Yoga, Life, and St. Kitts: A Conversation with YogaBae Jay

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
Imagine uprooting your life and relocating to a Caribbean paradise. That's exactly what Yoga Bay Jay did when she and her husband moved from the United States to St Kitts. Motivated by the desire for a simpler, more fulfilling lifestyle, Jay shares her experience of adapting to island life. From the initial culture shock of island sounds to finding joy in early morning music and breathtaking ocean views, Jay paints a vivid picture of this transformative journey.

But paradise isn't without its challenges. Jay pulls back the curtain on the less glamorous aspects of island living, emphasizing the ongoing responsibilities that follow you to even the most idyllic locations. From grocery shopping and bill paying to coping with the constant heat and humidity, she reveals the practical realities that often get overlooked. We also explore the emotional and financial adjustments required, including the occasional craving for fast food comforts like Taco Bell.

The episode offers a deep dive into the vibrant culture of St Kitts and Nevis, from local cricket games to community volunteering and environmental initiatives. Jay's passion for yoga shines through, as she discusses making the practice accessible and inclusive, especially for black and brown women. Wrapping up with a heartfelt conversation about home and love, Jay shares the adventurous spirit she and her husband embrace in their island life. This episode is an inspiring tale of resilience, adaptation, and the pursuit of fulfillment in a tropical paradise.

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Jennifer “Jay” Robinson was born in the United States, and is am a native New Yorker.  She and her husband, a native Kittitian, moved back to the island in 2023.

Jay is now a legal resident of St Kitts and Nevis. Since 1997, she has been working with special populations. Her career began by working with adults and children with developmental disabilities and has grown to work as an Independent Contractor for a wide variety of people. 

In 2020, when the Pandemic prevented her from traveling, she began teaching these courses online via YouTube and Zoom.  Although she had been practicing Yoga for many years, she went to school to become a Registered Yoga Teacher, and began working as an Independent Contractor with the Salvation Army Kroc Center and the YMCA as a Yoga Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. 

Jay is First Aid/CPR/AED Certified for Adults and Children. She met and married her Husband, recording artist Gorganus in 2022. After a 50 day courtship.  And then made the decision to move to St Kitts and Nevis in 2023.

Find YogaBaeJay Here: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Transcript

Bee Davis: 0:08

So just real quick, jay, if you want to go ahead and introduce yourself. What's your name? How do you go by? What's your pronouns?

YogaBae Jay: 0:16

All of that. Johnson, also known as Yoga Bay Jay, and my husband and I are what we call expats. We moved from the United States to the lovely Caribbean island of St Kitts and Nevis, so I cannot wait to share all that we learned with with you guys good, bad, otherwise in between, it's going to be a great day love it, love it, love it.

Bee Davis: 0:38

Okay, so let's just get going. What prompted your decision to move? I mean, personally, I am ready to get out of the States too, because tropical is amazing.

YogaBae Jay: 0:48

But Right, right, right. There are things that go into that, right. So I'm going to make this this really long story short, so good. My husband is originally from St Kitts and Nevis, so choosing this Island was almost a no brainer. But you know, we can get into that also. What really prompted us to move is that we needed, we desired. We don't need anything, we desire just a different way of life.

YogaBae Jay: 1:10

Around April of last year my husband had some illnesses, and I mean the kind of illnesses where you have to go to the hospital. He recovered In May. The very next month I had some illnesses, the illnesses where you got to go to the hospital. I recovered. And then towards the end of June, early July, his father got ill and I think that was kind of like the spark my husband said we have to start living our life. His father unfortunately passed away about two months after that, after we actually moved back, but it was then that just said we have to start living our life. We have life ahead of us. Let's do it somewhere where we can have some of the simplicity and some of the ease while we contribute. So it was kind of just that wanting a different way of life where we can truly enjoy life.

Bee Davis: 1:56

Totally get that, I get that. So is there any kind of culture shock or anything coming from the States all the way over?

YogaBae Jay: 2:02

Absolutely Everything is different. Everything is different from the time that I wake up in the morning and I'm waking up to really hearing roosters, crow and cows moo. I don't know if you've ever heard a cow moo in real life, but it sounds like a bullhorn. It sounds like you're on a boat and the boat is getting ready to take off. That's what a cow moo sounds like and those things wake you up. I'm telling you it's so true, and those things wake you up. I'm telling you it's so true. And those things wake you up before 30 am. So that's different. That's a whole different culture. Having to drive on the left side of the road whole different culture.

YogaBae Jay: 2:33

I'm born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, so that was different. The food, of course, is different. It's Caribbean food and that's different than American food. I think we've all had some exotic cuisine before, but on a regular basis not so much. The sound of the islands are different. Where we live up in a mountain, people play their Caribbean music and they play Sunday music early in the morning just to wake up the country. In a sense, I say the island has its own soundtrack. So all of it is different. Yeah, everything. Name it and it was different. That's awesome soundtrack, so all of it is different yeah, everything name it and it was different.

Bee Davis: 3:05

That's awesome. I think that would be like a dream come true to me to just be able to vibe off the island every morning. Is that, um, like?

YogaBae Jay: 3:12

Your favorite part of it is just the the complete, total difference yes, when I first got here, I will say that the roosters crowing at 4 30 got on my nerves. I didn't like it. So now I kind of appreciate it, because now I just get up about five o'clock and get my day started. You know being I've taken a lot of video and sent to my friends that being able to get up and they're playing like some of this soft music or even sometimes it's it's music to get you dancing, and I'm like this is great. We can like sit outside our house and and damn that is, that is really good.

