About Listening Yoga
Hi! My name is Jason Woehlke, owner and instructor of Listening Yoga. I started this yoga school because I feel a growing urgency to return to the fundamental faculty of listening to understand and improve relationships. It is my aim to help others feel the importance of developing this capacity as well.
Why listening? Listening is important because the quality of alert poise it returns us to is about staying attuned to ourselves and being open to others. In contemporary society, we are choked by self-importance and a lack of care for other human beings. In coming back to listening and strengthening it, we can grow more connected to the world around us and respond in new and increasingly responsible ways.
Yoga is a journey that finds those who are searching for something more. I created Listening Yoga to honor a call – to become sensitive enough to hear what our souls are saying, to become responsible human beings, and to improve our relationships with those around us. When we listen, we become very quiet, still, and even silent, so that we may learn about why we are here and alive just now.
Listening Yoga follows the lineage of Viniyoga from the teachings of T. K. V. Desikachar, and his father, Sri T. Krishnamacharya. Viniyoga is about discovering our own unique path to spiritual wholeness, health, and spirit. The lineage honors the traditional method of teaching – individual mentorship from teacher to student. In this way, the teacher has the space necessary to truly connect with the student, listen to them, and guide them in ways that are most suitable for them.
Viniyoga mentorship works with a few specific methods: āsana (physical postures and movements), prānāyāma (breathing techniques), dhyāna (meditation), Vedic chanting, svādhyāya (study of sacred scriptures), and dialogue. Yoga mentorship is about self-discovery and self-transformation by relinquishing the parts of ourselves that no longer serve us, so that we may step into our own dharma (roles/purposes) which we are alive to take part in.
Yoga translates to “to yoke.” Basically, this means to unify the separated parts of our being. Through a unique and personalized daily practice, the student is encouraged to develop a holistic embodiment of their being. When we are unified in our inner, spiritual lives, then we can live and act from an authentic place in ourselves, and this is reflected in how we feel about ourselves and our actions.
My own journey began in 2012 when I first started attending yoga classes. I was caught between strong emotions and deep wounds (which I continue to work through). I was coming to terms with a friend who had passed. I felt there was something more to life than the path that was presented to me – to get educated, find a job, marry, and raise a family (not that this path is wrong at all). I felt for a long time that there was a greater reason for my existence that I couldn’t understand, and I began to explore spiritual ideas.
I ended up switching majors in college a few times and graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Religious Studies in 2016 from SUNY New Paltz, where I helped lead the meditation club. I became a certified 200-hour yoga teacher in 2017 under Sandy Sooknanan of Dutchess Yoga.
I found my current Yoga Mentor, Dolphi Wertenbaker, a direct student of Sri Desikachar, early in 2018. I was then introduced to a new way of learning. Through mentorship, there opened up a journey of letting go, becoming more aware, deepening my attention, and developing a sensitivity to the vibrancy of life.
I began to listen more deeply to my body, emotions, and mind. Breathing became more subtle. Chanting practice was new and it began to reveal hidden crevices within my inner life. Trying to force my way inward during the initial stages of my journey transformed into letting go and relinquishing.
Now, I have completed my 300-hour teacher training course in 2025 under Chase Bossart, also a direct student of Sri Desikachar. I continue my personal mentorship with Dolphi W. as well as deepening studies further with Chase Bossart in his Advanced Viniyoga Applications program. I write on Substack about a variety of spiritual topics, with a large focus on yoga, and include some other types of writings as well. I travel around to give workshops focused on deepening the understanding and self-discovery and self-transformation of yoga practitioners.
Training/Education/Certifications:
-Level 1 Shambhala Buddhist Training, Sky Lake Lodge, 2016
-B.A. Philosophy and Religious Studies, SUNY New Paltz, 2016
-Sama Dancing Workshop (Sufi Whirling), with Rana Gorgani, 2017
-RYT 200-hour Teacher Training, Sandy Sooknanan at Dutchess Yoga, 2017
-Usui/Holy Fire Reiki First and Second Degree, with Pamela Friers, 2017
-RYT 300-hour Teacher Training, Deepen Your Yoga Program, Chase Bossart at Yoga Well Institute, 2026
-Advanced Viniyoga Applications 1: Practice and Relationships, Chase Bossart at Yoga Well Institute, In-Progress