We were lucky to catch up with Jeanine Talento recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jeanine, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
Everything shifted for me when I started intuitively creating in accordance with my natural cycles and rhythms. What this means for me is not forcing myself to be creative when it’s not coming through or coming out naturally. This definitely wasn’t an overnight shift, and I also want to recognize that it is a privilege to have a certain level of flexibility in my work to be able to operate in this way. Since I primarily work for myself, the main requirement for me to make this happen was getting out of my own way. I had to learn to let go of rigidity and arbitrary rules that only created pressure for me and led to unnecessary stress. It was only once I did the difficult work of letting go of that conditioning that I could learn to trust myself and my organic flow and expression. I realized that my best work never came through when I was forcing myself to create. That’s not what creativity is. It can be a spiritual exchange if I can let what easefully moves through me come out in my work when it is ready. And when it’s not ready — I take a break, I move my body, I listen to or read something inspiring, I surround myself with supportive people, and I surrender to the process. Sometimes this means long luls of not feeling creative at all. Sometimes this means I am overflowing with ideas. There is a trust required in the creative process that allows the ebbs and flows to oscillate as they will, which is really just a greater metaphor for life.
Another huge component for me was cultivating the parameters of safety both within myself and in my environment so that I could stay embodied and regulated when I am working and creating. Having a sense of being anchored within myself and who I am allows me to make sure that my work is never coming from a place of projection, insecurity, or trying to prove anything to anyone. I think carving out time for the daily rituals and practices that bring me back to my center are non-negotiable if I want to have a successful, sustainable, and authentic creative career.
I believe that most creative endeavors stem from the perplexing desire to understand our existence. I am fascinated by the exploration of the paradoxical nature of human existence and the attempt to find balance between our seemingly insignificant place in the vastness of time and, simultaneously, our profound uniqueness. How I hold this paradox, try to find a balance amongst its incomprehensive nature, and how I make sense of my own life in my own way is what makes art and creativity so essential. When I feel a “creative block,” I often haven’t had the time to sit with some of these bigger philosophical questions that both inspire me and trouble me at the same time. Typically, if I’m sitting with myself and the mysterious, magical, and unanswerable questions of life – a spark emerges to create. It reminds me that nothing matters but yet everything matters at the same time. What we do with this one precious and weird existence is ultimately up to us, so why not take risks and try to do something worthwhile, meaningful, and fun while we are here?
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My professional journey as a Trauma/Nervous System Educator and Yoga Teacher Trainer was truly established first and foremost from seeking tools out of personal necessity. My early years of life were spent disembodied, disconnected, anxious, and depressed. What I now know were trauma responses at the time left me feeling desperate and hopeless. Fortunately, I found the tools of Yoga in my teenage years and slowly began to source a sense of stability, relief, and regulation in my nervous system for the first time in my life. The passion I have for the medicine and magic of Trauma-Informed work and somatic-based psycho-therapy techniques stems from the simple fact that they saved my life. I’ve been able to build an entire career sharing this work because it comes authentically from every cell in my body, the depths of my soul, and from my lived experiences integrating it into my life. When I decided to pursue teaching Yoga back in 2013, I knew that I wanted to bridge the worlds of Psychology, which is what I got my undergraduate degree in, and Yoga. I felt that my degree was severely lacking an understanding of how our mental and emotional health is impacted by movement/breath/embodiment, and I felt that my Yoga education early on was severely lacking an emphasis on creating space for individuals who may be experiencing mental health challenges, emotional distress, or spiritual disconnection. It excites me to my core that these worlds are colliding ten+ years later, and that there is this new wave of intersection between somatics, trauma awareness, nervous system education, and mental health activism with the rich, potent, and ancient practices of Yoga.
The trainings that I’ve created serve as a bridge between the modern, science-backed, evidence-based modalities for trauma recovery with the spiritual, subtle, energetic Yoga practices that have been around for thousands of years. They create a template for aspiring yoga teachers and space holders to feel equipped to cultivate welcoming environments for folks navigating a myriad of symptoms and conditions.
Our Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Trainings cover all of the foundational and fundamental topics of a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training but through a bio-psycho-social lens that requires critical thinking, personal reflection, and a broadening of one’s worldview. You can learn more here: https://schoolyogainstitute.com/trauma-informed-yoga-teacher-training/
Our Somatic Arts Facilitator Training incorporates and educates practitioners on numerous alternative techniques for body-based psycho-therapy. We focus on intuitive leadership and how to discern the right tool, the right support, and the right timing for your clients/groups. You can learn more here: https://embodiedhealingacademy.com/somatic-arts/
The spirit and stories of our lives reside in our bodies. Trauma-Informed work offers us the opportunity to harness our stories into embodied leadership and dedicated service work. The by-product of doing our own transformational work is that it ignites a fire within us to bring embodiment techniques and nervous-system informed practices into alternative spaces where a return to the body is needed most. Trauma-Informed care and education remind us that we can fearlessly swim into the depths of what it means to be a sensing, feeling, alive human being and that we can buoy each other back up through laughter, vulnerability, love, and connection.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe that all areas of our lives improve if we are brave enough to continuously look at ourselves honestly and be open to refinement. For me this is a commitment to therapy, journaling, and pursuing continuing education. I am also always striving to find balance in the delicate dance of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and also allowing myself to ground, nourish, and be at ease. Too much edginess and growth can lead to overwhelm, yet too much comfort and withholding can lead to complacency. Finding that balance is an on-going investigation.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Pause everything & Zoom out
Get outside and remember what matters to you most
‘RAIN’ Meditation by Tara Brach or “Tonglen” Meditation by Pema Chodron
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jeaninetalento.com
- Instagram: @jeaninetalento
- Other: https://schoolyogainstitute.com/trauma-informed-yoga-teacher-training/
https://embodiedhealingacademy.com/somatic-arts/
