The Zac Clark Show - Jana Webb on Breath, Resilience & the Mind-Body Connection: How We Breathe Changes Everything

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

Note: We had a brief audio issue, but it’s resolved by 5:37. Thanks for your patience!What If Breath Could Change Everything?Jana Webb is no stranger to high performance. As a movement and injury prevention specialist for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and the creator of JOGA, she has spent years helping elite athletes optimize their bodies and minds. But a near-fatal car accident forced her to rebuild from the inside out—changing the way she sees movement, recovery, and resilience.In this episode, Jana breaks down the power of breathwork, the mind-body connection, and how we can harness our nervous system for peak performance. She shares how trauma shaped her mission, the hidden mental toll of professional sports, and why the way we breathe might be the key to unlocking our fullest potential.From injury prevention to self-awareness, Jana Webb invites us to rethink the most fundamental act of living: how we breathe.Connect with Zachttps://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclarkIf you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:[phone]releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

So our next guest here, Jana Webb. Jana currently works for the Detroit Pistons as one of their health and wellness coaches, if you will. But I came to know about Jana from her inspiring story. She's a lifelong athlete, entrepreneur, and the founder of Joga, which is a revolutionary movement system that blends movements of yoga and sports-specific training to optimize athletic performance. What I can tell you about Jana is she is going to bravely share her story of a near-fatal accident in 2016, which left her with a broken back and long-term brain injury and how she has

used that experience to move forward in the world and help so many others. I hope you enjoy this episode. I surely did as well. All right, so before I introduce our guest, she's going to take us through, can you get it grounded? Yeah. Yeah, let's do it. Are you guys sitting up straight? Yeah, so first thing we want is just your head on top of your shoulder. your shoulders on top of your hips, uncross your legs, fill your feet on the floor. And then, yeah, just kind of get into your rhythm. You can have your eyes open or close, so it depends on what makes you feel more comfortable, safe.

So eyes open or close, and then you're going to bring your right hand down onto your lower belly. So your thumb, like, just below your belly button. Yeah, and your pinky fingers really low down on your pubic bone. And then you're going to bring your left hand up onto your chest. And then we're just going to start with a couple really soft breaths in through the nose. So breathe in through your nostrils. And then a ha sound through the mouth. Oh, you can add some vibration to that if you want.

Let's do that one more time. Take a deep inhale, breathe in. And then a big exhale, just breathe out. Nice. Now you're going to try to isolate your belly breath only. So while your right hand is, you're going to breathe into that space for a count of three. So inhale into your belly for one. Push your belly into your hand, two.

Take one more deep breath in three, pause whole. and then exhale release that breathe out three breathe out two breathe that one so try not to move your chest or shoulders think of blowing up a balloon in your lower belly inhale into your lower belly one there it is two sniff in three little pause hold notice your thoughts and then come back to the breath breathe out for three breathe out for two breathe out for one and then one more time just go for it sniff in vigorously one breathe in two there it is three pause hold notice the thoughts come back to the breath breathe out for three breathe out for two breathe out for one pull your belly button into your lower back hold that tight and now

breathe into your chest so breathe into those front ribs for one sniff in vigorously two now all the way up to the top of your head sniff in one more time hold there there is stay exhale breathe out for three breathe out two breathe out one let's go full circumference now so So front rib cage, one, breathe there. Side ribs right under your armpits, too. And then right between your shoulder blades. Find that back body. Yes, hold there, stay.

Notice the thoughts. Come back to the breath. Breathe out for three. Breathe out for two. Breathe out for one. And now just a natural breath, we reset. Take a deep inhale, breathe in. Let everything go, breathe out.

Nice. Now we're going to combine belly with chest. So starting with that belly breath. Inhale through the nose for one. sniff in vigorously two sniff in three keep breathing in four sniff in chest five think all the way up through to the top of your head hold stay stay in that breath hold stay calm notice the thoughts come back to the breath out five let everything go four relax your jaw three soften your ribs two and now start to contract pull your belly button into your lower back stay empty hold and now we switch

it chest breath first move your left end with your breath sniff in one fill your ribs extend to breathe in three lower belly four sniff in five pump your stomach six hold stay notice the thoughts come back to the breath breathe out five breathe out four breathe out three two squeeze everything out one stay in that breath hold and then take one deep recovered breath deep in Inhale, breathe in. Big exhale, breathe out. Breathe in in and tension for our next however many minutes together.

Breathe that in, breathe in, positive. Exhale, let everything else go breathe out. And then one more inhale just to stay present, stay in your body, breathe in. And then let everything else go, breathe out. Hello, namaste. Namaste. The word I had was positive, so we're already on the same wavelength.

So welcome. I feel different energy for the start of the Zach Clark show with our guest, Jana Webb. Yes. Who, Janet, just tell people, before we go into this, because I'm lined up with questions, a little bit about what you're doing now and yoga and just lay it out there so we know what you're a purpose and passion and what you're doing in the world.

All right. Well, currently I'm in Las Vegas with you. Really excited to be here. My work right now is with the Detroit Pistons. I work in the NBA as a movement and injury prevention specialists through the modality that I created, which is yoga. You know, overnight success took only about 20 years to get here, you know, to say that story. So, yeah, really making a mark in sport is what I'm trying to do. athletes to perform with their best and keep them on the court keep them healthy and that's my

passion right now I'm raising a 17 year old boy right now who's going to college so that's obviously a lot of effort and where a lot of my love goes and other than that that's it trying to take care of myself in between all that so my work my son myself and then uh here today with you guys all there just took care of me that was an amazing breathwork session thank you the episode we practice honesty around here you're a Canadian You're from Canada. I love the Canadians in my life, and they love hockey. Hoops or hockey?

Ooh. I have to be honest, it's always going to be hockey first. Yeah? It has to be, yeah. I mean, my son plays hockey. My brothers, I grew up watching hockey. I grew up in the rink. The rink is like my family's church.

