Master yoga teacher Sharon Feanny shares wellness tips for women
Published:Wednesday | August 27, 2025 | 12:06 AM
For more than three decades, Sharon Feanny has taught yoga, clean eating, and holistic practices to women in Jamaica and the diaspora. At 60 years old, she continues to share tools for movement, mindfulness, nourishment, and community. Her path has not been without challenges. Feanny has lived with an autoimmune condition for 25 years, faced anxiety and panic attacks, raised three children, gone through divorce, and reinvented her career more than once.
“Yoga has helped me ride the waves of life with equanimity,” she explained. “Not to get too enamoured when the waves are high, or too distressed when the waves are low.”
Now, she urges Jamaican women not to wait until their bodies break down or their spirits dim before beginning their healing. Drawing on both her personal experiences and professional training, she shares five practical tips for wellness.
LEARN TO QUIET YOUR MIND
“Turn down the volume of your mind and tune into the quietness of your heart, which is the place of truth and authenticity,” Feanny said.
Anxiety is increasing worldwide, and many Jamaican women experience its effects. Feanny knows this landscape intimately. She’s not just a yoga instructor – she’s also a meditation teacher, trained after experiencing severe anxiety and panic attacks herself. Her message is clear: stillness is strength.
Regular meditation can help lower stress, improve sleep, and support emotional balance.
“When we meditate, we stop identifying with our thoughts and reconnect with something deeper – our essence,” Feanny explained, adding, “That’s where the healing begins”.
MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE
“Moving your body releases stuck emotions and trauma,” she highlighted.
Feanny’s philosophy isn’t about gruelling workouts – it’s about intentional movement. “Movement isn’t just about looking good,” she said. “It’s how we process grief, release tension, and access our strength.”
Whether it’s 10 minutes of yoga, a long walk, or dancing barefoot in your kitchen, daily movement supports mood, releases endorphins, and helps you feel capable, awake, and alive. “When you move regularly, you shift your energy. You begin to feel capable, awake, and alive,” Feanny added.
EAT CLEAN, HIGH-VITALITY FOODS
“Being nutritionally fit means you treat your body like a temple of the divine. What you put in is so important,” she affirmed.
Feanny’s own health transformation began with a 40-day detox, cutting processed foods, sugar, caffeine, dairy, and wheat. The results were profound: digestive issues disappeared, mental fog lifted, and energy surged.
Her experience inspired Shakti Activation, a global detox and self-care programme, and her Amazon bestselling cookbook, Live Fit Kitchen, with over 100 plant-based recipes.
“Food is medicine,” she said simply. “And when we eat clean, we think more clearly, feel more energised, and show up more powerfully in our lives.”
FIND YOUR COMMUNITY
“Gather with a like-minded community and find people that raise your vibration,” she noted.
Sharon emphasises the power of sisterhood. Her retreats and programmes focus on connection, not competition. “Healing thrives in community,” she explained. “We need spaces where we can be vulnerable, heard, and supported.”
Being socially connected can support emotional well-being, resilience, and a greater sense of belonging.
LIVE FIT. LIVE LIFE. LIVE LOVE
“This is my mantra that embodies everything I stand for,” Feanny highlighted.
After the closure of her Shakti studio, she found herself questioning her identity. What emerged from that period was her now-signature mantra: ‘Live Fit. Live Life. Live Love’.
Live Fit, for her, means nurturing spiritual, physical, and nutritional health – it’s about energy, faith, and resilience, not body image; Live Life is about taking risks, following your passion, and cultivating courage rather than waiting for the “right time.”; Live Love encourages radical self-acceptance and compassion – for yourself, others, and the Earth.
“It’s more than a motto,” Sharon said. “It’s a philosophy. It’s a daily decision to show up for yourself with love and intention”. Feanny’s journey shows what’s possible when women claim their right to feel whole. Her life is not about perfection, but about practice.
“Ask yourself, what can I do today to put more drops in my health and longevity bucket? The goal is not just to survive, but to thrive,” Feanny advised.