Chopra Center Staff Spotlight

Jenny Lisa

What brought you to the Chopra Center?
After training as a massage therapist in Arizona, I knew I wanted to work in a setting that attracted people who were open and ready to receive the deep healing benefits of massage therapy ― the integration of body and mind that transpires through touch and the movement of energy. That has always been my ideal of bodywork.

When I came to California and began my job search, I found out about the Chopra Center and knew I had to be here. It was exactly the setting I was looking for. I sent three applications to the Center over a period of time but hadn’t had a response, so I decided to deliver my résumé in person.

The timing turned out to be perfect. I went to the Center and the busy spa manager happened to be available and interviewed me on the spot. I was called back for a second hands-on interview so that she could observe my massage therapy skills, and I was offered a position!

What do you love most about Ayurveda and massage therapy?
The understanding and healing that happens through the process. It is healing for both me and the guest I’m working with. I know that every person I work with is a mirror for me ― whether subtle or obvious ― and that each moment is an opportunity to deepen my self-understanding, which in turn sets them free to heal and know their true self.

It’s not something that gets verbalized during the treatment, but I can usually feel it happening . . . the eternal shift of energies. And even when I don’t have a direct experience of it, I trust that the experience and energy are unfolding exactly as they need to.

What is your favorite memory as a spa therapist?
I don’t really have just one favorite memory. In Ayurvedic treatments, each moment brings something completely new, which makes it such a beautiful profession.

What is your favorite quotation?
“The moment of peace is worth every war behind us,” from the song “You and Me of the 10,000 Wars” by the Indigo Girls