We, like, we get together at the hockey rink, still, to this day. Like, every day before Christmas or boxing day or the day after. we still get together as a family, and we play hockey. Every single cousin family member has a nice rink in their backyard. This is what we do, yeah. Yeah, my friend Blake is from Hamilton, Toronto. Yeah, and he's, I met him actually through TV, through The Bachelorette, but I still, I'll be talking to him at 9 o'clock, and he's on his way to the rink.

Yeah. To go play with the boys, you know, for two hours, it's like, it's definitely, it's a way of life. Yeah, yeah. No, and I mean, I love it because, well, my son plays it as, well. I actually worked in hockey. I worked in the NHL for five or six years. And I just like the hockey culture. It's, you know, really small town. It's very Canadian. There's just something about the sport and the physicality of it. And I love basketball and I love football. But to do all of that on skates is like just a different level of expertise, right? Did you see that the tweet

meme that was going around talking about the All-Star game comparing it to the hockey exhibition? Well, I didn't, but I kind of heard, yeah, heard about it. The quote was like, I'd die for this game, you know, the hockey player said that, you know, and then everyone's sort of lamb blasting the NBA, the players don't care, the All-Star Weekend is garbage, and they were just noticing the difference in culture saying, why don't these dudes care? These hockey guys who, you know, don't have anywhere the degree of fame are out there, like, you know, literally fighting within the first 10 seconds. Yeah, and you know what?

I will say that is it is I've had to adapt to. training basketball players over hockey players. Like hockey players, they just come to work, you know, and they're always, they're like workers. The league, the NBA, we all know it. It's a very, you know, the players run the show. Yeah. Yeah.

It's like I have to trick them to work with me. I think there's change happening, though. We're going to get into all that. Like I do. I think that more and more athletes, professionals, high, achievers are recognizing the importance of the work that you do right and we don't have to grab a pill for every feeling thought thing that we have there's other god-given natural remedies to get through a stressful moment or an anxious moment right you just did for me at the beginning of this yeah and that's

kind of where all this started from my brothers played hockey and I saw my brothers go through this you know level of stress in fact one of my brothers played in the w hl at the time and And a coach told him to go out on the ice and hurt a hockey player so that that hockey player could never play hockey again. And, of course, he didn't do it. I mean, my brother was a grinder. Like, he's in the corner hitting guys, tough player. But he didn't do it. And that coach ended up benching him.

It kind of ruined his entire career. And then after that, he got insomnia. He went through a year of, like, not sleeping. And so I kind of watched, like, the mental destruction that happens in sport. And now that I've been in it for 20 years, you know, I really. try to see that obviously the human and every player that I work with. And it stemmed from watching what my brothers went through that trauma and now giving these athletes, really just treating them like humans. There's so much expectation from them. And they really just

need these tools to stay true to themselves and not always having to be at that level of like, you know, productivity all of the time. Yeah. No, you mentioned the word trauma. And it's it's hard to not acknowledge the energy that you carry. When I walked into the room, I just felt this positivity, this smile, this brightness, this light. Like, it truly, like I felt it. And there's several humans in my orbit that kind of carry that aura, but it hasn't always been like that. And I am someone, so you're a business owner, you're an entrepreneur, you've joked, you know,

the 20-year overnight success. And I relate to that because, look, at 27 years old, I, I had a needle in my arm, you know, and I was, you know, to live or to die was really the question. And I took that experience and got cleaned up and have built a whole life from it, have built a career from it, have really, like, leaned into my purpose and passion. And for you, there was this car accident, right? I mean, that's really this moment in your life. Can you talk a little bit about that, what that did to form who you are today and let the listeners in on that experience?

Yeah. And it's interesting because it was eight years ago, and I couldn't talk about it for about four years. And yeah, it's just, I think what happened in that accident, there was so much pain associated, like physical pain. And I'll never forget that pain. I got hit by, you know, a cement truck head on. And so it took a while to have the courage just even talk. Because you know how trauma works. It's like even if you think about it, it kind of relives in your body. And so I had to get over some huge steps just to first be. able to talk about it. But now I'm in a better place because I've done a lot of healing to be able to have a conversation about it. And, you know, Janelle and I were just on the phone and we were having a meeting. Shout out Janelle in the room with us. What's up?

Janelle's always, I always say hi to her in all my podcast. That's good. You're safe person. We all need safe people. Yes. But, you know, she's been a part of my story the whole time. And today we're just talking about, you know, a book that we're working on. And like, what is the essence of the book. And, you know, I said to in the meeting today, I was like, well, I have to talk about how this program, this thing that I created saved my life. And because of the core stability and because I was strong going into this accident is 1,000% why I'm walking today and by the grace of God. But two, the mental durability and everything that I had to do post-accident to get through to the other side is where all the work happened, like the breath,

work, the meditation, because I couldn't move my body how I used to. And so, for those of you who obviously don't know me listening on the show, the accident was 2016. I was down in Dominican working in baseball at the time. With high performance, working with athletes. Yeah, working with athletes. I was, you know, working with the Blue Jays at the time, and a lot of them live in the Dominican. And so I was invited to work down there with their club team, done my contract on the way

to the airport. So between Santa Domingo and Punta Cana is one of the most dangerous highways in the world. know that. And, you know, we're just 10 o'clock in the morning going to the airport and a drunk driver in a cement truck pulled out right in front of us and we like teaboned him head on. And, you know, it was kind of interesting. And this part of the story, I always have to tell because it always goes back to my son. That trip, I took a picture and it's still on my Instagram. And he was only nine at the time. And he was, William. William? William. Okay. My middle name. William. I love that. Oh, is it? He likes to be called Will. I took a picture of him sleeping,

