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Jared Holder Mccann has been teaching yoga for 15 years in New York City, and has been a classical pianist and musician for most of his life. During his first yoga class something really clicked for Jared, he had a strange familiarity with all of the postures. He was hooked. He practiced every day and was soon asked to teach by the studio manager before he had even done a training. In 2012, he won an international yoga competition called the Bishnu Gosh Cup. From there, Jared started to teach globally. In 2015 Jared opened a studio in New York called Lighthouse Yoga School. Since covid, we have taken all classes online which has been amazing! I still love teaching and have been consistent with my practice since I started in 2004.
Hello Jared! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions. Talk to me about your current feelings and emotions…
God, what day is it? But to answer the question, right now I feel good. I feel happy. I feel like a sexy piece of seaweed after just taking Rebecca’s Pilates class at Lighthouse. I feel at peace with myself and the universe and all life. I still get anxious, and angry, and jealous, and worried, and excited. But for now, I feel just right.
Tell me about your early life, and your journey to where you are at present…
I was the first born of 5 children, and the first grandchild in both sides of my family. I’m also a Leo, and a numerology #1. So, from a very early age I was running things and celebrated for it. I was always a happy child but also very opinionated and if I disagreed with someone I would often snap! At age 9 my parents got divorced which was earth shattering for me, and my mom married a man that I did not like. We moved to Hawaii from Texas, and although I loved Hawaii and my friends and this island, I no longer had the support and love from my parents that I did as a child. In high school I rebelled, I dated a drug dealer when I was 17 and I partied until 23. Partly because I wanted to and I am a lot of fun, but also partly because of my unprocessed anger from my parenting from age 11 onward. At 22 I finished school and moved to NYC. And at 24 I found yoga, stopped using drugs, and turned my life around. It sounds so simple to write that in one sentence but it really was the most challenging time of my entire life. I had to change all of my friends, I had to change all of my habits. It took me about 6 months. And it was yoga, meditation, and prayer that got me through. I am grateful for my sordid past because I have sympathy for where anyone is at. And I also know, that every second is a chance to turn it all around.
“And at 24 I found yoga, stopped using drugs,
and turned my life around.”
What have you found to be the biggest challenges, and learnings of 2020/2021?
One of the biggest challenges for me was shifting to an online business from a brick and mortar studio. This took a lot of time, money, and learning a new way to do what I do. Strangely I knew it was coming even before it happened. And was ready for it, (so I thought!) However, the first three months were strange, foreign, I didn’t know if people liked my teaching anymore, I didn’t know if I was getting my message across. A whole new array of doubts surfaced within my work. Similarly, to the insecurities that I had a brand-new teacher. I am so grateful for this though, because it’s kind of brought me back to square one. Start over. Who am I? What is important? Am I still doing this? At this point I am so used to teaching online and it has been a saving grace for me during covid. I have stayed connected to all of my students, and even met and connected to new ones. I will definitely continue the online work even after covid.
Tell me about your creative life outside of yoga…
I’m a musician. Rebecca shipped her piano to North Carolina where we were living and that was a game changer. I played Chopin and Rachmaninov every day, and wrote new songs. However now, in Hawaii, I don’t have a piano! So, I have no creative outlet at the moment other than swimming in the ocean and hiking. I put creativity into my yoga sequences and yoga playlists. And also, into my creating my meditation intensives which are my favorite part of the online teaching.
What has been a pivotal moment(s) in your life?
There have been so many pivotal moments. My parents’ divorce. My coming out at 17. My moving to New York city at 22. Winning the international yoga competition. Opening my first yoga studio. My first meditation retreat with my grandmother when I was 14. When I went to see Mary Jarvis, one of my teachers, for a week and she made me do 8 hours of yoga a day…I cried for 4 days straight, and then I literally had no more tears.
What’s your earliest memory?
I can remember a moment from when I was 3. I threw a toy at my mom and it hit her in the face and her nose bled. I can remember seeing her sitting there and being angry at me. I hate to admit that guilt is my first memory! Haha. But it is what it is….
Daily practice is #1 important!
Everything else is #2.
