NEXT Yoga names Jackie Santacaterina as studio manager

Former professional soccer player Jackie Santacaterina of Geneva could teach us all a bit about ambition. After her four-year mark playing soccer at the University of Illinois, Champaign, she turned pro right out of college. As an intense physical athlete, she became accustomed to taking her body to extreme limits. Getting injured on the field daily was the norm. She practiced yoga to help her body recover between matches.

After retiring from her professional soccer career in the fall of 2014, yoga went from a method of in-season recovery to a practice she craved daily. A tough competitor at heart, Santacaterina, shared that she loves the strength, discipline, and focus yoga requires. Despite previously spending hours in the gym or on a field, she has never felt stronger both physically and mentally. She said, "I love how yoga is challenging, yet so rejuvenating all at once."

Santacaterina wanted to deepen her yoga practice, so she enrolled in teacher training and earned her 200 RYT. She said, "Thinking about my life without soccer was scary. Yoga helped me more than I ever could have imagined with the transition."

Even though she stopped playing soccer, Santacaterina remained heavily involved with the sport. She ran a small company that started in 2012 that hosted soccer specific sports performance work for different soccer clubs in the area. "I found myself ready to see what life was like outside of that world and that's when I found NEXT Yoga. I LOVE it here." It was a good match. She continued, "I hope to share my love for yoga with anyone and everyone."

Owner of NEXT Yoga in downtown Wheaton, Debbie Russo, said, "We are excited to have Jackie as our studio manager. She shares our philosophy and passion for yoga. She believes that everybody and every body should practice yoga. We could not feel more blessed to have her as part of our team."