WELCOME TO JESS YOGA

About Us

At Jess Yoga, we strive for safe and unpretentious ways to bring the love of yoga straight from the mat into your every day life.

Vision & Values

Our goal is to collectively gain a better understanding of the union between mind, body and soul. This synergy brings a blanket of warmth and tranquility to one’s spirit so we can feel the peace we are all deserving of. Through gentle practice for all bodies and walks of life, yoga can transform even the most down trodden into peaceful and loving beings. Connecting and unifying with breath, movement and a quiet mind brings a serenity that must be experienced to truly embrace and understand such unification.  While practicing yoga with Jess and her team, we hope to help you find your feet on the path to apply your yogic wisdom in your daily journeys. 

  • We are all connected and should have a sense of belonging.

  • We all deserve to be at peace in our world. When the mind is calm, the spirit is allowed to experience itself and peace is at the center.

  • We all have potential to discover our best and true selves with clarity.

  • The love of one’s self and acceptance being the answer to all our problems.

Our Team

Jess Runge

Meet Jess Runge, owner at Jess Yoga. Originally hailing from the vibrant Chicagoland area, Jess embarked on her yoga journey in the 90s through the world of theater, finding an immediate connection to its calming embrace. As life inevitably grew more complex, Jess discovered solace in yoga's grounding and serenity.

In 2019, a poignant chapter unfolded when her father's dementia diagnosis became a catalyst for her deep dive into self-discovery and healing. The transformative power of yoga had already beckoned her, as she had enrolled in a 200 RYT teacher training. However, the passing of her father in 2022 propelled Jess towards a profound choice to embrace life's ebb and flow, forging a path of self-healing and forgiveness.

Her teacher training at Chesapeake Hot Yoga, under the guidance of Briana Ward, proved to be a sanctuary during this transformative period, reshaping her trajectory for the better. Jess's innate passion for teaching and her desire to uplift others found their perfect outlet on the yoga mat. Her classes are a testament to her commitment to the mind-body-soul connection, and she ardently believes that yoga is for everyone, irrespective of body size, background, or experience level. Jess offers modifications that create a safe and welcoming space for all, guiding her students to the sweet spot of joy that yoga brings.

Specializing in Vinyasa, Yin, and meditation, Jess infuses her classes with boundless encouragement, motivation, and a tranquil demeanor that fosters relaxation and focus. Her mission is to ensure that every participant leaves her class feeling not only more peaceful but also enveloped in the love we all deserve. For Jess, yoga is an ever-evolving journey within, not about mastering postures or achieving ultimate enlightenment, but about becoming a better version of oneself each day and relishing the beauty of life.

Jess calls Virginia Beach home, and as a devoted mother to four remarkable sons, she learns from them daily about the delicate balance of life, the depths of unconditional love, and the purest forms of joy.

Alex Clark

Affectionately known as Alex, Alexandria Clark is a soul rooted in the heart of Virginia Beach with deep southern Georgian origins. While her journey began with the hustle of competitive sports, Alex's transformative encounter with yoga came in 2005 during her college days. At first, this gentle practice seemed worlds apart from her previous athletic endeavors, but persistence led her to discover the profound benefits of yoga, bringing her inner peace, vitality, and contentment.

A pivotal moment arrived in 2006, as a car accident drew her closer to her mat and ignited her passion for teaching. In 2007, Alex earned her 200-hour Yoga Certification at Chesapeake Hot Yoga, laying the foundation for her remarkable journey. Since then, she has delved into diverse yoga styles, influenced by her gymnastics background, and earned accolades in 500-hour training in Tantra Yoga and Yoga Therapy.

Alex's classes mirror her own practice and personality. Her teachings prioritize proper alignment, the power of breath, and the transformation of thought patterns. In her classes, she inspires students to strike a harmonious balance between effort and ease, where challenge leads to victory. Yet, Alex's teachings extend beyond the physical; she encourages her students to embrace serenity and mental equilibrium, bridging the gap from thinking to feeling. You can anticipate a delightful blend of her signature sarcastic humor and deep respect for the practice in every class.

Karen Babcock

Karen believes teaching yoga means empowering her students, trainees, and clients. She strives to make sure each client leaves feeling successful, and each teacher she works with knows how to do the same. Weaving stress management and relaxation techniques into her classes empowers students to handle stressful situations off the mat with the same subtle methods. Karen strives to ensure that every individual she works with leaves with the tools they need to be successful.

Karen first found the physical practice of yoga in 2003 while transitioning from the stress of a corporate management job to homeschooling her young children. She became a calmer, self-loving, compassionate, and relaxed version of herself and is passionate about sharing that gift with others. Physically, yoga has helped her through auto-immune disease flair-ups, injuries, surgeries, and depression.

Karen has enjoyed teaching yoga since 2005 and training teachers around the globe since 2009. Karen has trained at multiple schools across the US and in two schools in India. Karen teaches and leads YTTs in Virginia Beach and is a frequent guest teacher at Parmarth Niketan Ashram.

Her mother's struggle for functional movement, Patanjali's yoga sutras, studies across multiple styles of yoga, and her residencies at Parmarth Niketan Ashram and many excellent teachers she's had along her path significantly influenced Karen's teaching style. Karen has practiced and taught yoga in clothing sizes ranging from 4-20 and through many injuries, which has fueled her passion for accommodating all bodies in class.

When Karen is not on her mat, you can find her traveling the world, spending time with her family, chocolate lab, and two cats in her Virginia Beach home, leading yoga retreats, at the gym, kayaking, spending time in the woods, camping, and with her ashram family in India.