Bee Davis: 3:47

It is one of my favorite parts. That's awesome. So a quick story. When we went to Puerto Rico, we stayed in an Airbnb that was kind of more remote, so to speak, and we had a rooster that, I swear to you, was sitting right outside of our window.

YogaBae Jay: 3:59

It probably was just for you.

Bee Davis: 4:04

He did not know that he was supposed to start crowing at 4:30, so we were there like one o'clock in the morning and I'm like, oh, it's not even daylight yet. What's going on with them?

YogaBae Jay: 4:11

That is so right. We have roosters that crow in the afternoon. They crow in the evening just whenever they feel like it, they just start crowing. Yeah, it's, it's no set reason that's so funny. They're the broken ones they are, they are, they are, they are.

Bee Davis: 4:24

That's funny. Every expat has those aha moments when they realize that they were definitely not in Kansas anymore. What was the experience? Was it just the roosters, or was there like an aha moment? You're like, oh man, this is completely different from home.

YogaBae Jay: 4:40

The view coming outside and looking over the mountains. I look over the Caribbean Sea, I look over the Atlantic Ocean when I come outside and I see the island of Nevis our sister island, is behind us. So I look over at a completely different country where I live. I would say almost the first couple of days, even till today, when I go outside, it's like I don't believe that we're here. We're definitely not in the United States. I'm looking at a whole nother country, on a different country that I live in every day that I wake up. It's one of those aha moments, yeah.

Bee Davis: 5:16

I love that. That's. That is just seriously my dream come true. Um, so tell me about grocery shopping and stuff. So I know like the States is getting more expensive. Is it crazy expensive there to eat?

YogaBae Jay: 5:27

So yes, it can be. So out here in St Kitts and Nevis we use the East Caribbean dollar. So one U S dollar is equal to $2 and 70 cents East Caribbean dollar. If you're here and you do have a U S income, you almost double, you almost triple your money. So in in that aspect you would say it's cheaper if you're using like US dollars.

YogaBae Jay: 5:50

However, for the people here that use the East Caribbean dollar most of us here things can be pricey. So I like the block of feta cheese, and the block of feta cheese in East Caribbean dollars is $22. So sticker shock is like what $22? In US dollars that's only eight. Still expensive, but it's only eight.

YogaBae Jay: 6:10

Some of the juices they're like $17. $17, you know, but again it turns out yeah, it sounds like a lot, but it turns out to be like six. So, yes, it can be more expensive, but one of the things that my husband and I do. So I've learned how to make my own juices so we don't have to buy juice anymore. We eat a lot of things from the garden lettuce, tomatoes, onions, things like that. We don't really have to buy those too much, but we also buy them at our local farmer's market or Saturday market. We don't have to buy them just in the grocery store. There are many, many, yeah, farmers and things like that here, so we're able to buy them just locally instead of at the grocery store. We save a lot that way.

Bee Davis: 6:52

That's awesome. That's what I tell my husband all the time is like my dream come true to have like just a small house on an island with a little garden. You know, maybe a couple of boots.

YogaBae Jay: 7:01

That's all you need. It's the good life.

Bee Davis: 7:03

Yeah, it sounds good. For sure, real quick. I did kind of want to touch back on the medical situation. I know that you said that you guys were having issues. Do you find it more difficult to find medical care on the island than what you did in the U S?

YogaBae Jay: 7:17

So the medical care is my husband and I have medical insurance through his job, so we are fully covered with medical insurance. If you're over age 62, you can get free medical insurance. So we're not there yet, but those are some of the benefits for living here. One of the benefits of living here on the island free medical care for seniors. So we haven't had much trouble with our medical care that we need.

YogaBae Jay: 7:40

There were two things that people said if you needed needed extensive heart or extensive brain, that would be something you would go and find, maybe off island, for just things that are more extensive. But day-to-day care dentistry, eye doctor, primary care doctor those things are easy to find here. And if you don't have insurance the prices, the cost is not as expensive. A doctor's visit can run about $50 East Caribbean dollars, which is less than $20 US. So there are things that are cheaper. Absolutely, it's very affordable. I had to go to the emergency room back in February. I hurt my knee. I'm teaching yoga, I hurt my knee and I had to go to the ER. So for the x-ray, the kind of the pain medication and the swelling and to get seen was maybe less than 150 East Caribbean dollars, which is about 55 US dollars, so definitely affordable health care if you need it here Absolutely.

Bee Davis: 8:37

If you were to have a heart or brain issue or something, would you try to go back to the States or I hear that there are islands closer that have the technology for the extensive work.

YogaBae Jay: 8:49

I'm not sure what islands those are that are closer Um, but I hear that there are islands that are closer um, being that I'm familiar with the States. Possibly I guess it would just really depend on how much the plane ticket cost or you know how critical it was. Could I get there or not? It would just be based on the situation at the time. But if there was a place that was closer, I would definitely trust another Island to take care of it.

Bee Davis: 9:12

Yeah, okay, cool. So I know like, for instance, we went to San Pedro in Belize and that's a small tiny Island off the you know mainland and they don't have a hospital on the Island at all, so oh, wow, okay, so that was something that we found out, that was kind of shocking.

