Jean Grant-Sutton

Introduction

Jean Grant-Sutton’s work is rooted in a simple aim: to share the joy, clarity, and sense of well-being that yoga can bring to body, mind, and spirit. As a teenager, she discovered how valuable this ancient practice could be in meeting the pressure of balancing school and work. The depth of what she experienced led her on a year-long journey to India, where she studied at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and also traveled through India, Nepal, Thailand, and Bali while exploring the Eastern philosophies of yoga and Buddhism.

Professional Background

Before devoting her career fully to yoga, Jean worked for 15 years as a Certified Massage Therapist. Her background includes a wide range of bodywork modalities, including Shiatsu, Breema, Swedish, and Trager. As the Founder and Director of BodyWorks Integrative Yoga and Stress Management Center in Petaluma, California, she found great fulfillment in creating a studio devoted to yoga in its full expression, including the eight-fold path described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. In 2013, the studio was badly damaged by smoke from a nearby fire and was forced to close, marking a deeply painful moment for the Petaluma yoga community.

Education and Certifications

In 2005, Jean developed the first 200-hour Affiliate Integrative Yoga Teacher Program in Northern California. She is proud to have trained seven years of well-prepared teachers in the Integrative style. From 20013 to 2020, she served as Yoga Program Director at P.O.S.T. Wellness by Design in Petaluma, California, and she now returns to teaching independently through her own classes. Her credentials include 1000 hours with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), registration with Yoga Alliance, and certification as an Integrative Yoga 500-hour Advanced Professional Yoga Therapist. She has been teaching yoga since 1994.

Influences and Teaching Style

Jean’s classes reflect her extensive bodywork experience, offering a strong understanding of alignment, anatomy, and form. She credits her foundational teachers, Kate Pelly (Iyengar), Ian Rawlinson (Desikachar), and Joseph LePage (Integrative), and has also been shaped by the work of Erich Schiffman, Scott Blossom, Richard Miller, Anodea Judith, and Judith Lasater. More recently, she has been studying online with Dr. Ananda Baliyoga Bhavanani. Jean offers yoga classes, workshops, retreats, trainings, and private yoga therapy sessions.