force known as Ajax.

Want to be the next Tidbits Birthday Girl? Tell us why at submissions-neworleans@gotidbits.com.