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
* Group Fitness Instructor, American Council on Exercise
1991

Learn More

Training

  • Integrated Movement Therapy, Teen Level 1
    June 2015
  • Integrated Movement Therapy, Children Level 1
    May 2012
  • Bodymind Ballwork
    March 2005, November 2016
  • Relax and Renew Trainer
    May 2005
  • Current CPR Certification
    February 2016

Yoga Teaching

  • Public, private, corporate and group classes
    Ongoing since 1998
  • Long Island University, Adjunct Professor, Dance Department
    September 2006 – 2017
  • YogaShantiNYC, NY
    Jan-June 2015
  • Jaya Yoga East, Brooklyn, NY
    May-July 2012, Special Teacher Training Workshops
  • Maha Padma Yoga Temple, NYC
    October-December 2012
  • OM Teacher Training, NYC
    1998-2005
  • OM Teacher Training, Midtown Yoga, Memphis, TN
    February 2002, March 2003, February 2004, March 2005, April 2006
  • Yoga Brilliance & Teacher Training, Midtown Yoga, Memphis, TN
    February 2002, March 2003, February 2004, March 2005, May 2008
  • Long Island Yoga Association, Farmingdale, NY
    September 2000, November 2002, September 2006, January 2009, January 2013, January 2014, January 2015, January 2016, March 2016
  • Cold Spring Harbor Lab Workshops, NY
    January 2002, October 2002, March 2003, February 2006
  • Yoga for Scoliosis Workshop, OM Yoga Center, NY
    September, 2002
  • Enhancing Your Home Practice, OM Yoga Center, NY
    October 2002
  • Solutions for Tight or Injured Hamstrings. OM Yoga Center
    October 2004, January 2006. JCC Manhattan October 2007
  • Jaya Yoga Workshop for Teachers, Brooklyn, NY
    January 2001
  • Inner Spirit Workshop, Northport, NY
    January 2001
  • Deepening Your Practice, Healing BodyWorks, NY
    June 1999, February 2000

Yoga Study

  • Genny Kapuler
    Ongoing
  • Shoulder Assessment, Corrective Exercise & Programming, Eric Cressey
    August 2017
  • Fascial Dissection, Tom Myers
    February 2017
  • Kriya Yoga Immersion, Glenn Black
    May 2016
  • Body, Voice, Consciousness, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
    May 2010
  • Advanced Yoga Immersion, Glenn Black
    May 2009
  • Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Geshe Michael Roach
    February 2006, March 2007, November 2007, November 2008
  • Yoga Sutras, Geshe Michael Roach
    February 2004, August 2004, February 2005, August 2005
  • Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, Judith Lasater
    May 2005
  • Contact Yoga, Nicole Ohme
    October 2004
  • Kinetic Awareness Affliate Training
    July 2004
  • Advanced Intensive, John Friend
    June 2004
  • NY Therapy Training, John Friend
    June 2004
  • Sensory Anatomy of the Knee, Genny Kapuler, NY
    April 2004
  • Sacroiliac Sprains and Lumbar Scoliosis, Ellen Saltonstall & Dr. Christine Benner, NY
    February 2004
  • Barbara Benaugh, OM Yoga Center
    December 2003, December 2004, December 2005
  • Yoga For Scoliosis (Teacher Training), Elise Miller, OM Yoga Center
    November 2003
  • Teacher Training, Rodney Yee, OM yoga center, NY
    November 2003
  • Supple Joints, Irene Dowd, NY
    September 2003
  • Ramanand Patel, OM Yoga Center
    September 2003, September 2005
  • Ramanand Patel, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA
    September 2003
  • Teacher Training, Rodney Yee
    October 2000, August 2005
  • Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden, Lighten Up Yoga, Asheville, NC
    July 2000
  • Ramanand Patel, Hampshire Yoga, Amherst, MA
    July 2000
  • Rodney Yee and Mary Paffard, California
    September 1999
  • Anusara Yoga Therapy, John Friend, NY
    April 1999
  • Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden, Isles Mujeres, Mexico
    March 1999
  • Rodney Yee, Hollyhock, Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada
    September 1998
  • Private Teacher Training, Cyndi Lee, NYC
    Spring 1998

* 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.