Jennifer

Jennifer Brilliant

You don’t have to be a yogi or in great shape to benefit from working with me… all you need is a body and a mind! The work I do is intended to help you become less stiff and awkward and more easeful and efficient in how you move through your life. I want you to feel magnificent.

I was an early adopter of yoga therapy, which is designed to be responsive to individual needs. As an experienced yoga teacher and therapist, I have the tools to help the many different clients who come to my door. (And if you can’t come to my door, we can do a remote session!)

I started my career as a professional dancer and became a master dance teacher. I was curious about all that the body could do, and my intensive study of dance, Pilates, and Alexander Technique put me in tune with myself and gave me confidence in a whole new way. When I took my first yoga class, I loved that it had a universal quality, and I saw that yoga could quite literally benefit every body.
Jennifer Brilliant with dogs
Since 1989, I’ve been teaching yoga and doing personal training in offices, homes, and yoga studios. From 2000-2005, I was the director of Teacher Training at OM Yoga in New York. I’ve worked with clients managing challenges including mobility issues, chronic illness or pain, anxiety, and recovery from surgery.

These days I offer yoga, yoga therapy, yoga focused core work and exercises to gently recover from an injury – virtually in my studio in the heart of Park Slope, Brooklyn. I also direct Beyond Brilliant, a selective team of yoga teachers who work with clients one-on-one and in the workplace.

I believe yoga and other body-mind practices are powerful for people of any body type, age, or ability, from beginners to those who are already steeped in their own practice. Reach out to me if you’d like to learn more about working together.

P.S. That really is my last name. I didn’t make it up.

Certifications

* Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), International Association of Yoga Therapists
February 2017
* Therapeutic Yoga Teacher, Integrative Yoga Therapy
September 2014
* Yoga for Cancer (y4c), OM yoga Women Cancer Survivors
May 2012
* E-RYT 500 & YACEP, Yoga Alliance
2002
* Gold Certified Medical Exercise Specialist, American Council on Exercise
2000

Learn More

  • Public, Private, Corporate and Group Classes
    Ongoing since 1998
  • Yoga Therapist
    1989–Present
    Private Yoga Therapy sessions and group classes

    Assist students privately using an eclectic combination of Pilates, Yoga, Traditional Exercise, Therapeutic Exercise, Alexander Technique, Meditation and Intensive Yoga Philosophy Study
  • MindfulNYU
    Jan, 2023 - Present
    Yoga Teacher
  • Presenter of Various Yoga Workshops
    2002–Present
    Topics include Yoga & Scoliosis; Solutions for Tight or Injured Hamstrings; Yoga Stress Relief; Yoga for Happy, Healthy Veins
  • Bryant Park Outdoor Summer Yoga
    2008 - 2012
  • Prospect Park Outdoor Summer Yoga
    2012 - 2015
  • Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus
    2006 – 2017
    Adjunct Professor, Dance Department teaching Yoga
  • Sacred Sounds Studio
    Jan – Mar 2020
    Teacher Tuesdays
  • Yoga Shanti NYC
    Jan – June 2015
  • Maha Padma Yoga Temple
    Oct, 2013

    Taught Yoga Therapeutics module in the studio’s teacher training program.
  • OM Teacher Training, Midtown Yoga, Memphis TN
    Sept 2000- Mar 2016
  • Long Island Yoga Association, Farmingdale, NY
    Sept 2000- Mar 2016
  • Jaya Yoga Workshop for Teachers, Brooklyn NY
    Jan 2001
  • Jewish Board Brooklyn Care Management Services
    Jan 2015–Mar 2020

    Yoga Therapist
    Monthly class with the Women’s Group for Serious Mental Illness using Yoga Therapy tools to soothe the women in this community as they meet life’s challenges including recovery from surgery, loss of a loved one, fatigue, anxiety and tension.
  • Yoga for Cancer
    Nov–Dec, 2015

    Jennifer Brilliant Yoga
    Teach ongoing class for Cancer Survivors using tools from Tari Prinster’s Y4C program

  • Outsmarting Osteoporosis with Threes Physiyoga
    November, 2023
  • Yoga for Healthy Bones with Dr. Baxter Bell
    March, 2023
  • Agony of “De-Feet”:Yoga for Cranky Feet with Leslie Howard
    February, 2023
  • Listening to Pain with Joseph Lavacca
    June, 2022
  • Bedside Yoga, End of Life Care with Molly Lannon Kenny
    January, 2021 – March, 2021
  • Trauma and Teaching Relationships with Theo Wildcroft
    June, 2020
  • Accessible Yoga Conference with Jivana Heyman
    October, 2019
  • Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training with Cyndi Lee
    April, 2019
  • Unconditional Yoga with Anneke Lucas
    October, 2018
  • Bodymind Ballwork with Ellen Saltonstall
    Level 2 November, 2016
    Level 1 July, 2004
  • Integrated Movement Therapy with Molly Lannon Kenny
    IMT for Teens, June ,2015
    IMT for Children, May, 2012
  • Anatomy Trains Modules
    Anatomy Trains for Movement Therapists with Simone Lindner, February, 2015
    Application of Myofacial Meridians to Movement with Tom Myers, March, 2008
  • Mudra in Asana and Pranayama with Ramanand Patel
    October, 2014
  • Integrative Yoga Therapy
    Module 2, August, 2014
    Module 1, March, 2014
  • Yoga and the Alexander Technique with Joan Arnold
    June, 2013
  • Yoga for Cancer with Tari Prinster
    May, 2012
  • Yoga and the Pelvic Floor with Jaki Nett
    January, 2006
  • Relax & Renew Restorative Training with Judith Lasater

  • Genny Kapuler
    Ongoing Yoga studies, NY, NY 1998 - Present
  • Tom Meyrs
    Fascial Dissection, Tempe, AZ, Febraury, 2017
  • Glenn Black
    Kriya Yoga Retreat, Les Granges, Switzerland, May, 2016
    Asana, Kriya, Therapeutic Bodywork & Meditation, Rhinebeck, NY, May, 2009
  • Yoga Studies Institute
    Bhagavad Gita NY, NY November, 2009–January, 2012
    Hatha Yoga Pradipika, NY, NY, February, 2006–November, 2008
    Yoga Sutras, NY, NY, February, 2004–August, 2005
  • Rodney Yee
    Teacher Training, NY, NY October, 2000 & 2002, November, 2003, August, 2005, September, 2019

* Publications

* My Yoga Therapist Resume

More good stuff

* Blog
* Raves
* Faves
* Press

I am 80 years old and have always been scared off of yoga by pictures of people in tangled positions. But I was in pretty bad shape and a friend suggested I should try yoga as a supplement to physical therapy. So with trepidation, I met Jennifer. Over a span of several years, she guided me through various yoga poses aimed at strengthening my legs and balance. Her instruction helped me move from a walker to canes to light weight walking sticks and…more yoga. Thus I gained mobility which enables me to move about well enough, travel, and continue working. As for Jennifer, my progress at point is largely due to her kindness and support.
–James R.