and he looked like a little cherub on the pillow, and I said, buy angel. And when the accident happened, and I thought I was going to die, I just, I closed my eyes, and I saw his little cherub face, and I was like, please God, just take care of Will. And I thought I was going to die. And then I, and then what happened, the car accident happened, I felt all this pain. in my body. There's obviously a few moments I don't remember, but then I remember taking a breath. And I was like, and I was like, okay, I'm here, I'm alive. And so it's interesting because the breath, you know, everything that I do now, it all kind of circles back to that moment, even though in that moment you don't know what anything is about. There's that trauma that happened

in that one singular moment. It's like I remember everything, but I don't remember anything. Were you aware of your breath prior to this accident? Like, was that something you were practicing? Yeah, for sure, because I created yoga almost like 20 years ago, and the accident was only eight years ago, but not to, it's changed. Do you know what I mean? Like I had, I created yoga because I thought there was something missing in the world of high performance and, you know, reinvented it. But this accident is where all the work kind of came into place.

And I have another story to tell about that afterwards, but short of long is it's been eight years, you know, I couldn't, you know, I couldn't move like yeah it was all the things I broke my back in three places and then the longest injury was a brain injury so I had a brain injury for many years like I still deal with different things when I'm talking to you I'm really concentrating on getting my words out in the right water I had to do a lot of neuroplasticity thank you I had a brain tumor too so we have oh yeah oh my god so you like your brain's like jambolaia like I remember everything was mixed up like I didn't really know who anybody was I had name stories locations everything was just jambolaia but i thought i was like making perfect sense i remember when i was in the so i don't know if they had you do this but like when i was so i had the surgery i was 23 or 241 now yeah this is a long time ago but they don't really like doctors are hilarious because they're really good at what they do but they don't really explain much right right so i'm coming out of the surgery and i start to kind of learn like like you

start like one step up one step down and then they took me into this they're like we're going to do occupational therapy, and they had two pieces of bread, a stick of butter, and a piece of cheese, and they're like, can you make a grill of cheese? And I remember being so scared. Yeah. So I was like, what? How do I, I don't know how to do this? Yeah. Yeah. And then they're like having me play memory, and I would like flip over the rock and then try to remember where the, and it's really humbling. Yeah. It's funny that you see that because I had two experiences when I was working with the guy who did all my neurology, he would be like, hey, you have to like step on this little step up thing with one foot, lift one foot up, and then follow my thumb

because he was kind of trying to retrain my brain. And I remember just being overwhelmed, started vomiting. Like it was just, I couldn't even, like the simplest task that he was asking me to do, it was overwhelming. And then to your point, then I had to do all the things where you, cognitive stuff where they bring you out a piece of paper and you had to like put things in the right order. And like, I remember looking at it and just crying. I was like, I can't, because pictures of probably like apples and oranges and bananas and you had to like put them in some you know what I mean something so simple yeah and it was yeah it was it was overwhelming um what was your prognosis at the time so so because I it was concussion it was full on concussion but I didn't hit my head which which I've learned now neck flexed especially in women because the nape of our neck so there's more room for the neck to flex and so basically I had a severe concussion and then later I had an MRI and they found like a a laceration in my brain and so then that injury took long because think of like a laceration in your kidney or something it takes

forever to heal and so I couldn't do anything where I could hit my head for years like six years yeah and then finally I mean I don't think it's 100 percent but I think I'm I'm where I'm at I don't know you seem 100 percent to me if not more like you feel like you're operating on it at a pretty high level but did you and this is too personal that's fine but obviously this is a traumatic experience and did you do a lot of work like clinically around the trauma did you have to engage with a therapist is that part of your story or did you really utilize some of the tools that you already knew a little bit of both I mean at first I just got frustrated because I felt like the people that I was working with weren't getting what I was wrong with me I was

like, I'm puking all of the time. Like, nobody understood how the brain injury, like, because I looked fine. If my face was all cut up and I was losing, I lost a limb, I would have probably had a different response, but people are just like, you're fine. I was like, I'm not fine. Like, something is really wrong with me because I knew I wasn't myself. And my personality change, I was so angry. I had, like, no fuse, like everything hurt, like, light, sound.

And it was like I was in this vortex that I couldn't feel my body. I don't know. And I couldn't explain that to anybody and because I looked fine. So I just got frustrated, I think. Well, there's almost like are people believing me. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

They're like, you're fine. I'm like, I'm not fine. Something's really wrong with me. Like, I can't function. Does anyone say like, hey, do you want to talk to a therapist or mental health specialist? Yeah, they prescribe like mental help. But then they started talking about my childhood.

And I was like, this is nothing to do with my childhood. I was hit by cement truck. Like, there's something wrong with my brain. And then finally, I met this Dr. Dan Damien, and he is the one that, like, saved me. And he works actually in the NHL. He works with hockey players who get hit. He's a concussion specialist. And so I met him, and he changed my whole world.

I worked with him for three years, and we did a ton of neuroplasticity work. He's the one that reprogrammed my whole brain. And he's the one that when I puked, because he was moving his thumb too fast, understood exactly why. And so he, he saved me, 1,000. I mean, I saved myself, but, whatever he was doing. Was that? No, like brain spotting almost.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He knew exactly from where my eyes were tracking, where, like, where I was blocked, and he could, like, reprogram it. It was pretty amazing, actually. But I think the thing where we geled was he understood my work, and so he's like, you know the breathing, like, and that's where the meditation. And what I'm going to do tomorrow, actually, I'm doing a sound meditation with the group tomorrow because there's a lot of healing qualities with sound therapy and he was the one you're

chanting is kind of the best thing you can do because it involves your enteric nervous system which is connecting your gut you're to your brain right and so he's like when you chant like ohm it starts in your belly you feel it and it goes up to your third eye and so I started to kind of do the chakra meditation that I learned like 20 over 20 years ago in Japan and started using that as a healing modality yeah so you so i saw i did i read that you you learned you studied yoga in japan yeah i mean what how did you get there oh jesus that's a that's a whole different show yeah well no you know it's interesting i always two things happened i got married that back then um okay so there's that and then i always had this fascination with japanese culture and

I had just graduated from school. And at that time, I was working in television, actually. I used to host TV shows. Like, I worked in, like, on TV for years. I went to school for film and dancing and all of that. And then got a job right away and was doing that. And then I remember this is an important, I was in, I think, Jamaica or something. And I had this Russian co-host.