YogaBae Jay: 9:28

Yeah, no hospital. Okay, that is shocking. So here in St Kitts and Nevis we have three hospitals. We have a main hospital and then we have one and, I think, another town or village called Molineux, and then there's another one in another village, I'm not exactly sure, but the main hospital it's a pretty nice hospital. Emergency rooms are emergency rooms, and that's the only time that I've ever had to really go. The one thing, though, about the hospitals here they have now gotten new equipment ultrasound machines, things like that so they do fund money into the hospital for a number of things. However, triage is done by pen and paper in the emergency room. They don't put your information into a computer. It's very old school. I was like you're not going to type anything in there, no, they're just writing it all down in their notes. So that was definitely different, but the care that I received was was was definitely different, but the care that I received was very good.

Bee Davis: 10:26

We, my husband and I the ultimate goal is to do basically what you have done and move to somewhere in the Caribbean we haven't really picked out where yet, but I don't know. I'm just so excited that you're doing this and you're living the dream and you actually went through with it. And that's just amazing to me because, you know, everybody dreams but nobody actually, you know, puts effort for it.

YogaBae Jay: 10:45

That is definitely a big thing. Thank you, thank you.

Bee Davis: 10:49

Okay, so let's see. Are there like any major challenges or misconceptions that people might have about moving? So, like I'm over here, like dream come true, is there anything that you would say? Maybe you should think about this first.

YogaBae Jay: 11:02

Everything, everything, say maybe you should think about this first. Everything, everything, every, let's just be everything like. Because I think that when people think about moving to a caribbean island, it gets romanticized nine times out of ten you're doing it while you're on vacation, so you are still having people make up your bed, you're still having to get the fruity drinks, you're still laying out on the beach every day, you're still looking at the sun. So I get it. I get it and I understand that's people's first taste of Caribbean life.

YogaBae Jay: 11:30

But when you move here, somebody still got to go to the grocery store. You still have to figure out how to pay your electric bill. You know you still have to put gas in the car. If you have children, you still got to take them to daycare. Like it's real life, it's. Yeah, people forget that part, even if you come here in a retirement age. You still got to put gas in the car. You still got to go to the, you know. So everything is different. I don't just get there late, I don't have butlers coming to my house kind of places. This, no, it's definitely worth it. Please come.

Bee Davis: 12:02

That's awesome. So talk about weather. Weather is probably amazing out there, huh.

YogaBae Jay: 12:09

Oh B, I'm not sure. Where are you stationed? Where are you? What's your primary location?

Bee Davis: 12:14

I'm from St Louis and we have what we consider the most bipolar weather that you could possibly imagine, because 6 am it's 30, and then at 8 am it's 70, and then we'll get rain and snow all in the same day.

YogaBae Jay: 12:27

Right, See, and because I'm from the States again. I was born in Brooklyn, I was raised in Queens, I lived in Georgia, I did a little stint over on the West Coast in Las Vegas. I'm used to temperature changes. I'm used to getting some winter. I'm used to the leaves falling off the trees falling off the trees not here.

YogaBae Jay: 12:48

This is just different degrees of hot. Some days it's hot and tolerable, Like today. There's a nice breeze, but still hot. You see what I'm wearing. And then other days it's like, no, I can't go outside today because I'd melt. So it's just different degrees of hot. It doesn't fit Now. At night and sometimes early in the morning, yes, there is a breeze and the islands do have really nice trade winds, really nice breezes. All the time the trees are blowing right now. But to someone who is from the States, sometimes it helps, but other times it's like, well, that's just still hot. It's different. It's a tropical heat. It is the kind of heat that you're going to want to go in and take a couple of showers throughout the day. It's not the heat where you yeah, it's humid, yes, yes, You're going to sweat. You're going to sweat without even having to do a whole lot. It's very humid, very hot all the time, Even in December. We go to the beach. We swim in December, January, February. We swim all year, like all year round.

Bee Davis: 13:43

One thing that my husband and I talk about all the time is like if we were to actually move to the beach, would we actually go to the beach, or would it be just one of those things where it's like, oh yeah, it's there no big deal anymore. Do you find yourself still going regularly?

YogaBae Jay: 13:56

Absolutely. We go to the beach. We would go to the beach right now If I didn't have to do this.

Bee Davis: 14:00

This is a perfect beach day, so hopefully we'll get you out of here and you can go. Somebody's got to put their sand in there.

YogaBae Jay: 14:09

Somebody's. Today, right now, the beach is always calling us again, being that we are here and we do work days or maybe a couple of weeks to go past where we haven't made it to the beach, but in the year that we've been here, oh no, we're, we're going. You know what? Let's? Let's make this a beach evening and you just go for a couple of hours.

Bee Davis: 14:34

So so far, we haven't gotten tired of going to the beach. No, I should have put money down on that one, cause that's what I've been saying this whole time. He's like, no, you would get tired of it after a while.

YogaBae Jay: 14:39

I think that when you come from a different place and you come, I think you're really like oh, we got to go all the time. I don't think the natives do it quite as much, gotcha. It's kind of like me being from New York. We didn't go to the Statue of Liberty because it was just there. Plus, it's expensive. But the beach is free, right, right, 40 years, one time Exactly. So I think that you know, sometimes you just get used to something being here, you don't utilize it as much, but no, the beach is amazing.

Bee Davis: 15:20

Love it, love it, love it.

YogaBae Jay: 15:21

So are there anything that or any kind of food or anything that you miss, like that you can't find down there or you can't replicate. I remember I wanted Taco Bell one day. I don't know why I wanted Taco Bell, I wanted Taco Bell. So I just went and made my own tacos and it was great because I like tacos. But I do remember wanting Taco Bell one day, Not too much Before we moved, I would say before we moved here.

