Connect
To Top

Life and Work with Jacqueline Ortega

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Ortega.

What ultimately brought me to where I’m at today was a search for an alternative way to care for my mind and my body. To live pain-free and live mindfully free as much as possible without having to turn to modern medicine for help.

I have CPTSD due to childhood trauma and my body just started turning against me as I entered adulthood. My energy had gotten too low for my fast-paced lifestyle, being a single mom, jewelry artist (Ortega Jewelry Designs) and working full time. A highly functioning depressed person, pun intended! I suffered from occasional sciatica after my pregnancy and began to experience pain and inflammation in my joints in my mid-twenties. I was furthering my way into a downward spiral of depression due to all of the physical and mental pain I was enduring on a daily basis. So, it set me on a path to search for holistic treatments to care for myself which led me on this healing journey using cannabis and yoga together to rehabilitate my mind, body, and soul.

I made it a point to practice because I noticed the positive effects it had on me and at the time, it was the only time I could just be one with myself without a care in the world. Be silent and still as I connect to my breath and gracefully flow through asanas (poses) with each breath I take. Living in the present, leaving the past behind and not worrying about what will happen in the future. This is what my practice personally did for me. I would have a sense of accomplishment and feel complete like everything is ok in “my world”. The combination of yoga with cannabis literally breathed life right back into me! I remember having a moment on my mat after class, just thinking how good I felt as a whole and how I wanted to bring that same feeling to others, so I became a cannabis-friendly yoga teacher.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not a smooth road, but not a bad one to travel on either!

Some of my main concerns with forming this type of practice is making sure I abide by state laws, but mostly putting myself out there. Putting a name to a face with a story to tell. Going to public hearings and getting up in front of strangers and lawmakers and being 100% authentic in pitching your story on why we should allow this type of business to exist.

My advice for women and all people would be to be brave and trust yourself in all that you do and just enjoy and appreciate the journey.

Try practicing disciplined optimism, which is the balancing act of keeping a positive outlook on the goal you are working on while knowing that challenges may arise. Envisioning and pursuing the possibilities against all odds; then manifesting a roadmap on how to get there, using your intuition as an inner compass to point you in the right direction. Write your ideas down, then speak them out. Your mind and heart will guide your words. Then, put these words into action.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with BHANG YOGA – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m well known in the Boston fashion scene as Ortega of Ortega Jewelry Designs which I’ve been running for about 8 years now. I create armored Heavy Metal Apparel and accessories out of chain maille and scalemail. Which, I am super proud of but had to put on the back burner for a bit as I fostered Bhang Yoga. I’m finding my balance between the two though and I slowly started implementing yoga inspired jewelry and mala making classes that are cannabis friendly into my monthly schedule of classes to book. Look up Ortega Jewelry on IG & FB!

Now, back to Bhang Yoga! Which I am proud to say was the first official cannabis yoga class done in MA and I’m so proud of what I’m doing and what I’m offering!!!

The best thing about the practice I’ve developed is all the new people trying yoga for the first time just because of cannabis being present, as well as people returning back to the practice of yoga because of that same very reason. Cannabis has always and will always be a unifying experience. You can find every single type of demographic consuming it for whatever purpose that may be: recreational, medicinal, even spiritual. Same with yoga, which is it’s very translation, yoke or union… except somewhere along the way it, at least here in America, it got commercialised and packaged in this pretty lil box that people of color don’t connect with, that men don’t connect with, which is outrageous because if you look into the history of yoga, you’ll find that this was a practice created for men. So, I want to get back to that… back to its origins including women of course and bring it back into the community of my people. My beautiful brown and black sisters and brothers so we can heal together.

The space I create is all inclusive and that’s what makes this practice really special. Yes, I am a yoga teacher but essentially I’m just a guide to help you transition into a more mindful way of moving in space to coexist with others.

I offer an array of private and pop-up classes in the Boston area that ranges in price and length giving people options and accessibility. Including Naga Bhang Yoga Goddess Flow (which is a clothing optional class dedicated to those who identify with the divine feminine energy we all have within us), Sunset Yoga, Full Moon & New Moon Salutations, Nature Walk & Flow and more!

Some of my classes are THC infused and/or CBD focused. The CBD infused class gives non-smokers a chance to partake in a non-psychoactive THC infused. Students have access to topical CBD salve samples to use before or after practice for the added healing benefit of pain & inflammation relief that will go home with them long after practice is done!

Jacki Ortega has been a yoga practitioner for over 5 years, receiving her Yoga Teacher Training Certificate of Completion from The Down Under School of Yoga. Establishing Bhang Yoga shortly after legalization in Massachusetts, December 2016. She is a Boston based, 200hr certified Hatha Yoga teacher and a long time lover of Cannabis!

“Naturally, I combined cannabis with my practice, as yoga came to me later in life and I’ve known MaryJane for years now!

I noticed the positive effects on my physical and mental health when combining these elements together, which brought Bhang Yoga to fruition.

My mindset changed as I learned how to connect to my breath and to this sacred plant; living in the present and just being in the moment. Feeling connected to myself and to others. Feeling a sense of accomplishment and inner peace after every personal practice or class I teach. Feeling complete.
I came for the benefits, stayed for the peace of mind and became a teacher because I wanted to feel this way for the rest of my life and share the gift of a cannabis-infused practice with others. Bhang Yoga nourishes the mind, body, and soul and I can attest to that!”
Namaste.

●Currently teaches Heated Power Vinyasa at Milton Yoga Studio in Milton, MA.
All Levels. Wednesdays & Thursdays at 6 AM.
● Offers monthly Bhang Yoga classes at private pop-up locations and personal lessons. Check out our booking site and follow @BhangYoga on IG or join the Yoga up in Smoke Group on Facebook to stay up-to-date with the schedule & details!

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
You are your best mentor, so listen to yourself and whatever you don’t know, find out from a trusted resource, teacher or mentor.

Go to all the things & get inspired! Research whatever you’re interested in and create an action plan. Talk to people and connect with them at other events when you see them again, you’ll probably be introduced to new possible mentors or some type of connection that could help you personally and/or build your brand. Some of my mentors include some of my very good friends, others I haven’t even met but regardless of where it comes from, make sure you pick & choose the advice that’s given to you carefully and that’s it’s true to what you want to do.

Pricing:

  • Pot & Flow- 2hrs session. 60-75mins of Hatha Yoga + Complimentary Cannabis- $27.00-$45.00
  • ByoBud Wake & Bake- 1hr session. $12.00–$20.00
  • Gentle Power Flow with a Bhang! Led by Malaika Ms.Bonafide – 1hr session. Complimentary Cannabis + Coffee $35.00-45.00
  • Happy Hour ByoBud Bhang Yoga- $12-.00-$20.00
  • Naga Bhang Yoga Goddess Flow- 2hr session. $27.00-$45.00
  • Full Moon Flow- 2hr session. $30.00-$45.00
  • New Moon Flow- 2hr session. $30.00-$45.00
  • Sunset Yoga- 2hr session. $30.00-45.00
  • Private Lessons start at $85.00 an hour + transportation fee. Sliding scale option available. Email BhangYoga@gmail.com for details.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Megan Walker AfonArt, Sean Hayes Photography, Eager Animal, Malaika Ms.Bonafide, Wood-U, Ortega Jewelry Heavy Metal Apparel

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in