What can we expect from Jared McCann and Lighthouse Yoga School in 2021 and beyond?
Gosh I’m not sure honestly. I never had a 5-year plan. But we are almost finished with a new website that is new, shiny, and better. I want to start marketing the online classes to build up the membership. As of right now it’s really just been word of mouth. So basically, I’m going full steam ahead with the online stuff. We also have an amazing retreat planned for Machu Pichu end of May which I’m super excited about! And I look forward to start teaching live all over the world once things begin to return to normal.
Who’s your biggest influence, and why?
Honey, my grandmother. When I saw ghosts on my stairs as a child she actually listened to me, she heard me, she believed me. My parents never did that. Honey always sparked my spiritual curiosity. She took me to meditation retreats, she gave me books to read. And she inspired me by the person that she is. She never forced or told me what to do. She is very wise. And I always feel her close to me. Today she is 92 and as healthy as ever.
Honey always said that everyone is
exactly where they need to be
Lets’ talk about the importance of daily routines, when did you realize how important a daily practice is for you?
I really got into a daily practice when I got off drugs. And it hasn’t stopped since. Through my amazing yoga teachers, I have learned so many ways to connect to myself. And my biggest goal is to inspire that in my students. Daily practice is #1 important! Everything else is #2.
How can we help educate the world to slow down, pause and breathe?
I teach yoga and meditation almost every day. That is my part. That is how I do it. However, people will begin to seek peace and happiness when they are ready. And right now, most people are seeking something else. And that’s ok. Honey always said that everyone is exactly where they need to be! And I believe that. I’m not trying to educate the world to slow down, pause, and breathe. But for anyone looking to do that…I’m here.
Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha.
Repeat for 10 minutes a day!
For people who have never meditated before, what advice can you share to help people begin?
Don’t start with meditation. Start with mantra practice. If you start by sitting down and silencing your thoughts you’re just going to sit there and think about things the whole time. This is not meditation. Its mental masturbation. In yoga, meditation is the last step. We do yoga postures, breathing exercises, mantra practice all to get to the point where we can meditate. I think a simple Ganesha mantra is a great place to start. Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha. Repeat for 10 minutes a day!
Why is yoga and meditation so important….
There are so many answers to this question. Each of us has a part of our self that is eternal. That does change, that doesn’t age, that doesn’t die, that is never born. That is our real self. And that self is yearning for a deep and continuous connection to all that is. It is this connection that brings energy into our life. It is this connection that gives us the strength to love and to be our best. It is this connection that reminds us of what is important in this short time that we are alive. I believe that many people live a life of pleasure and pain, happy and sad, up and down. It’s exhausting. And no one really wants to live like that. Through yoga and meditation, we peel off the false layers of the ego and connect with our true desires. Through this connection we achieve clarity, happiness, and a deep sense of contentment within our life.
Favorite jacket? Give it away.
Money?…share it!
Can you share your thoughts surrounding becoming free from attachments…?
Do it! Favorite jacket? Give it away. Money?…share it! My grandmother Honey built her dream house in Boseman, Montana. The whole back of the house was just giant windows overlooking a lake and rolling hills and sky. That house was absolute magic. One day she called me and she said, “Jared, I think I’m attached to this house.” I said, well honey what are you going to do. And she said, “I’m going to sell it.” She put it on the market the next day. And the following day it sold! The man that bought it said, “this house is very special, and I want you to leave whenever you are ready.” She said thank you, but I’ve got to go. She moved into a smaller house in Colorado. And she never looked back.
Talk to me about ego…
Ego is just the thing that keeps me me, and it keeps you you. It’s not real. Yet in this plane we must strengthen and perfect our ego. It’s a sort of pedestal for us to rest our heart upon. Negative sense of ego is self-obsession, worry, lack, insecurity. But when the ego is aligned it gives a tremendous amount of energy and light! Ego protects you, makes you strong, connects us to our inner animal and our desires, and ultimately our kundalini energy (aka God’s love). We must connect to this energy of the lower chakras and transmute it upward and outward. A big part of a proper foundation is 1000% self-love and support. Supporting yourself no matter what. Whenever we think something negative about our self, it damages our ego, our energy, and our auric field. As yogis, the most important work is to train the mind and to police our thoughts so that they are aligned with truth. Initially we must master the body which is slow and tangible. It’s like a stepping stone to master the mind which is incredibly slippery and fast.