And we were, like, getting ready or something. And she's doing all the beauty things. I'm, like, throwing my hair. You know, and the producers are like, okay, Olga, we've got you. you know, for the sunset bikini, you know, shot, Jana, you're doing sky-da. Like, I was always like, you know, our roles became pretty clear really quickly. You were jumping out of planes. You were the forest.

And I remember doing the show and I looked at myself in the mirror. I was like, is this it? Like, I didn't feel any gratification. Yeah. You all have those moments. Like, is this all life is? Yeah. And people would be like, are you kidding me?

You're traveling around the world. You're on TV. Like, you've got your dream job. And I was like, but do I? And so I ended up not doing the show. I got married. And I said to my husband at the time, time, let's move to Japan and go teach English as a second language. So, I mean, kudos to my

ex-husband. He was like, okay. You know, I'll give him that. Like, we did move over there. We had a great experience. And while we were over there, I had just got introduced to yoga while I was in school. And, um, what year was this? Oh, my gosh. So, this is going to be hard for my brain, but let's think, 20, 28 years ago. 28 years ago. Okay. Oh, my God. how did we get here how do we get here i asked myself like me and my buddies my best friends in life are my high school friends yeah and like so i'm 41 and so like yeah it was 23 years ago i was in high school i'm like i have had those moments recently and you know what i like i like growing

up holy no wait wait 24 years ago was in the 90s was in the 90s early she's 25 35 45 25 20 20 25 we'll round up but i'm just i'm asking because like you were You were, but like yoga's become such a fad. I feel like everyone, and like back then, it was like you're really ahead of the curve. Yeah. Okay, so what happened? So I went to Japan. My body was craving yoga.

So I looked up English-speaking yoga class. And of course, we're living in Chiba Prefecture, which is like an hour train ride. I'm overwhelmed by the trains, everything. But I find it in the English-speaking community. What's it called? X-Pact community or whatever. And so I get on a train, crying, getting on the, it's so confusing. and then I get on the wrong train.

If you get on the wrong train in Japan, like, you're hooped because, like, you'll end up in, like, you know, Kyoto or something. So I finally get there, and this lovely, this woman named Carolyn, she opens the door, and she's like, hello there. And I was like, you speak English. And, like, I started crying because, like, the adventure of getting there was just so profound, and I came to do this class. And she's like, oh, it's been canceled.

And I was like, no. I was like, but I came from here to do this to do. and she's like, she explained why, and she's like, we're doing a certification. And I was like, what kind of certification? And she explained the Easter yoga piece, which is what I'm certified in. And I, and she's, and I was like, like, now? And she's, like, starting today. And I was like, yeah.

And I signed up on the spot. I spent like $10,000. That's awesome. And I just signed out. And I came home and my husband's like, what did you do? Like, we're here to make money and, like, save her house. And I'm like, oh, well, I just signed up for a $10,000 yoga certification that I'm going to be doing every single day while we're here.

Wow. I love that. I mean, like, I'm like a sucker for the cheesy, like, Instagram quotes or like whatever. Like, they'll get me every once in a while. And I read one the other day. I was basically just like kind of like that. Like the person who is willing to like stop talking and like take the action

and be consistent with it is the person that you got to watch out for it. Like they're the person that's going to go out and do big things. And that's what you did in that moment, which I love that. Yeah, just pivoted. And then there I am. And then when I started literally, like day one, they give you information, and it's all in Sanskrit. Plus, you have a translator, Japanese English.

I was literally able to take the information, spit it out, get a body, teach it. And I was like, oh, my God, this is, this is flowing. Like, I felt like in that moment, this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. I didn't know what it was going to be, but I just knew that I needed to be doing that. I needed to be working with people. You know, my sister always said, like, I was a healer. She's like, when I, like, I used to, like, give her massages and, you know, you know, just my energy was always like a healing energy.

And then I was in that moment, I was like, this is what I got to do. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. No, please. Were you always like sort of like a free, was that, was that of character? So it'll be like, I'm signing up and I'm like completely going 180 here?

Or were you always like that growing up in terms of just like a free spirited, like I'm just going where I need to go? It's a really interesting question. And I think about this more as I get older. It's, I, I, my parents always said that we, they could give us. things, roots and wings. And so I'm rooted in a culture of farming. I grew up in a very small town and it was like you don't get to go play ringette, do any of your sports until the chores are done. So you're up doing chores. Hold on. What is ringette? What is ringette? What is ring at? So hockey, without a blade, it's just a stick in a ring. So same kind of rules,

but you have to pass between the blue lines. So we don't have offside. You just have to pass the bring around. It's just a stub? It's like a long stick. It looks like a hockey stick without the blade you have like a step and you pass you have to get the stick and the hole and take the ring and pass it like you wouldn't hockey yeah is there like a national ringette yeah oh wow all right in Canada there was this in the Olympics yeah good quiet I have no I guess it's not that popular okay I mean curling what is ringette that's so funny all right 20 25 goal Jay we're gonna go play ringette you know no we'll do it we're gonna hit jana up and next time he's in New York we're gonna play ringette

I'm down. I thought I could do that. Okay, sorry to interrupt you. Roots and wings, roots and wings. Roots and wings. So rooted in that culture of, like, family and working and hard work. And I didn't know Sunday, Monday. Like in our world, in my dad's world, farming, you work till the work's done.

