Meet Jaime Chousky
“Everybody needs yoga. Especially for us Jews because we’re so stressed!”
Take a deep breath. Inhale, and exhale. Release any tensions of the day and become fully present in the now.
These familiar words leave Jaime Paul’s mouth every day as she leads yoga sessions to classes of people who are looking for a moment of release.
Jaime found this for herself in yoga both in its practice and as a career, and she works to spread its messages to all of her students.
Before becoming a yoga teacher, Jaime worked in the service industry, and, although she was successful, she didn’t feel fulfilled. “I was managing a restaurant, making good money, and I enjoyed it. But I still had a weird feeling inside me that it wasn’t 100 percent right.”
Years earlier, Jaime was introduced to yoga in Israel. She suffered from sciatica following a snowboarding accident, and yoga helped her healing process. “I was obsessed with how I felt right away. I came home from my trip and decided that I was going to dedicate myself to maintaining my yoga practice. It changed me, made me a calmer, more patient person and increased my energy.”
Three years ago, Jaime became a certified yoga teacher and began teaching classes. “I took a leap of faith, quit my job and started training.” She has built up her teaching hours, and now teaches up to 25 hours of classes a week.
Last year, Jaime partnered with Beit Rayim Synagogue in the creation of Shabbat Yoga. She was excited to expose the many connections between yoga and Jewish thought. “While I was in teacher training, I was amazed at how so much of Judaism is actually related to yoga. They’re so connected.”
Every week, Jaime provides an alternative service for synagogue goers. After giving a summary of the weekly Torah portion, she brings a parallel connection to yoga. “Shabbat is all about rest, just like shavasana, where we lie flat on our backs to promote calmness and peace of mind.”
Jaime is dedicated to spreading the teachings of yoga to help people. “Yoga might not be for everybody but yoga is for every body.”
She inspires people to take shavasana off of the matt. “In this busy day age now with technology, it is so important to sit in a quiet space and take deep breaths. Taking moments of inner silence for yourself really develops you as a person. Everybody needs yoga. Especially for us Jews because we’re so stressed!”
Jaime Paul is a yoga teacher based in Thornhill. She works at YogaTree, teaching multiple classes throughout the week and believes that everyone should be exposed to the benefits of yoga practice.
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Jumans of Toronto is a window into the lives and passion of Jewish young adults making their mark in the world. A 50-part series, Jumans is inspired by Humans of New York. If you’d like to recommend someone awesome to be highlighted, please send an email to adina@thehousetoronto.com.
Written by: Adina Samuels