Jessica Proctor (owner) started her career in the fitness industry in Boulder, CO. When she moved to CO in 2005 the beauty of the mountains inspired her to do things that she had never done before. After hiking a number of mountain passes, overcoming the challenge of running at high elevation and even climbing rocky peaks she realized that she would love to inspire people to explore life and to push themselves beyond their expectations.
After receiving a Associates of Occupational Studies in Personal Training from Heritage College in Denver, Co she went on to receive her personal training certificate from the American Council on Exercise and began working with clients from all walks of life. It wasn’t soon after that she was introduced to Core Power Yoga in Boulder Co. She fell in love with the practice of Power Yoga and decided to take the teacher training program to fine tune her own practice. While working through the program she found that teaching yoga came natural to her. She was able to combine her skills of anatomy, physiology and psychology to offer a strong structure to her yoga classes that would challenge students to push themselves and to encourage them to get stronger safely. After a year of teaching in Boulder, Jessica decided to move back to her home town of Brighton Mi. It was here that she realized that teaching was more than just a job; it was a life style and a passion. She had the pleasure of being a part of a growing community of yogis. As her personal practice began to develop so did her classes.
After teaching a full load of classes in Mi Jessica decided she was ready for the next chapter in her life. She has since married to Darrick Proctor, a firefighter for the Norfolk Fire Department. She moved to Virginia Beach and was looking for a studio where she could share her love of the practice. She realized the need for a space that offered freedom of exploration and creativity so she decided to open Torch Yoga Studio. She wanted to create a space where people could feel safe and grow. Her vision was to open people’s eyes to the practice of Power Yoga; to provide a space where people can feel free to move and breathe, to fall and get back up and to try new things whenever possible. She also saw the need to create a space where teachers could share their skills and feel free to challenge the students because she knows that without challenge there is no change.
Jessica started this business to build a community of like minded individuals. She greatly looks forward to sharing her knowledge of yoga with the students of Torch Yoga and she also looks forward to the adventure that will present itself as this community grows. “We will work hard, challenge ourselves, push ourselves to the limit and never give up. Don’t think, just do.