About

To put it dryly: When I began to practice yoga daily I was seventeen and a freshman in college. My first teacher’s name was Elizabeth Silas. I studied Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga with her for four years. I completed my first 200 hour teacher training under her guidance in 2002, and I continued to apprentice with her informally for the year following my training. Concurrently, I stumbled upon an Anusara Yoga community not far from my university and I began to study this innovative, optimistic approach to yoga with Mitchel Bleier, Sianna Sherman, and John Friend. I completed three teacher trainings and dozens of other therapeutic trainings, immersions, and workshops in the Anusara tradition over a period of five years. Concurrently, I graduated from college, moved to Chicago, and was welcomed into the yoga community there. Primarily, the teachers in this area practiced Vinyasa Yoga based in the Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Anusara traditions. The common thread I have sought in all of my teachers is a balance of alignment instruction with space for moving and breathing freely – this is also the balance that I seek to create when I lead students in class or private instruction. In 2007 I moved to New York to begin studying Ashtanga Yoga under the guidance of Eddie Stern. I made a personal commitment to study this tradition exclusively for a minimum of two years. From this practice I learned the power of repetition and the art of keeping a pace. I have been teaching group classes and private lessons for nearly ten years. I have led two international yoga retreats and several workshops. I am currently studying with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman.

A friend wrote this for me: Joyce’s understanding of Yoga enables an effortless transition from instruction to implementation. Her vast knowledge of the body, including both its limitations and its capabilities, allow her to guide practitioners so that their minds can accomplish anything. Joyce transforms her practice and those of her students to a world without boundaries. Teaching from a place of understanding rather than memorization allows her to apply unique techniques and direction to her students in a way that is both attainable and self-explorative. Students are taught by Joyce’s instruction how to transform their bodies, concentrate their minds, and make space in their eyes.

I am grateful for the many teachers, friends, and students who have guided me and believed in me along the way. I am honored by the privilege to now be teaching at Love in Montauk and at Yogaworks in NYC with so many wonderful teachers, and such a dedicated community of students.

I hope to see you on the mat.