YogaBae Jay: 15:38

We really had to change our mindset. We really had gotten out of the spending money frivolously. We had gotten out of just, you know, fast food or shopping and just to accumulate things. We had really gotten out of that mindset and we started just being happy with what we had, even in the States. And I do think you have to kind of transform your mind a little bit, because there are things that are just not accessible as easily here. So there wasn't much that I really wanted to have once I got here and everything that I do want it is here. It just may not be here in such an abundance, but it is here. But I definitely remember craving Taco Bell one day. I did want some Taco Bell.

Bee Davis: 16:24

That craving on the chip. Sometimes I did that.

YogaBae Jay: 16:25

some Taco Bell that craving on the chip sometimes. Yeah, it did. I did that one for sure.

Bee Davis: 16:27

What's like the local food down there? You said it was Caribbean food, but is there a local dish?

YogaBae Jay: 16:32

Saltfish Saltfish is the pronunciation of saltfish, how we say it. Saltfish is like a codfish. It has onions and peppers cut up in it and you kind of make it. You can eat it. You know, with eggs you can eat it in a sandwich. Just saltfish is kind of like, and dumplings as kind of like the the main thing that I would say here. But whatever Caribbean food that you've ever had is kind of what's here. And then they have other Caribbean islands that may have a restaurant here, like Trinidadian food is here, jamaican food is here, and then you have cartesian food, we have hispanic food we have, we have chinese food or asian food is here as well. So there's a good mix of foods, but the look, the main thing here is the caribbean food, the, the sawfish and dumpling fantastic if you're going to look for that down on vacation.

Bee Davis: 17:21

Where would be the best place to find it the best?

YogaBae Jay: 17:23

place. So I would say sawfish would be the best place to find it. The best place, so I would say Sawfish and Dumpling, the best place to find it would be one of the local. They may not even have a name on it. It'd be one of those places you would have to know. But I will say that there's a couple of places here that I do recommend good local food. One is called Plush. It's on Kayon Street. That's a local eatery, Plush. The other one, what is the name of the bakery? Amory Bakery has a sawfish empanada.

Bee Davis: 17:53

I got one this morning, now you're speaking my language.

YogaBae Jay: 17:55

You see, I was going to get it A sawfish empanada, yes, from Amory Bakery and that's on 4th Street F-O-R-t, it's on fort street. Those are two um local and amory bakery's been around for like 70 years, so it's it's good old school bakery. Yeah, got it good food what's the language down?

YogaBae Jay: 18:13

there is english right yeah, no, it's english, the sound of it. Sometimes it doesn't sound like english. The patoisois is, is can be very strong, but it is English. I know sometimes that my husband, you know, he's from here, although he'd been in the States they say that he sounds like a Yankee with his accent, cause you know. But I have to ask him sometimes what did he say? What did she say? Cause I, you know, sometimes I don't, I don't quite get it. They speak the Queen's English, you talk the Queen's English.

Bee Davis: 18:47

Okay, so that's more proper English then.

YogaBae Jay: 18:49

Correct, correct, very proper, whenever the people are speaking properly. It does sound a lot like England and the UK.

Bee Davis: 18:57

Gotcha, has there been any like funny misunderstandings or language barriers, that maybe your husband wasn't there for One?

YogaBae Jay: 19:03

thing whenever you're like waiting in line for something, if you're like waiting in line at a counter or you're waiting in line to be like served, next they say are you getting through? And instead of saying can I help you or are you next, they say getting true, getting true. And I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know what, I didn't have any idea what it meant. So I think they probably saw the look of confusion on my face the first time and so they explained I mean like, do you need something, do you want something? And now I know what it means, but the first time I heard that I didn't know what it meant.

Bee Davis: 19:39

So do you find yourself ever wanting to come back to the States for like vacation or anything like that? Would you want to vacation somewhere cold, I'm guessing?

YogaBae Jay: 19:49

You know, I want to vacation somewhere that I've never seen before. So my husband and I agreed that we want to see a castle. So, whether that's Ireland or England or something like that, we want to go someplace we've never seen before. So we've seen the United States and of course we've never we haven't been to all 50 States, but we've seen the U? S. We lived the East coast, we've been to the West coast, we've been to the South. So if we were going to go on vacation it would definitely be somewhere. You know, we see water every day. We live on an island, so now we want to go somewhere with that we haven't seen. So I would say, wherever there's a castle, that'd be the next place that we can walk through and see yeah, and croatia are both, because they have, oh really castles.

YogaBae Jay: 20:30

Yes, scotland and croatia has been.

Bee Davis: 20:32

Those are the two names we got at the scotland and croatia okay so, uh, croatia, uh, that's where they actually recorded the game of Thrones series.

YogaBae Jay: 20:41

I don't know, yes, yes.

Bee Davis: 20:42

Yes, yes, nice Just recently rewatched it and, uh, the whole time I'm like look, look, look, that's cool, that's so cool.

YogaBae Jay: 20:50

That's so cool.

Bee Davis: 20:52

He doesn't really like to do the long haul flights. We uh we went to uh Tahiti this past Novembermber.

YogaBae Jay: 20:57

It was the very first time we'd ever been like anything over like six hours, and right a little bit of a struggle, but I can imagine, because coming here, well, you have to because you got to get places right, right, right. So coming here, um, a direct flight from like atlanta, georgia, was about five hours, let's just say. But you, sometimes those flights are a little harder to get. They now have direct flights from New York to here, like JetBlue does. It's direct from New York to here about five and a half or so hours. But when I also flew here, because St Kitts and Nevis is kind of farther south in the Caribbean, it can take it says 17 hours because you're going to have a few layovers, at least one and the layover could be extended. You know a good eight hour layover in like Puerto Rico or somewhere like that. I haven't gotten a flight that was really short to get here. It's always been something with a pretty good layover. Yeah.

Bee Davis: 21:56

I wonder if that's why St Kitts and Evis isn't really like traveled frequently from the US. Yeah, not a lot of people know about it.

YogaBae Jay: 22:04

Don't even know about it. Yes, so St Kitts and Nevis is what I call an exclusive island. It's the kind of island that if you are going to fly here, it does have to be a commitment, because it's not a quick flight. You have to really know you want to come to St Kitts and Nevis. St Kitts and Nevis. We have people that come here and have homes on Nevis People like Michael Jordan, nia Long, kim Fields, alexander Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis. Princess Diana vacationed on the island of Nevis. It's kind of an exclusive place to come and visit.

YogaBae Jay: 22:44

One thing about the island of St Kitts and Nevis we have a beautiful port and we can hold up to four cruise ships at once. The biggest cruise ship, the icon of the seas, now comes here. Their very, very first maiden voyage was here, to St Kitts and Nevis, um, and so now they come all the time, um, so we hold up to four cruise ships. It is a beautiful tourist area but it is exclusive. We're out here with islands like Montserrat. Probably never heard of Montserrat. I actually have it's on my list Wonderful, awesome. I had never heard of Montserrat. I had never heard of Stacia. I had never heard of Saba.

Bee Davis: 23:12

Yes, Saba, I know.

YogaBae Jay: 23:14

Saba. I know, okay, awesome. So yeah, that's kind of where we are. We're out there with those, uh, very exclusive islands. Uh, the landscape is is beautiful. Maybe because we are so far out. We have so many, many mountains. Mount Leomiga is one. Uh, leomiga means fertile land, so we have one of the most fertile landscapes. So when you come here, it's 360 views of mountains and the Caribbean sea on one side, the Atlantic Ocean on the other side. We have rainforests that are here, so we're far that we can have all of this stuff. It's a beautiful island. The thing about it is we also get Sahara dust storms. So the Sahara dust that comes from Africa, it comes over and it kind of coats the island every once in a while, so we get some desert dust. That makes sense.

Bee Davis: 24:03

Okay, let's see. Have you like? I'm trying to think the best way to word this. So when you go now you're there do you often come back to visit family, or do you have your family come visit you? Do you still keep in touch?

YogaBae Jay: 24:17

So we have been here about a year and we told people that we wouldn't probably start to travel outside of our island until about 2025. We were going to give ourselves at least two years, maybe even three you know, you know, the universe knows no time but we said that we were going to give ourselves about two years to just be on the island before we start to venture out. So we haven't been back to visit anyone back in the States yet. However, we did have. When people ask me that, I say well, I live there over 45 years. When you guys come into the island, is the better question Come out here. So that's my response to that. However, one of my very good friends, uh, marie boston moves. Her and her husband came out here in february and they visited with us in february. So we definitely have people come out that's awesome that's another thing too.

Bee Davis: 25:10

We were thinking that if we ever owned a house somewhere, there'd be like these people coming out of the woodworks and be like I haven't seen you in 45 years. But hey, let's hang out of the woodworks and be like I haven't seen you in 45 years.

YogaBae Jay: 25:18

But hey, let's hang out. Of course they will. Yeah, of course they will. You have to. Just you just have to know who who's coming to visit and who's not. You know, you put parameters.

Bee Davis: 25:29

Is it easy to make friends there? Have you? Have you found yourself like hanging out with new people?

YogaBae Jay: 25:33

I would say making friends is a little bit harder, even when you're, you know, not just because of a new country, but I think it's a little harder when you're a grownup. You know we go to work, we kind of do our thing, we're with our families. I don't think that we're just oftentimes in places to make friends. You know, you don't see them, you don't see people quite as often as you get older, and I think that connection, you know, matters. However, um, through teaching yoga, I have met some other couples that seem to have some of the same ethics and morals as my husband and I, and so it, yeah, we uh, we, uh, recently went to a cricket game together, our first cricket game, so we are meeting people. Um, now, it was our first cricket game, so we are meeting people. Um, now, it was my first cricket game, never been, and the rules are different. It looks like baseball, but it's totally not baseball gotcha no.

Bee Davis: 26:30

So that's one of those uh culture shocks too, because I my husband's a huge sports fan and I I mean he knows every sport on this planet and has probably most of it at some point. So, that was one of those that we kind of talked about, and he's like yeah, you know you play cricket and I'm like I don't even know what that is.

YogaBae Jay: 26:46

And we had someone trying to explain it, but it was like after you tell me, you know, let them run, and here's the points here. Here's the points there, all the other rules. This is too much for your first time. Yeah, let me just watch it and I'll cheer whenever the crowd cheers, that's all.

Bee Davis: 27:01

Exactly. Yeah, that's awesome. What about environmental conservation down there? Are there like a lot of groups or anything that people could hook up with when they come down on vacation?

