MILWAUKEE — Right in the middle of downtown Milwaukee sits Jessica Hope’s yoga studio. 

“I’ve been practicing yoga for 13 years and I’ve been teaching for seven,” said Hope.

Hope fell in love with yoga after she underwent a double cervical fusion. 

“I went through years of physical therapy, and I was at a point where therapy wasn’t working and someone suggested trying yoga,” said Hope. 

She said she instantly noticed results. 

“It restored hope for me, and I started feeling like I don’t have to live in pain all the time and there’s a different way to live,” said Hope.

She said she wanted to share the gift of yoga with others, so she became a yoga instructor.

“It helps you to be more flexible,” said Hope. “It can condition the body, strengthening. There’s a lot of physical benefits.”

There are also mental health benefits. 

“It helps to dissolve stress hormones and helps you get out of the fight-or-flight mode where we’re constantly bombarded with things and being stressed out,” said Hope. “It brings to your parasympathetic nervous system. The rest and digest state.” 

She said yoga is for everyone. Hope is the owner of MKE Yoga + Wellness, along with MKE Yoga Social, where she teaches pop-up classes around Milwaukee. 

“We’ve been in over 100 different locations,” said Hope. “It’s really cool. We see so many people coming that it’s their first yoga class ever. I always get really excited when that happens because it means somebody has given themselves permission to try something new.” 

From the moment Hope first tried yoga, she has been able to find healing for her pain and introduce it to others.