Joy’s yoga journey began in a skeptical way when she was in her early 20s. At that age, yoga sounded a little too “new age-ish” and “soft” —in comparison to running and snowboarding. However, the very first yoga class had her hooked. There was a kindness in the notion that yoga is a practice, not a perfect endeavor—something different from the competitiveness of daily life. Yoga quickly became not just a part of life, but a way of life. She has since held a dedicated practice for over 18 years, trying and practicing different styles of yoga including Ashtanga, Kundalini, Iyengar, and Hot Yoga. Yoga is certainly a physical practice, but what she considers more important is what one hopefully takes with them off of their mat. Blissful Spirits became her home away from home in 2012, and she gratefully completed her yoga teacher training through Blissful Spirits in July 2017.

 

Om shanti shanti shanti, namaste. ‘Om’ is considered to be the primeval sound, the sound of the universe, the sound from which all other sounds are formed. ‘Shanti’ simply means peace. ‘Namaste’ represents the belief that there is a divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra, an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another.