What does freedom mean to you?
Freedom is that feeling of my heart exploding with love because I’m doing what I love with people that I love. This is always my goal.
“A deeper connection to our physical body”
Tell me about a time where you’ve felt most enlightened…
I had a period of 3 months of total enlightenment. I was raw vegan. Living with my mom. In my late twenties. No yoga studio or big bills to pay. My only concern was my diet, my yoga practice, and my meditation. I was fully present to every moment all the time. I did not crave anything. And every moment was a delight. My mind had completely settled into reality. I had no questions, no concerns, no memories, no plans. I was just delighted with my own awareness of what is.
Why do you think yogis generally have greater sexual experiences?
There are many reasons for this. Firstly, is simply a deeper connection to our physical body. However, that is only a small piece of the puzzle. Secondly is the work that yoga does with the sacral chakra. lunges, baddhakonasana, straddle splits, uddiyana. As we free pent up energy at this chakra we release shame. Or maybe we just come to terms with it. And in that we can get over ourselves and our insecurities, and instead enjoy the person that we are with. But the most important reason is yogis have better sex is that we practice connection. Through connecting to ourselves we also better connect with others. Once we can get over our own shame and insecurities then we can truly connect to and love another person. Sex without love is just so empty, so mechanical, so sad. The joy of sex is union with another. Two become one, and love is the thing that makes the barrier of you and me disappear. Most people are too scared to fully merge with another. Too uptight to love fully and dive into that connection. I fall in love so easily. I can love almost anyone. And at my heart I am truly a lover! I like sex, but I love to connect. I love to fall in love with the mystery of another. For me there is nothing better or more exhilarating than this. But if you’re holding onto you, and your body, and your protection, and you’re this, and you’re that, then it will never happen. And something most wonderful will never be experienced!
How do you think technology can be used to help people slow down, and perhaps meditate?
Using it to connect to teachers that you want to learn from that teach yoga and mindfulness. Technology will do whatever you want it to. It mimics the natural movement of the mind.
At Hatchers, we encourage slow media, taking time away from scrolling. What advice can you offer people to switch off and tune in to themselves?
Join a group! If you really want to get somewhere with this work you can’t do it alone. You need support, a teacher, other people doing it with you to hold you accountable.
What rules do you live by?
I’m a rule breaker! But I do yoga every single day.
How do you get into your creative flow?
I stay happy. If I’m happy I’m feeling creative. If I’m too isolated then I get sad, then no creativity.
“I believe that losing is the new winning.
If I’m not making mistakes,
if I’m not failing, then
I feel that I’m
not learning.”
Talk to me about feeling ‘stuck’ – does this ever happen to you? How do you overcome it?
We are all stuck. Stuck between a rock and hard place. That is the card we all got dealt here on planet earth. However, if we wiggle, and keep wiggling, then you will perfectly fit, through the tiniest crack, and move on to the next chapter of your learning. For me, travel, movement, mediation, and connection with others is the best way to not feel stuck.
What’s your philosophy for life?
Hmmmm….I don’t really have one? Be free! Do what you want! Love unconditionally! Fight! Or surrender! 😉
What advice would you give to your younger self?
No drugs!!!!
In western society we’re so fixated on failure – tell me about your biggest learning (/failure!)
I don’t believe in failure. I believe that losing is the new winning. If I’m not making mistakes, if I’m not failing, then I feel that I’m not learning. I celebrate all of my failures, love them, and don’t repeat them.
There was this one yoga conference that I was at that I traumatized about 100 people because I wanted to teach them my vinyasa class the way I teach it in New York. It was too much too fast, too intense. I knew it but I felt a stubbornness and thought…I’m going to show them what I really do. There were like 7 people loving it, about 293 people hating it.
What do you want to be known for?
I have never thought about this. I think that I just want to inspire people to be their best. To inspire others to live life with clarity, honesty, and truth. If I can help do that for people then I did my job.