YogaBae Jay: 27:12

Absolutely so. One of the environmental initiatives that St Kitts is doing is we are, I think, by 20, sometime in 2025 or 2026, I'm not exactly sure on the date but we are coming up with a system to stop using so much plastic. So we're going into recycling more bags and plastic items and things like that. You know it is an island, we have to conserve it. It's you know, plastic doesn't break down, so that's one of the environmental responsibilities that the island is doing. St Kitts and Nevis has a wonderful health program, a wonderful not health, but just a kind of a get moving, be active, healthy living program. One of the sponsors of my yoga is actually well, they're not sponsoring this, so it's actually SKN Moves, but that is one of. They have a health initiative that they just push toward being active, eating healthy, going and getting your doctor's checks, age-appropriate doctor's checks and things like that. St Kitts is really good on just making sure that the people of the island take care of the island and take care of themselves.

Bee Davis: 28:16

I love that. It sounds like they really take care of their people too, and they really care about. You know, health conscious and that kind of thing, so that's awesome that seems to kind of stand out, more so than a lot of the other islands that are in the Caribbean that I'm aware of anyways.

YogaBae Jay: 28:31

Yeah, when I got here I really tried to get involved to see, you know, just kind of see what the island was doing. You know because I live here now. So the same things that you know, you know about in the United States. You know, we know about the CDC, we know about the FDA, we know about all that stuff for the United States. I had to learn these things coming to a different island.

Bee Davis: 28:53

I can see that that's one of those things you don't necessarily take into consideration. It's just there. One of the things that I really enjoy doing anytime I go on vacation is I try to find like an animal shelter or humane society or something along those lines where I can go and just volunteer for a few hours and, you know, spend time with the animals. That kind of thing. Does St Kitts have one of those?

YogaBae Jay: 29:15

St Kitts does have an animal shelter, so I'm not sure where that is at this time, but we do have one because I've looked and I know it's here. I tend to volunteer more with people now, so I do some work with the Spectrum Center, which is for children and their parents with autism, so I do some work with them. I also do a lot of volunteer work with the Ministry of Aging and Health, so I work with the seniors here. So there's a lot of volunteer work with the Ministry of Aging and Health, so I work with the seniors here. So there's a lot of up and in. There was like a kite flying ceremony, so we had a lot of people actually volunteering making kites with the seniors to fly the kites and things like that.

YogaBae Jay: 29:51

The thing about it is, I guess, with the animals. I live with the goats. You probably will see a herd just walk past my fence in a few minutes. There are monkeys in my backyard eating my guava. Yes, monkeys, yes, so I guess maybe I'm okay without the animals. That's just personal, yes, but yes, there's definitely places out here that you can volunteer for animals and wildlife and all of that Absolutely.

Bee Davis: 30:17

I'd love to hear that. Cool yeah, and it sounds like there's some really cool foundations for people as well. I get along better with animals, sometimes more so than people. I get it. I tend to lean towards them, but you know I don't come back as much.

YogaBae Jay: 30:30

They don't Not as much, not as much.

Bee Davis: 30:32

That's right. What about like celebrations and stuff down there? Are there big holidays, festivals, anything like that?

YogaBae Jay: 30:39

oh, my, oh my. The caribbean is known for their carnival and carnival season. St kids was once named like the most uh, carnivals or the most party country or something like that. It had some type of title. Carnival season is just a season of parades and celebration. Carnival season kind of represents the employees, the workers that were just kind of given their break season so they just celebrate it by having parades and parties. They dress up in costumes and they just have days and days of parade. Our carnival season lasts from December kind of the middle part of December all the way until like January, so for three, almost four weeks, and it kind of coincides with Christmas. For three or four weeks it's just parties, honestly parties parades, celebration, dancing, music, liming, liming is just kind of hanging out. There's all kinds of festivals and just all kind of celebration. For those three weeks People get off of school, sometimes they'll let off work. It's just an understood that this season is just what we're going to do. We're just going to have fun. It's part of the culture. So it's not even a thing, it's just part of the culture.

YogaBae Jay: 31:56

Here. St Kitts also has one of the largest music festivals. Every year it's a three-day festival. Many islands in the Caribbean have a music festival. So for three days I want to say it's 27, 28, and 29 of June there is a St Kitts music festival and you know, one day it's mainly like Caribbean music steel pan calypso, things like that. Another day maybe another type of island music steel pan calypso, things like that. Another day maybe another type of island music, I'm not exactly sure. But then there's a day of like American music R and B, um, yeah, definitely. So we'll have. Um, like Rick Ross is supposed to be here in June. Um, mary J Blige is supposed to be here in June. So, yeah, that's. That's an awesome, good time that people are going to have and tickets are not too expensive Fantastic.

Bee Davis: 32:39

So if you were to come down there, what would be the best time to come?

YogaBae Jay: 32:49

During, like the festival season or during the music festival. So if you come around December, around the carnival season, everything is going to be a bit more expensive. Just you know, that's just a very popular season. So flights are going to be expensive, hotels are going to be a bit more expensive. Just you know, that's just a very popular season. So flights are going to be expensive, hotels are going to be a bit more expensive, but the weather is very good. It's December, so it's not the level of hot to the eighth power, it's only hot to the third power. You know it's different. So right, so December is a good time to come.

YogaBae Jay: 33:15

I say that our peak season is actually from October to March anyway. That's when most of the tourists come October through March, in June, july, august. To me it's just very hot. I would not like to have guests in July and August because I don't know if I would be a good host. They might want to go out in the middle of the day and do something and, and you know they want to see Brimstone Hill, and Brimstone Hill is a fortress, but it's you're out in the middle of nowhere and Brimstone Hill, I don't know if I could do it. It's just really hot. I think the off season well, when it's off season in the States, it's probably the best time to come here.