And so I think that's where I get the entrepreneurial spirit from is from my dad, because it was just he was working for himself all of the time and working hard. And I didn't know anything other than that. And then when it came time to leave the house at 17, you know, I had all these different opportunities to go to college. I was like, I don't know what I want to do. I'm 17. And my mom's like, you can go do whatever you want to do. I was like, oh, that's what a concept, but you can do whatever you want to do. That's great parenting. Right? It was really good parenting. They gave me so many, like, all the morals and values and like that, that deep, go do what you want to do. Go do it, but go

do what you want to do. I don't think we hear that enough as humans. Right. And just like figure it out. And like, did I get to where I am now, probably through a lot more hardships and, you know what I I mean, a lot of hard experiences and ups and down, for sure. But, like, I wouldn't trade any of it in. I had to make just decisions along the way that I felt were intuitive. So am I free-spirited for sure? I'm not afraid to pivot like that and just follow, like, my heart and follow what makes me feel good.

And I think we lose that, you know, even working in the MBA for the last, you know, couple years. And Janelle always reminds me, she's like, this continue to be you, like, continue to, you know, remind yourself of your purpose, what you're doing. doing because it's still corporate then you know what I mean you still it's still corporate and and I don't really do well in those environments necessarily because I feel like I'm being held in a cage rather than doing what it is that I'm supposed to be doing sometimes does that make sense absolutely no I mean like I it's crazy how much I'm relating

to you and I feel like you know so much of our stories are rooted in you know recovery right like getting this like idea of like getting sober and then when you get sober it's like there's this pressure from the world to be a certain way and be this like polished human and there's been periods in my sobriety where just like you just talked about where I've lost my confidence or lost myself and it's just it's all right here you just feel it and then I start acting out on that like I'll get moody or I'll like push people away and then it's all right time to get back into the work and that's that's the tough part yeah it always is yeah can I can we break down my breathwork session at the beginning yeah what do you feel what did you

feel right after that so I felt a sense of peace and calm for sure I was embarrassed at first because I know the benefits of the breath I've gone on the retreats I've practiced yoga but my first thought was I don't know the last time I paid attention to my breath Oh, interesting. Which to me tells me I'm running way too hard. Yeah. And running way too fast. And then the second thought I had was, I'm going to do this wrong.

I'm going to do this wrong. And then I called you up. Like, I'm going to breathe wrong, which is like, I'm going to. And then so, like, you're like telling me, like, stop my gal. And like, and I'm just, and I'm like thinking like, all right, but like, all I really have to do is just like, breathe. Do it. Yeah, yeah.

But it sounds so easy, but it's actually really complicated. and it's really difficult for people to do. Yeah, it really is. And, yeah, how do you? I was an actor in a former life. So I spent a lot of time, like, doing breath work, yoga, and realizing that, and I forget a teacher I had, you know, basically it was like 99% of people walk around breathing wrong. Right.

Because they're breathing here and, like, not here, you know, and like, this is where your power is, especially as an actor to be in the moment, the flow, all that. So I was keenly aware of that and it changed my life, especially because I was an athlete. Think about how you're running, exerting, you're holding your breath. And I'm sure that's a huge part of what you do with, you know, the athletes you work with. After that, what you took us through, the thing that I really, I felt a sense of I don't need to do anything. Like just could flow. And also, and I'm still incredibly aware of my back against my chair.

And it's like, it's just a reminder of like we go through life. not really feeling and experiencing the world that is right around us, you know, if like when you say feel your feet on the ground, I mean, like, my feet are always on the ground. Am I aware of that? Right. No. Right. You know, I'm just running.

So, I mean, that's why I wanted to do that selfishly because I knew that we would feel grounded. Yeah. You know. Yeah. So where do you start? What's that with the practice? Like I'm someone that's had a practice over the years, but has lost, clearly lost that.

right and i also i spent a good deal of time working in behavioral health care which we're here you're speaking at our conference tomorrow which we're so grateful for and the thought there is we're bringing in experts from outside of our field to come infuse our people with with the tools that you offer yeah and part of the reason you're here is like we as society i believe are always reaching for something like we're reaching for the pill or the drink or the piece of cake or we're in Vegas like the bet or the for me it's running like that's my like high yeah like physically running yeah not mentally yeah no I'm a runner like I'm like there's mornings that I can't do my day until I run yeah which I know is like yeah but it's meditative though so

there's lots of things around that so I think for the listeners like we do try and and that's my other thing is there's a lot of people out there talking about mental health behavior health care just like health in general and so I want to give the people something like what Would you, where do you start with someone? Well, even just what we just did, that belly chest breathing. And it's interesting because you were in your chest and I was like move it down into your belly, which is really common for most people because they are chest breathers. But just to give you some of the science behind it, because I think it's important to understand that part of it.

So when you chest breathe, like if you think of somebody who's having an asthma attack or an anxiety attack, guess where their breath is? It's in their chest, right? So the breath is really shortened. And so what happens is when you're inhaling, right, the space around your heart is really close. closed off. And so your heart rate has to speed up to pump blood to, you know, into this closed, closed soft space. Whereas when you belly breathe, right, your diaphragm, which sits, you know, above your stomach and below your ribs, when you belly breathe, basically you create

all this space in your lungs, right? So all of a sudden, there's more room for the blood to move so the heart rate slows down. And so just even like for people who have asthma or who have anxiety or you know you can just take a belly breath and completely offset that sympathetic nervous response what happens when your chest breathing because if you think about it chest breathing panting all of that are signs of sympathetic nervous system mayhem which is where you blood flow constrictions pupils small it's fight or flight right and most of us in our day to day are living in fight or flight for example you guys were both just started in your chest breath because you're at a conference you've had no sleep you haven't eaten right you're in that state right now and so so is the rest of

the world. And, you know, a big, a big piece of what I try to educate is just that, that simple tool of just, one, acknowledging that your breath is available at any time. And two, just by taking one belly breath, you can completely offset that stress response, right? And the other piece of science behind that is when you belly breathe, you activate what's called the Vegas nerve. Have you heard of this obviously before in your work? Just from going to like the, there's this place called the bathhouse in New York City. Yes, I went there the last time I I was there. I love it there. Yeah. And they do, what is it?

