Jayah is an outstanding instructor. She remembers everyone's name and their particular needs or physical condition. Even in a large group she finds ways to provide individual attention tailored to your circumstances, She is firm but understanding in her instruction and group leadership. I learned much about pole walking though I am not ready to venture out by myself. More rehab for me. Thanks for the class Jayah.

Everything was excellent Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I attended the class March 31, 2023 after being referred by my God-daughter. The instructor put everyone at easy by being very personable yet professional. I can't wait to practice and use the tools we we were provided. Our instructor keep the class moving at the right pace so that all the information was easily absorbed. I'm happy I was able to attend, and will invite other to attend.

Jayah's pole hiking workshop was fantastic! Very clear and actionable instruction on how to adjust, hold and use the poles, time to practice before getting out on the trail, a great warmup sequence for the shoulders and upper back that i'll try to remember to do on my own. Applying the techniques on the trail was fantastic, and Jayah was great with guidance and corrections. Mori point was such a beautiful venue along the coast. Looking forward to getting a set of poles and attending practice hikes to internalize these techniques, especially on the down hill. Oh and I loved the tips on setting up your poles for quick adjustment on the fly. That was pretty game changing actually! Very much appreciated this workshop!! Excellent reason to play hooky from work on a Monday!

Starting with Jayah's organizational traits: The class had to be postponed a few times, and she gave plenty of notice as well as options for the future date as well as location. Then she helped another attendee who needed help with transportation get that taken care of. Now for the class: I love that Jayah tailored her pole-hiking advice/training to each person's specific physical issues, which she has an excellent anatomical feel for. The techniques take a few minutes to learn, more minutes to make doing them correctly start to come naturally, but that's the thing: Once you're doing them correctly, they *feel* very natural and add a surprising level of power (uphill) and security (downhill). Jayah also has a natural ability to interact with each person in the way that person will respond best to. I highly recommend this Pole-Hiking class to everyone, from those just starting out to those who've been hiking with poles for years. I learned SO much!

I loved the quick pace with very detailed tips, practice, and application of how to use hiking poles.

The hiking pole class was fantastic. Not only did the instructor present very useful information, she was able to do it in a way that made it easy to understand by talking, but also by physically demonstrating the techniques. Use of music that tied in directly to the instruction was super helpful and reflected the depth of research this instructor put in to making the learning experience helpful and most enjoyable. The pre-class notifications were very useful also.Being able to read and see some of the topics that were again covered class was very useful. I was particularly impressed with the way the instructor tailored her instruction to fit a class of people of various ages and skill levels (I'm 83 and was expecting to be have difficulty, but such was definitely not the case ). She was a great ambassador for the Sierra Club. Thank you for making this class available and for an instructor willing to travel quite a distance to present it.

Excellent program. Enjoyed learning how to use trekking poles. Jayah is an excellent instructor. She is knowledgeable, easy to understand and very conscientious.

i am a hiker and having to adjust to aging and joint problems. I live where the hiking is great, spring is approaching and I plan to practice the skills I learned class. thank you

I learned a lot from the "Hiking with Poles" program, especially how to fit the poles properly, proper hand position, and the most efficient way to use them. I think this will help me to continue to hike, even when my knee is bothering me a little, and help me to continue to hike as I get older. I can't think of any improvements. It was great that Jayah could come down to our area here in Monterey and that we had a chance to do classroom work and also try out what we learned out on the trails.

Jayah used excellent teaching techniques to introduce me to using pills. I was afraid of them before the class. Now I use them mindfully. "Momentum is your friend" she reminds us about mobility.

Jayah was enthusiastic & informative. I am a 74 yr old overweight woman who was starting to walk hunched over and dread getting out. After Jayah assessed for proper poll length and I started walking with my chest open, head up, I felt 10 years younger. Honestly. I started breathing rhythmically and felt energized. Jayah answered questions readily and shared in my new enthusiasm for using polls. A few days later I took a walk in San Francisco with my polls. I went .8 mile which was longer than I've walked in a while. My chest was open, I kept a brisk pace and I stopped when I was getting to the edge of going too far to enjoy it. I had fun! I will be at it again soon. NOTE: It's true I prefer outdoor experiences alone but I would like to meet more people over coffee, etc.

Thank you for the program and Jayah for your excellent instructions. I feel motivated to exercise and to be mindful of my stride and arm movement. Pole adjustment and cleaning info and pole placement is helpful. I feel encouraged and more confident using poles. I highly recommend this program and hope Jayah returns to the Anza-Borrego area.

Great programs. The programs are well organized and knowledgeable people lead the programs. A clear benefit to the Veterans community. There seems to be some confusion when partnering with local non-profits regarding how much and how clear their knowledge of a specific program is. Had some issues with the web site to register. Our leader Jayah was very knowledgeable, communicated clearly, and was inclusive with all abilities. We couldn't have asked for a better program that met our needs to hike outdoors safely. Thank you.

Jayha was great, she took time to address every participant individually, I learned tons from her, she was knowledgeable and just so kind overall, I was the youngest in the group by about 15 years, 1st of all everyone was great and I didn’t really feel out of place after a bit, I would like to see more younger vets join, I get most of us work on weekdays so that makes it hard, I really believe this class would be helpful for all adult age groups.

Jayah was the best instructor and guide I have ever had. She was passionate about the subject of using poles correctly and passionate about the outdoors and walking/hiking. Her knowledge was superb. I'd love to take another outing with her for sure. I learned more from her about using my poles than I have in the last ten years of using my poles. I appreciate her very much. Thank you for sponsoring such a wonderful and informative outing.

The leader Jayah was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and you can see that she *loves* teaching. And she is a great teacher. Very approachable, friendly, made the group feel comfortable at the beginning of the class. I have been hiking and backpacking for over 18 years. I have *never* learned to hike with trekking poles correctly. I can see all the mistakes I was making all these years. I know because I can feel the difference from the hike we did and how I felt after the hike. Not only did she talk about poles, she addressed backpacks, shoes, clothes, hats, etc. i loved how she addressed and helped each participant. She is very sensitive to each hikers physical limitations. She also showed us how to clean the poles and what happens when one doesn't. I hope she returns again to Southern CA as I am a disabled veteran. I have a hard time retaining information and I would definitely take the class again. I wish she had classes in Southern CA!

Jayah instructor was incredibly good with her instruction and very patient with her students. The Palm Canyon Trail in the ABDSP provided excellent training for easy hiking, rocks, steps up and down, and sand. The half day training will help my 76 year old shoulders, hips, back,, knees, and ankles hopefully last several more years - I wish I had pole training 65 years ago when I started outdoor activities. And Jayah would have made an excellent Marine Gunnery Sergeant!