Bee Davis: 33:54

That makes sense so um so. St Kitts is in the hurricane belt.

YogaBae Jay: 33:58

Yes, no, yes, yes, yes. St Kitts is in the hurricane belt.

YogaBae Jay: 34:05

You have not experienced that yet, though right. So what happens is St Kitts homes are built very well. They're built out of cement, they're built out of stone. So the damage that we see in some of the places that are closer to the US Puerto Rico, florida, the US we don't get that type of damage with our homes so much. Now, I've only been here a year so I can't speak on anything prior to that.

YogaBae Jay: 34:29

However, when we get the hurricane, you know we don't get hit with all of them. Last year around October we had Hurricane Tammy and it was a lot of rain, a lot of wind. My flight was actually delayed for 24 hours because of Hurricane Tammy, but we didn't have any extensive damage from it. Yeah, there were some trees that were down and there was some flooding, you know, in kind of the low areas, but it wasn't an extensive damage, and of course that's also, you know, through the eyes of who's seeing it, but in my opinion it was an extensive damage. So we don't get just hit back to back or we haven't gotten hit back to back with terrible hurricanes and storms. They give out alerts. Go ahead, and you know, stock up on your canned goods. Go ahead and get your flashlights or your candles. You know they tell you to do those things whenever we know it's that time and we're, kind of, you know, revving up for that now.

Bee Davis: 35:24

Hurricane season is what usually June through October. Is that right yeah?

YogaBae Jay: 35:27

June through October November. Yeah, I think out here maybe up until November yeah.

Bee Davis: 35:32

June through October, november yeah, I think out here maybe up until November. Yeah, that's the fun season, from what I understand. So we normally try to take a big trip for my birthday, which is in November. So it kind of works out because we usually get right outside of that hurricane.

YogaBae Jay: 35:44

Yes, yes, yeah, that's a very good time to travel, absolutely.

Bee Davis: 35:48

November is my favorite.

YogaBae Jay: 35:50

My husband's birthday is in November.

Bee Davis: 35:52

I like it November's my favorite.

YogaBae Jay: 35:52

I love my husband's birthday is in November. I like it Scorpio or Sagittarius. He's a Sagittarius. He just made Sagittarius. Yep, yep, yep.

Bee Davis: 35:58

I am Scorpio to the T I love it. Scorpio is me. I'm a little stubborn, can't help it.

YogaBae Jay: 36:05

I'm a Taurus and Scorpio. I love it. Scorpio and Taurus are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. We make very good friends. Yes, scorpio and tourists. Yes, I find new besties. Yes, yes, hello.

Bee Davis: 36:17

Man, this has been such a great conversation. I feel like I don't even know what else to ask. So what about recharging and that sort of thing? So I feel like usually when I go to the beach, I'm there to kind of like vibe off of the land and, you know, kind of recharge my batteries and that sort of thing. How do you do that? Is that part of your yoga experience or is that separate? How?

YogaBae Jay: 36:43

do you do that? You know yoga is kind of all encompassing anyway. So even when you're not practicing it physically, yoga is a state of mind. So I'm always in a yoga, I'm always practicing yoga. But there are times definitely when you do have to just recharge. Things have gotten busy, you get overwhelmed with something. So even living here in this beautiful island, life still happens.

YogaBae Jay: 37:05

One I will say, and I spoke on it earlier the view I can literally zone out. To that view I can think about things that are bothering me and kind of send them on in the ocean. I definitely meditate to the view and meditation doesn't have to look like eyes closed, it doesn't have to look like that. It can really just be kind of a focus. And so when it gets overwhelming I can just focus. I can turn on some music if I choose, and just kind of focus.

YogaBae Jay: 37:34

But yes, in addition to that, I purposely ground myself. My husband may feel down sometime, I may feel down and we'll say let's go outside, take off your shoes, let's walk out. Like we'll purposely do it. We know what it does for our body. We go to the beach and the beach, we believe is cleansing, does for our body. We go to the beach and the beach, we believe, is cleansing. So we will go to the beach and we will do it kind of like let's get in, let's wash off whatever it was You're not feeling well, your sinuses, your allergies let's wash it out, let's do it at the beach. And then, of course, through practice and yoga, the physical practice of it, I definitely keep myself joyful, I keep myself grounded, I keep myself balanced and just I just always just try to be just a joyful, bringing some, some good vibes to it. So, yeah, we do that here.

Bee Davis: 38:22

Yeah, Love that I can. I could feel that you've. You're just full of positive energy. I can just feel it. Thank you, you're just being it. Let's talk yoga a little bit. So how long have you been practicing now?

YogaBae Jay: 38:35

So I've been practicing yoga for about 12, almost 10 years, let's say Almost 10 years. Okay, I started teaching Tai Chi and then, from Tai Chi, I went on into yoga and so I didn't go to school for yoga until 2020. So, but I was practicing their way before. So to become a teacher, um, I it's been four years of actually being a registered yoga teacher and I started teaching yoga because, uh, it, just like most people, I saw people in these beautiful positions, these beautiful poses. I'm thinking I can do that. You know, cause that's all I knew I can do, that I couldn't do that, I couldn't do it at all. Um, but it was something that, once I started practicing it, I feel happy, I feel alive, I feel good from the very first day, and I knew it was something that I wanted to continue.