The breath seat. Off gosh, off goose. Yeah. In the ceremony. In the sauna. Yeah. I did it. Yeah.

Cool. Yeah. And I love. And they're like acting like, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like everyone's getting all primal in there. Yeah. But I mean, it's, but it's science. And so the vagal nerve moves through your spine and connects to the right side of your brain.

And the right side of your brain is what elicits the relaxation response. And so there's all this science around just taking belly breaths, longer exhales and inhales for the reasons that I just talked about. about, and that activates the right side of your brain, whereas your chest breath, which we still need, activates the left side of your brain. So think of your belly as your parasympathetic nervous system and your chest as your sympathetic nervous system. In sport, for the work that I do, the athletes need both, right? They need to be in that, you know, that fighter flight mode to want to go get the ball and, like, be motivated to do it, but they also, it's like common clarity at the same time, right? The second piece about breathing, which is really cool, which I always start with, is it indicates lots of pain.

in the body. So if somebody's restricted in their breath, if I've got them on their back, and they literally don't have to do anything but lie there, it shows different dysfunction in the spine. And then that gives me a starting place of where to work into programming, right? If somebody can't take a belly breath, is it because their lower back is sore? Are they holding tension there? Is it pain in the lower back? If they can't breathe into their upper shoulders or the back, is it something to do with their shoulders mechanics? So it gives so much information about where people are holding pain. It gives so much information about where they're at in their mind. And it's all kind of, I say like a lot of my programming is spinach and the

chocolate cake. It's like, I'm just getting them to breathe, but I'm getting so much information, but I'm not talking anything about psychology or me, like, you know what I mean, coming in and saying, I know you're stressed, I know you have pain. It's just annoying because the breath is giving me so much information. Yeah, so I mean, the breathing, I mean, we could talk about breathwork all day long, but it is, it's a really powerful tool. And I always say it's functional, like for my athletes that are about to take a free throw. Any player that I train you will watch them go up to the free free throw line they take their breath the ha mechanic which i'll explain tomorrow in the workshop which is really cool and they take their free throw because it

already that brings them into that place of common clarity right in traffic for a normal human what do you do when you're getting cut off or you know you're walking down the street and everyone's pacing you know new york you guys live there like these are functional tools that people need in their tool about just to have for themselves to find some you know what feels like control control control of yourself yeah i'm about to and i'm holding it you know and i can control it for a second do you i mean i'm like having a little bit of a spiritual experience right now well that's why i want to do it i mean i just like i don't like i'm like i don't know how to say it but i'm feeling like this is one of those conversations that and like no bullshit not like i'm a pretty straightforward guy

but like just like this tool is right here for everyone and it's just to breathe it's just to breathe. And like I will, I will, I know enough to like if I'm in a moment, like, but I'll do like a big like nose. Like yeah. But even that sometimes feels like it's like hitting right in my chest. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's making me almost like more anxious. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And exactly. And that's exactly what you don't want. Oh, God. So like when you, when someone comes to you, you know, an athlete in the NBA and they come to you and they're like, all right, I'm going to, you know, so and so told me, like, what is the process and like what do you hope to see change by the end? You know,

know, like, I mean, can you give an example of even someone that you've seen the progress? I mean, I know there was, Kevin Looney was. Yeah, I mean, let's talk about that story because it is just a hallmark for the program and what we've created. And he's, I mean, his whole life has changed because of it, right? And so with somebody like him, you know, we got, we got information, you know, that he was coming out of a surgery and just wasn't going to play the same. And so, you know, we were kind of, I think, one of the last options, like he had been to the Mayo Clinic. done all these different things and they're like, hey, you, we've heard about her work. I was working with Brooklyn Nets at the time and through different relationships.

They're like, you need to see Jana. And so I started to work with him. Was Ben Simmons on the Nets when you were working there? No, but he is now. Yeah. Okay. Anyway, I was going to go somewhere. No, no.

Sorry. You're not going to get that answer in this conversation. I've only worked with him one time. So, you know, the work with him at first was physical with Kavana. But, you know, it's become all of it, you know. But the first thing with athletes, unfortunately, unfortunately, is I need to get a kinesthetic response first because athletes are tangible learners. They're kinesthetic.

If they don't feel something that makes them feel like an athlete, as much as the breathing is good, as much as the meditation is good, we can't get there on day one. And so if I see an athlete for the first time, I show them something biomechanically, physically in their body that they've never felt before. So I teach them different, like different neuro mechanic, biomechanic features about their body to feel. their core in a different way, to feel their foot in a different way, to feel their body in a different way. So they're like, how in 27 years have I never been taught this before? And so that's kind of my gift, that very first session. And I know if I can get a kinesthetic response and they feel their body in a different way, I'll get them the second day in which then I start to weave in the

breathwork and the meditation. And over time, they get the whole program, but it takes a long time. It takes a year or two to get there. Yeah, it takes a long time. It's a slow burn. And I preface it by that. I said the work that we're going to do here is hard. It's tough because it's forcing you to stay in your body. When they go on treatments that are on their table, they're on their phone. You know what I mean? They're so disconnected from themselves. And so a lot of it is taxing on their nervous system. Even if the session is 20 minutes and I'm getting them to feel their foot, lift their pelvic floor, breathe, think about this, see this. It's like they're they're like, this is so much, but I have to do that. I always talk about high beta thinkers. Most high functioning

