Jennifer Butler offers monthly floating sound baths at the Coronado Community pool.

Jennifer Butler never thought she’d make a career out of yoga. But it’s a good thing she did, because yoga — as it turns out — may have saved her life.

Butler was just 46 years old when she sensed that something wasn’t right. As a yoga therapist with a decade of experience, she knew her body well. There was nothing terribly obvious with her, but she just felt off.

She made some adjustments to her diet, focused on getting better sleep, and eased up her work schedule. But she didn’t feel any better.

“I went to my doctor and said, ‘something’s not right.’ I was an advocate for myself,” she said. “I asked for specialists in gastroenterology, immunology, and allergies.”

She ended up getting a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. What she learned was a shock.

“I thought I was going to be celiac,” she said. “I never thought in a million years I would have a ten centimeter tumor in my colon, and that it would test positive for cancer.”

After all, Butler led a pretty healthy life. She had given up alcohol years ago, and focused on health and wellness in her business and her personal life.

“I mean, I haven’t drank in a decade,” said Butler. “I’m organic. I teach yoga for a living. I do all the right things, and I still ended up with cancer.”

And it was concerning to her that colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death globally, according to the World Health Organization. But since she caught it early, Butler got lucky. Two months later she had her surgery, removed the tumor and all of the tests on surrounding tissues and lymph nodes came back negative. She didn’t even need chemo.

On April 2 of this year, Butler was able to share that she was cancer-free.

Butler said she advocated for herself when something didn’t feel right and it led to the early detection of colon cancer. She is now cancer-free.

A calling to Yoga Therapy 

Now that Butler has a clean bill of health, she’s excited to do what she was meant to do: help others find a place of health and mindfulness. She says she’s been on this track for more than 10 years, ever since she made a big career change.

“I owned a marketing agency, and I saw a breakdown of corporate executives with the work-life balance,” she said. “So I went into thinking I wanted to be a health and life coach.”

Then she found yoga. She started a yoga practice during this transition and the flood gates opened. She ended up going to yoga therapy school at Loyola Marymount University, then  started working at a women’s eating disorder clinic.

What’s yoga therapy, exactly?

“Yoga therapy is like physical therapy and psychology got married and had a baby,” said Butler. “And you’re using the tools of yoga, like breath work, mindfulness meditation, and movement through poses and stretching. So you’re really just tapping into that yoga toolbox for empowerment and healing, and whatever you need in the moment.”

But when you ask her, Butler says she never thought she would make a career out of yoga.

“I didn’t choose this path, but I’m blessed with this path,” she said. “Yoga found me at a time in my life when I needed it the most. And now I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

Working with others to promote health and healing

These days, Butler spends some of her time working with clients individually in home visits to help them find the best version of themselves. This includes working with those recovering from injuries or surgeries, and patients with ALS. She also helps those with Parkinson’s, and others who suffer from chronic pain.

She also works with clients who are suffering from depression, anxiety or stress, or those who are battling addiction. And she has helped people making a big life-transitions, such as starting a new business.

“It’s this all-encompassing umbrella that I work under, and it’s just a matter of working with the person individually, whether I go to their home or to an office.”

Additionally, Butler organizes group classes on the beach, such as her “New Moon Sound Baths” which use meditative sound to help leave the mind, body and nervous system balanced and rejuvenated. The classes incorporate breath work and mind-body scans with the healing sounds of Koshi chimes, bells, and crystal singing bowls.

Butler offers new moon sound baths on the beach.

New to her repertoire is a “Floating Sound Bath” at the Coronado Community Pool, hosted by the City of Coronado. The floating sound baths, which will be offered once a month, allow guests to indulge in a relaxing sound bath from either a cozy floating air mattress in the water, or from a lounge chair beside the pool.

Guests get all the benefits of a sound bath with the added layer of being outside on the water. After all, sound travels four times faster over water than in the air, intensifying the already-meditative effects of the sound bath.

“The sound baths help with relaxation, decrease trauma, release anxiety, and help with stress and sleep disorders,” said Butler.

The first floating sound bath at the Coronado community pool on October 12 was a big success, according to Butler.Guests get pillows and eye masks and blankets and get to stay warm, cozy and dry. Butler also offers private sound baths to groups, which can be done at their own homes. To learn more about her sound baths and the floating sound baths at the community center, visit this link.

Seeking a future of mindfulness

Butler says she’s excited to increase her offerings and find a space in Coronado to offer more wellness treatments.

“I want to help people develop healthy habits that are sustainable to them,” she said. “And a space where other healers can come in and share their gifts with the community. And, in turn, giving them a community to lean on.”

One of the big areas she wants to target: stress.

“High stress creates inflammation, and inflammation can lead to disease,” she said. “Yoga balances the nervous system, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows the brain and body to calm down and get out of that high-stress state, reducing inflammation.”

And with cancer rates on the rise — especially for young people, and especially for women — it’s just one thing people can do to support wellness.

Butler maintains that her work in yoga and mindfulness led to her early cancer diagnosis, and also to her healing. She hopes to offer the power of wellness to other members in the community and will continue to advocate for early screenings and detection of cancers.

But most of all, she hopes people connect with their bodies and speak up when they feel something isn’t right.

“Yoga helps you build a better relationship and understanding of your body and your mind and your thoughts,” she said. “So when something’s off, you recognize it. And if you feel like this, speak up. Advocate for yourself.”