A haven of simplicity and safety in the midst of hectic city life, Jena Wellness Center is a six-week-old center which features yoga, food awareness, nutrition counseling, cooking classes, massage therapy and an impressive group of professional counselors. Jena prides herself on the lovely clean simplicity of her establishment. The rooms are decorated sparsely, featuring one wall hanging or golden statue per room. By Jena’s own admission, they are trying for a Zen affect fused with an ethnic sensibility —many of the decorations are from India, where Jena has traveled.

Jena la Flamme

Upon arrival at the center I am whisked away by Jena who brings me to the kitchen to make me a smoothie. It is one of those hot humid New York days that threaten to defeat you. Jena’s kitchen is cool and neat, though and it is easy to forget the world I have left below me on the street. Jena makes us banana smoothies. They are delicious and have a healthy, empowering taste. Jena herself is inspiring; she is dressed in a pretty pink midriff and she walks confidently through her center. She is obviously filled with pride as she speaks about each room. The thought put into every detail of the center is obvious and makes time spent there that much more meaningful.

The center’s main focus is food. Food as energy, food as therapy, food as medication, food that not only tastes good but also sustains you, energizes you and centers you. It is a beautiful idea and speaking with Jena, I am easily convinced of her passionate beliefs.

According to Jena, there are three types of eating. The first level is the standard American diet which includes fried food, fast food, etc. etc.. The next level is “I Eat Pretty Healthy But…” which is how a lot of New Yorkers eat. Jena points out the four S’s of the New York diet: salad; soup; sandwiches; and sushi. The level Jena and her clients strive for is called Therapeutic Performance Eating. In this style, the food is used for specific purposes and is intended to heal the body and provide energy. In other words - it is eating with a purpose.
Jena Wellness Center is a place that encourages pleasure and obtaining a higher quality of life through this pleasure and enjoyment. Jena embodies this. She enjoys her food, her work, her new establishment. The work done at the center is clearly life-altering for its clients. Most people come to Jena looking to improve their health (physical or emotional), but they leave having been healed in many other ways.

Jena Wellness Centers offers a six month program, where clients come a few times a month to do yoga, get nutritional counseling and discuss their progress. Many of the clients are coming with specific struggles: anxiety; insomnia; fatigue; high cholesterol; and the desire to lose weight. These clients get individual attention, addressing their specific needs. The center also offers independent yoga and cooking classes. It is the kind of indulgence that has real meaning and I believe Jena when she speaks of her clients changed lifestyles - men in business suits with cell phones stuck to their ears making time each day for yoga and meditation. The idea makes me smile.

Jena can be reached at (646) 942-1916. For more information, log onto: jenawellness.com.