people are high beta. And so I have to, to get that athlete to buy into what I'm doing, I need to have a high beta program, which means I am queuing all of the time so that if you work with me, you can't be thinking about lunch. You can't be thinking about Instagram. You have to be in your body. And I'm putting you in these positions that are challenging for balance and challenging for your musculoskeletal system so that you have to be in your body else. You're going to fall over, right? And so the whole program is designed to keep people in their bodies, whether it's a physical cue or you're thinking about your breath or your eyes are looking somewhere and then that's where the magic happens because then all of a sudden these athletes build this sense of

awareness they get to be in their body and this is what gives them that edge this is it takes these you know these athletes are they're amazing like I'm working with such a small percentage of the population and making them better and Janelle and I talk about it all the time we're like if we can do this with professional sports and the best athletes in the world what can we do for the normal person it's kind of profound right like we could change so many lives with this program it's really exciting. Have you done any work in substance abuse or mental health or behavioral health care? Is that something that you've tapped into or you've been asked to tap into? You know, no, I will say when I was going through my own rehab, like, and I was, you know,

working through my own stuff through different conversations. I did some stuff for a CAMH up in Toronto. Like I did a lot of the events and did a lot of breathwork and meditation. And then over the pandemic. I did a lot of stuff on Zoom, you know, in that space. And a lot of it just even though it wasn't, you know, anything related specifically to your field, but just for mental health in general, for everybody's mental health. But specifically, I'll say no to that. But I understand the value. I mean, isn't this mental health? I mean, it is mental health. It's changing, you know, behavior and mood. I mean, like, I don't see how it's not. Yeah. It's all the same. But, you know, if you asked me the question, have you ever, you know what I mean?

Yeah, no, I think it's an interesting thing for me because I feel like we're always, like how do you enhance a program, how do you enhance an experience, how do you really bring value to your patient, to your client, to whoever it is that you're working for with. And I'm always like looking for the latest and greatest. And, you know, like I would say for me, the breathwork probably came onto my radar like probably five or six years ago. Like I was like it felt like very like social media was like all over it and people were and now there's a lot of the cold plunge and sauna stuff going on,

which is like, you know, I get it. But this feel. I think it's all, I think anything that people do to be better is great. Like I'm never going to, you know what I mean? Like if I love it for myself. Actually, when I was doing my own rehab, the cold therapy for me was the thing that made my brain feel the best,

to be honest and the breath work. So I love it for myself. I love it for other people. I mean, it's healthy. It can't be bad. People feel. better when they're doing it it puts people you know in a different framework so um and do you know robbie we talked about the other ship and yeah yeah in new york and that whole story so if it gives

people you know something else to do i think it's amazing yeah so somewhat like so do you have people teaching probably like so joga right is how you say it yeah same as yoga with a jay yeah came from yoga for jocks not my name just to be clear oh really yeah yeah yeah yeah the story of how the name was created is actually really cool tell it yeah okay so i was working in the see if you guys know what the cfell is yeah of course okay so canadian football league oh yeah you're a seahawks fan so um yeah so that's kind of was my first kick at the can in pro sports and i was working consecutively um or consistently with the quarterback and you know he was like you have to call this something like he he had the best year of his career he played probably an extra seven years he says because of the

program that we did and he's like it's not plot he's it's not stretching it's not yoga and he was like what about yoga and i was like what and he's like yoga for jocks and i was like okay let's do it so he went to the locker room next day he's like hey guys like we're doing we're doing yoga and it just kind of stopped like again reactionary like i didn't have this plan to create this and so that's where it all started and then that's he so around do you still talk to this guy oh yeah he we see works in NFL now and he's always just like keep killing it and Yeah, he's a huge part of this story. Yeah.

See, that's one of those things. You went with it. I just went with it. The name came and you just now you built a whole thing. Yeah, and then I started to teach it and then I tried to get out of it because there was no money in it. I was like schlepping around my child. I had a baby somewhere in there. I was schlepping around Will and a little car seat where I'm going to the football field with my son.

Like I'm breastfeeding. I'm like my boobs are leaking. I'm like, I have to like do this and then feed my kid in the car. Like this is real. This is really what happened. And I was making like $35 a class, and it took me like an hour to get there, taught for an, like it was like a, you know what I mean? And I was like, this is not what I thought it was going to be.

And so I kept trying to get out of it. And so I eventually tried to get back into TV or I did get back into TV. And Shauna, who was my publicist at the time, she's like, you need to teach. She's like, this is what your gift. She did my class in Calgary back in the day. And she's like, this is your gift. You need to do this. She's like, I'll get you on TV.

And so I ended up getting back on TV doing what I'm doing, which is kind of the irony of all of it. Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah. But is this when you went on real housewives of Toronto? Oh, I knew you're doing that out. I was like, I'm going to bring it. His question, not mine. I have like reality television. I don't ever go to the reality television thing because I did the reality television. Well, we can talk about that. Trauma bonding. Yeah, there's some trauma bonding. I don't know how you go about that. You know, I did it, you know, I remember the producers calling me about that show, and I was watching my son play baseball.

And I was so busy. I'm a single mom. I'm trying to build this thing. I'm running around in sports. Like, and I literally, is like, I do not have time to even take this call. And they kept calling. And I was like, okay, I will take one interview. So we do one interview.

Raptors are in playoffs. I'm like looking at my clock the whole time. We're on a Zoom or whatever it was back there, some sort of web conferencing. And they're all in Vancouver. And there's like 10 of them and me. And I'm, like, dressed, like, ready to go train players. And they're like, what's your favorite handbag? And I was, like, I was sponsored by Under Armour at the time.

So I was like, I don't know, like, Under Armour. Everything was about like, I didn't, they're like, what's your net worth? And I was like, net worth. I'm like, I'm an entrepreneur. I have no money. I'm like, I have nothing. What are you talking about? And so then I was like, and I got to go.

