Our Founder
Little Flower Yoga was founded in 2006, by JENNIFER COHEN HARPER, when her successful use of yoga in her kindergarten classroom led to requests by other students, teachers and administrators for yoga programs of their own. Jennifer slowly began to teach more and more yoga classes, until she found herself grateful and excited, but a little overwhelmed. She began to recruit other yoga teachers with education backgrounds to continue growing what had become a flourishing program, and Little Flower Yoga was born.
Jennifer is a native New Yorker and has always aspired to be an educator. Discovering yoga in early adulthood, Jennifer found that as her yoga practice grew more consistent she was imbued with a renewed sense of confidence, inner-strength and a desire to meet new challenges, whether in class or in life. Before founding Little Flower she spent eight years studying and practicing yoga, while continuing to develop her education career and working with children in a variety of settings including a domestic violence shelter, an after-school girls group, and an alternative therapy program for children with physical challenges. Inspired by her own experiences, she soon realized that she could couple her twin passions of education and yoga to impart a sense of wellbeing, self-esteem and continual joy in learning to children. She became certified through The Center for Yoga Studies at Sonic Yoga, as well as taking numerous children’s yoga courses and workshops, and immediately knew that she had found the work she would do forever.
Jennifer’s Masters Degree in Education and Youth Development, from New York University’s Gallatin School, culminated in a thesis on the use of yoga in education settings. She graduated from Boston University with a BA in Public Policy, focusing on education and healthcare. Jennifer has experience teaching students from Pre-School through High School. She has also spent many years working with children with physical as well as developmental and learning challenges, using both yoga and other types of alternative therapy methods to help them shine.
In 2009 Jennifer became a founding member of the Yoga Service Council, a non-profit organization designed to support individuals and organization to empower their communities through yoga and mindfulness practices. She is also a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapy and a registered Yoga Alliance Teacher.
Jennifer’s inner child lies just below the surface and affords her an instant connection with her students. Children love her boundless energy and willingness to indulge in mutual silliness, while also appreciating the genuine respect that she has for her students of all ages. They look forward to her ever present smile, gentle instruction and the laughter and love that come with it.