YogaBae Jay: 39:27

Yeah, where I was, I wanted to teach it to other black women, brown women that looked like me. I wanted it to be where they felt included and inclusive. Many times you didn't see black women teaching or black women doing yoga, especially 45 years old, you know what I mean. It was definitely maybe a younger thing, and I wanted to be sure that I could be that teacher to say, nope, we can do it, and let's start now at 47. Let's start at 52. It didn't matter, let's start. And so that's what got me into teaching yoga.

Bee Davis: 40:02

Okay, cool, so you have your own business down there. Do you teach classes regularly? What's your schedule like?

YogaBae Jay: 40:08

I do. So I teach classes every Saturday. I am sponsored by one of the companies here. I have kind of like two sponsors now but I teach every Saturday at Nationals Heroes Park at 7 am. That's every Saturday. I teach private lessons, so throughout the week I also do private lessons with people. I have my next private lesson I'm excited about. It's a couple. It's a couple getting married and they're wanting to bring their families together for, like, a joint yoga session with their families. I think that's going to be. It's so amazing. I was like, oh, this is going to be great family yoga.

YogaBae Jay: 40:45

I also do different contracts with the different ministries here. So, um, a few times as month I'll go and do a class with the seniors or, you know, with the school system or something like that, and then I also teach online. I teach three times a week online 30 minute classes. I teach online, just give some little short classes online. So I teach pretty regularly here, Not enough where I feel burnt out. I have my schedule planned pretty well, but I definitely teach online and in person.

Bee Davis: 41:17

That's awesome. So if somebody were to travel down there, would they be able to just join a Saturday class, or is it only for locals?

YogaBae Jay: 41:24

Absolutely, you can join. I have many, many tourists that join. I have people that ask all the time where is it? I'm coming to visit in two weeks, yes, so anybody can join the class. You can walk up and you can join the class, no problem. And then I have a couple of people that have inquired that when they come they want to do a private session. So it's for anyone? Absolutely it is.

Bee Davis: 41:46

It's fantastic to hear that everybody that means uh, we're going to say kids, you better get a band.

YogaBae Jay: 41:52

That's it, that's it is ready for you.

Bee Davis: 41:55

Uh, just one last question, just kind of throw it out there. What's home mean to you now? Does is the same kid define home, or is it still?

YogaBae Jay: 42:06

you know, b I love it, um is. Is that such a really good question? What does home mean to me now? Um, I'm going to tell you this, and this is going to sound very mushy and very romantic, I know, and I was first introduced to you on the on the page, but, uh, life, love and travel, home, honestly, is to me anywhere. My husband is.

Bee Davis: 42:30

That's such a great answer.

YogaBae Jay: 42:32

Yeah.

Bee Davis: 42:32

Yeah, points for that.

YogaBae Jay: 42:35

I'm sure I want some points, but I'm going to get my feet rubbed tonight. B but I have to really say that, because my husband and I took a complete leap on love when we got married and then we took a complete leap on coming here. We didn't know really anybody. You know he had some family here, but we didn't know anybody. We didn't come because we were coming to live with family. We came on our own and, um, with everything that I've done and the things that he'd done, we support each other so much. So home is really where he is. Home is where my husband is. It's just, it's a beautiful thing. So he said let's go to Peru next week. I know I would be okay with him. So that is really what home is, yeah.

Bee Davis: 43:19

Oh, I love that. That makes me so happy. I love love. I know it's so corny.

YogaBae Jay: 43:24

I do. It's so corny, it's so mushy, but that, that is that is it. That is it.

Bee Davis: 43:30

That's awesome. So, I really feel like you are living up to my name brand A hundred percent life, love, travel every bit of that. You are encompassing all of it, and that, to me, is literally the ultimate dream come true. So I am so excited. I don't want to keep you too long because we're a little bit past our time, but thank you so much for joining me today.

Bee Davis: 43:52

I've learned so much about St kids. It's already kind of been on my list. There is um another one of my kind of top fans on facebook who talks about saint kids all the time and how it's her nice so I've already kind of done a little bit of research and put it on my list and hopefully I can make it there this year, if not, hopefully next year. Uh, but when and if I do, you and I are definitely going to touch base Absolutely. Have a little yoga lesson something along those lines.

YogaBae Jay: 44:16

Oh, that would be so amazing. I'm so excited. I got to wish it now for you to come. We're going to put an atmosphere so you're coming, you're coming Absolutely, and then we could do like a live one of these or something. I know we, I know we can do some on location, beachside banter with be on location on the beach and sink. I already see it, girl. That's what's happening it is.

Bee Davis: 44:39

We're going to make that happen for sure Also. Well, you are now. My new best friend lives in St. Thank you, I'm so excited that I got to chat with you.

YogaBae Jay: 44:47

I see you on.

Bee Davis: 44:48

Facebook all the time If you have an opportunity. Make sure that you follow, Jay. What's your handles?

YogaBae Jay: 44:54

So it's Yoga Bay Jay everywhere. Y-o-g-a-b-a-e-j-a-y. Yoga Bay Jay everywhere. That's TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Pinterest. Yoga Bay Jay everywhere. All of it, All of it.

Bee Davis: 45:12

Fantastic.

YogaBae Jay: 45:12

All of them, all all right y'all.

Bee Davis: 45:13

So you heard it. Make sure that you go follow all of those different platforms, all of them. Make friends with jay, because she is definitely an awesome person to know. So awesome thank you so much um I will give you all the deets on the the podcast yeah, all of this can can't talk when it all comes out and all that so we will talk soon.

YogaBae Jay: 45:35

I love it. Thank you, bea, I'll talk to you soon.

Bee Davis: 45:36

You're welcome. Bye-bye, have a good one.