The wraps are in playoffs. And I just kind of closed my computer down. And then they kept calling. And the more that I said. said no, the more, you know, they were interested. Valuable life lessons. Yeah, right? Well, and then, you know, once I actually met the main producer and sat down with him and

kind of learned about what the show was and it was a Bravo contract, I was like, oh, this might be something really big. And this could be something that helps me propel my, you know, my brand. And so to be, I did it 1,000% for brand recognition. That's the only reason I did it. And I don't feel bad saying that because I'm honest. I told that to the producers. I said, if I can build my Joga brand while I'm doing this, I'm all in.

And that's what I did. It's very interesting. Yeah. Yeah. I just have one more question. I know we're going to wrap up soon. But, like, you know, you talked about how breath could change the world outside of. Like, what do you think?

Like, this is a broader question, and I don't need politics or anything like that, although we can talk about it if you want. No, I'm good not too. Like, how do you think breath on an individual growing into a larger thing could help people in a broader sense? Yeah, you know, I always say it can't be siloed. It needs to be partnered with everything else in our human system. And so that's really my work is to educate people on the entire human system. The breath, the respiratory system is only one piece of it, but it's kind of the foundation. Because once you breathe, then the blood moves through your body.

your body, then you optimize the circulatory system. Then you optimize from blood moving more efficiently through your body into your muscle fibers. Then you enhance your muscles, caledal system. Then by moving and breathing, you optimize your lymphatic system. And, you know, you have to go through all these steps. And so I talk about the human system more than I do one thing of it because it all really needs to work synergistically together to create efficacy and efficiency. Like I work in a space where sometimes I have five minutes to create a physiological result in body like for an athlete that's about to go on court and perform at a very high level and so for that to happen for that result to happen you have to understand the entire human body to create the

response that you're trying to get does that make sense and so the breath is one piece of it but it can't you can't just sit there and breathe your whole life like you we still have to live life like you so have to move and talk and work and you know so it's all about taking those tools and adapting them for real life and real time if that makes sense yeah so to answer your question it's more about educating the breath, but also all the other pieces of this amazing thing that we have. You know, our bodies, and this is really my messaging for tomorrow. It's about accountability, and it needs to be about accountability. I survived this car accident, and I was like, this is now my job is to go out and hold people

accountable. If you can move at free will, you have an accountability to yourself to take care of this thing that you have, right? to be strong mentally, physically, and emotionally, because shit is going to happen. And when shit happens, you need to be able to rely on yourself to move through it. And that's facts. That's life. Life isn't always good.

I'm excited for, I mean, there's a lot of, there's a lot of really well-known programs here. There's a lot of, like, treatment. I'm curious to see the response. I'm sure people are going to want to, like, contract you and bring you, because it's, it's, it's not, yeah, me too. Yeah. Well, yeah. No, like I'm serious because it's like, look, I love doctors.

I love psychologists. I love therapists. Those types of people save my life. But I am also a believer in like my favorite workout as a run because I have this weird thing in my mind. Like I don't need a gym or anything but a pair of shoes and an outfit to go physically exhaust my body. And so there's something very beautiful that's not like man made, right? about this breath work that I'm excited for a room full of people, like, looking for the latest and greatest and, like, whatever it is.

Oh, and I'm making them move tomorrow. I don't care if those chairs or not. Yeah, no, no, they're standing up. Yeah, yeah, we need to move. Because a lot of this is about, like, movement, right? Like, the breath has to move through your body. So for that to happen, you need to move your body. I guess, like, I'm a, like, when I go, like, I don't know, I go into this zone.

I'm a little bit bossy. Like, I don't know how it's going to showcase tomorrow, but we'll see. No, no, we need bossy it to a certain degree. It's rooted in love. Like, I don't think you could be bossy if you tried. No, and then I smile and make a joke, we're all good. So, I'm excited. Super inspiring story and definitely, like, selfishly helped me.

Amazing. And what now are you doing? I mean, what last thing? Like, what do you, like, what any plans? What's next for you? Yeah, you know, it's to continue my work in the NBA. and, you know, where I'm really trying to make a movement in the space. This is, you know, probably one of the first and only ever contracts for this type of work in the NBA,

and it's taken so long to get here, but I feel like the world of sport is ready for this type of work. I feel like the athletes are finally ready for this type of work. 20 years ago, I tried to sell the Detroit Lions on prevention and breathwork and meditation. They're like, you're crazy. Like, literally, you're crazy. Like, close the door in my face to now this space where I feel like the world of sport is ready for this work. So really, you know, and trying to be. honest, like open up other opportunities for women in sports. So to answer your question about my yoga curriculum, I certify different practitioners from around the world. You know, and sometimes

getting into the landscape of sport is very difficult. If you're a physical therapist or a strength and conditioning coach, there's so many people trying to do that. But with this space, this is all I've done for 20 years, is worked specifically in high performance with athletes. And so the program is the best that it's ever been. And really, we don't have competition because no one else has been doing it this long. And so if I can open other opportunities for other people who want to work in high performance, whatever that is, amazing, right? It's like sharing. It's like sharing the information. I have these coaches that are also changing lives. So the more that I can trickle down and teach people this and give other, you know, practitioners, people who have

influence on people. And I say this to my coaches and anybody who works in the space where you have people to motivate, inspire coach, you need to take your job very seriously. Because you are, responsible for the outcome right and so I tell my coaches all the time don't take one session with one person lightly you have an opportunity to change somebody's life every single time you coach them I love that yeah and we're excited to push you out into the world like selfishly I'm like already in my head thinking about all the people I want to connect you to you too but we'll do that offline and um thank you guys we're just we're grateful we're grateful you're here we're going to rock tomorrow you're going to crush it thank you guys so good thank you for coming