Yogis Uncovered | Meet Jason
In this edition of Yogis Uncovered, we sit down with Jason, a Miami-raised, LA-based actor and model whose Cuban roots infuse everything from his lively outlook to his love of music and family. He shares how yoga balances heavy lifting with flexibility, quiets anxious thoughts, and supports his confident approach to life and body. Get a glimpse of Jason’s philosophy: be yourself, go for it, and meet him in the full interview.
“My journey of being comfortable naked also comes from my parents. Public nudity is not as big of a deal in other cultures as it is in America. It’s not seen as sexual, it’s not seen as lewd or lascivious. It’s just a human body. We’re all naked under our clothes anyway. ”
Hi everyone, my name is Jason Cacares and I’m in Los Angeles, California.
Where are you from originally and what was it like growing up there?
I am originally from Miami, Florida and it was very humid growing up there, which I miss because my skin’s so dry. It was fun, it’s a great cultural atmosphere. I’m Cuban, so we have great music, we have great food. The parties were always lively. My family’s very loud, so not a lot of moments of peace. But it was a good time, and I miss it sometimes, but I’m glad I’m here.
Do you have a favorite memory from childhood growing up in Miami?
I have 64 cousins, so there was always a party, there was always someone’s birthday, of course, Easter, Christmas, an anniversary, a wedding, a baby shower, literally a party almost every week. Cubans don’t need an excuse to party. We’ll just be like, "Hey, come over, let’s play dominoes. I’ve got some rum." And we’re there, especially if there’s rum. So it’s very hard to pinpoint my favorite childhood memory, but I would say overall, getting to grow up around family and so much positivity and laughter and silliness because when you get older, life gets tough. Nobody tells you that.
How does your Cuban culture influence you?
I actually got to go to Cuba last summer for the first time. I wasn’t born there. I’m first generation, so I was the first one born in the United States. I had never been, but I’d always grown up listening to the stories about Havana and how everything was so lighthearted. But seeing the culture where my parents came from was so shocking to see it in person. It just makes me more grateful and appreciative that I’m here, that my parents gave up so much to give me a better life. So I would say my culture makes me more aware of my surroundings because I can see what other people lack and are missing like love, culture, opportunities, which is the biggest thing you can have, and that’s something that we do have here. It’s just made me more of a well-rounded person.
What do you do for work?
I am an actor/model out here in Los Angeles. So I primarily work in film and television. I’ve done a few TV shows. I’m also an underwear model, so I’ve worked with a few brands.
What drew you to that career?
I love to show off. What drew me to my career is that my parents are very artistic people, so my mom has always fostered the artistic side of me. My great uncle was a flamenco dancer at Tropicana in Cuba. My grandmother was a painter. So there’s a lot of artistry in my family, so I feel like that’s always been fostered and elevated. Also, my older brother was really shy growing up and my third grade teacher spoke to my mom and was like, "Put him in acting classes. "That’ll help." And since we’re so close in age, they put both of us in acting classes and I kind of fell in love with it and then that’s where it all started. Also, I’m really bad at math, so I really couldn’t do anything else.
Can you share a bit about your journey towards becoming so comfortable being naked?
I like to show off. I thought we went over this. I’m kidding. [laughs] I think my journey of being comfortable naked also comes from my parents. Public nudity is not as big of a deal in other cultures as it is in America. It’s not seen as sexual, it’s not seen as lewd or lascivious. It’s just a human body. We’re all naked under our clothes anyway. Also, I don’t like tan lines, so it really helps to even out my skin tone. I would say my culture helped me be more comfortable.
How do you deal with judgment or criticism from people who might not understand you or accept how you live your life?
I delete the comments. I don’t read the comment section. So if anybody’s negative or has something to say, they’re not paying my rent, and rent is expensive in Los Angeles, so I don’t have time for that. It’s the three Fs, but I can’t say them here. If they’re not feeding you, financing you, or the third one, which we all know what it is, then it doesn’t have space in my life. So delete, block, move on. If it’s not your gig, just move on, in my opinion. Also, I’m gay, so my entire life has been bombarded with negativity, so at this point I just ignore it.
How did you get into yoga?
I got into yoga because I got into weightlifting first. I was naturally a very thin person because I grew up as a swimmer. It was really hard for me to gain weight. I wanted to have that sculpted manly physique that everybody wants you to have, you know. So part of it was insecurity, but I started weightlifting. And when you weightlift, your muscles get tighter and you lose flexibility. So I’m getting older and my doctor was like, "We gotta either slow down on the weight lifting or find some way to add on to that where you can increase flexibility, core strength, decrease joint pain” and yoga helps a lot with joint pain. So it was mainly more of a medical necessity. And now I’m much more flexible than I was before.
How does doing yoga impact your mental health?
I did not realize how much yoga would impact my mental health until I actually started doing it because I’m naturally a very anxious person so my brain is always going. I’m always worried about did I lock my door? Is the stove on? In yoga, there’s no space for that. There’s silence and movement through your body so it kind of allows you to quiet that anxiety. I didn’t realize it would impact me this much but it has. I’m still an anxious person but a little bit less thanks to yoga (and Xanax).
What is your favorite post-workout snack?
Okay, this is gonna sound terrible. I do have a protein shake after my workout because you’re supposed to. But I do have a double cheeseburger after I work out because I need the protein. So does that count as a snack? I’m not lying. Sometimes I will have one of those cauliflower pizzas after my workout. ’Cause I mean, again, I’m trying to bulk up and build muscle, so the more protein and the more you eat, the better. But that sounds terrible, and it’s not really healthy, but I make the burgers myself. I don’t go to a fast food place, so it’s a little healthier.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be in a penthouse apartment in Central Park West.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I ever received would have to be, this is gonna sound so cliche and like obvious, but to just be yourself. It’s a lot harder than people think, especially when yourself is not of the norm or like the mainstream. Like if you’re an “other”, as society likes to place you, it’s a little harder. It’s more complicated than it sounds to just be yourself when you’re part of a minority group or you’re being ostracized or you’re not welcome in a lot of places. But it’s taken me a very long time to understand exactly what that means. And I know I’m comfortable enough with myself now, where as I said earlier, I can just block the comments and delete them because this is me and if you don’t like it, then find someone else’s page.
What’s a personal philosophy or motto you live by?
A personal motto or philosophy I live by is, if it does not bring you joy, throw it away. I’m kidding, that’s Marie Kondo. A personal philosophy that I live by is, if you want to do it, just do it. ’Cause we’re all gonna die anyway. So if you’re afraid of sunbathing nude on a beach because you’re worried about what that stranger a mile down is gonna think of your body, they’re gonna forget about it in 30 minutes anyway, and then you’ll have wondered your entire life if you should have done it or not. The point I’m trying to make is we’re not here for a very long time, so if there’s something you want to do or something you want to experiment with safely, I say go for it because we’re all gonna be gone soon anyway.
Where can our viewers follow you online?
You can find me at the same handle across all of my social media at @jasonscaceres!
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity