2nd Annual Jacksonville Fashion Week Model Workshop!

Watching Yoanna mentor and work with the young people (as well as older professionals) at the Jacksonville Fashion Week Runway Model workshop last year made me think about what a great example she sets not just in terms of how to be a top model, but more on just “how to be.” From the moment you meet Yoanna, she is an inspiration. Her love of Pilates is strong. It peaked when she found it to be the only thing that she truly enjoyed and looked forward to doing while striving for a lean long frame.

She is strong, she is confidant about who she is, she is kind, she is the epitome of feminine, she is beautiful and she is real. She is beautiful from the inside out. For someone who has seen the not always so glamorous competitive modeling scene from the very top, it is obvious that her passion is to prepare young and upcoming potential models for the industry. And to tell them quite honestly what others may not. She does this in such a compassionate and playful way. While the world of professional modeling can foster self-absorption and vanity, Yoanna is on the contrary very grounded and sincere, which shines through in her presentation. She wears many hats as a mom, and a consummate professional, and she is a lot of fun to be around! Every time you see Yoanna you realize that she is living what she does and she absolutely loves it.

Yoanna realizes that maintaining a long-term career in modeling requires staying healthy by staying in good shape, maintaining a nutritious diet, getting enough rest, and managing stress. While Yoanna embodies the principles of Pilates and elegant movement, she is at the same time lighthearted and fresh. Pilates and Gyrotonic work your body and mind from the inside out. It is not just exercise, it is a lifestyle. It is living proper alignment and posture. It is learning how to breathe, learning how to move with efficiency and ease, and learning how to stand tall and proud in your own body. The exercises and movements (like Yoanna) are not superficial, they are deep from the core and soul. They embody moving effortlessly, with elegance and grace. It is functional strength, building long lean length in the body without bulk. Like what Yoanna embodies, Pilates builds confidence, and quiet strength. Yoanna simply cherishes her workout routine; it brings her pure joy. She uses Pilates and Gyrotonic to escape the hustle and bustle of life, and it doesn’t hurt that it helps give her the cinched waist she needs to stay “booked” as a professional model. It is a way of life for her.Along with her passion for quality movement and exercise, Yoanna learned early on that good reasonable nutrition is a must for energy and health as well as beauty. This means choosing lean protein, lots of fresh vegetables and complex carbohydrates, and limiting fast foods, high calorie drinks, simple sugars and carbohydrates such as bakery products and sweets. It also means eating enough for energy, but not too much through portion control and wise snack choices. What Yoanna presents and shares is unique: an honest wholesome clean approach to modeling, and how to enjoy a long and joyful career in the world of professional modeling.On February 9th, 2013 Body Balance Institute will team up with Lululemon Athletica and our wonderful Client and Colleague America’s Next Top Model winner Yoanna House for the 2nd annual Runway Model Workshop on February 9, 2013. In addition to teaching the do’s and don’ts of professional modeling, runway technique, skincare, diet advice, and ways to get discovered, Lululemon Athletica will lead a goal-setting segment, and Body Balance Institute will discuss healthy eating and exercise for sleek fasciae and healthy wellbeing. This workshop is for everyone and anyone 14 and older. There is no requirement to attend.