ma·ven /ˈmāvən/
noun: an expert or connoisseur
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Dr. Joanne
Spence
B.S.W. M.A. D.Min. Certified Yoga Therapist
Gentle practices for healing, resilience, and renewal.
Welcome—I’m so glad you’re here.
Mine is an unlikely story, but perhaps that’s what makes it relatable. What I share is surprisingly simple: gentle movement and breathing practices that have transformed my life—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Yoga and contemplative practices don’t have to be complicated. In fact, I sometimes call what I teach my non-drug intervention! These tools have carried me through trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and insomnia. They may not take away every struggle, but they can bring calm, clarity, and resilience in ways that are practical and accessible for anyone—yes, even if you’re not flexible (I promise).
Along the way, I’ve written about these practices in Trauma-Informed Yoga: A Toolbox for Therapists: 47 Practices to Calm, Balance, and Restore the Nervous System (PESI, 2021). Most recently, I co-authored Trauma-Informed and Trauma-Responsive Yoga Teaching: A Universal Practice (2024) with Dr. Catherine Cook-Cottone. Through writing, speaking, and teaching, I love helping people discover how healing practices can fit into everyday life—whether you are seeking personal restoration or professional resources.
I also draw on the riches of Christian contemplative traditions. Practices such as breath prayer, Lectio Divina, Ignatian spirituality, and imaginative prayer become even more powerful when experienced in the body. I call these embodied prayer practices—ways of joining breath, movement, and Spirit so that prayer is not only spoken but lived.
I’ve had the privilege of leading retreats and workshops in a variety of settings, from professional trainings to local churches. At a recent women’s retreat, for example, we combined prayer, gentle yoga, and silence in ways that created space for deep rest and connection. Moments like these remind me that healing isn’t only individual—it can be something we practice and receive together.
If you’d like to know why this matters to me, and how these practices changed my own story, you can read more in the Backstory.
If you’re curious to experience it yourself, I’d love to hear from you. Email me for an appointment—or reach out to invite me to speak or lead a workshop or retreat. It would be an honor to walk alongside you.
Books
Although many forms of trauma treatment rely solely on talk therapy as a means of healing, we cannot talk out every issue related to trauma. Indeed, trauma is stored in the body and the brain and must be treated as such.
Designed with both mental health clinicians and clients in mind, Trauma-Informed Yoga offers 47 short, simple practices that regulate the autonomic nervous system, calm the racing mind, and center those of us living chaotic 21st century lives.
Drawing from over 20 years of teaching and clinical practice, Spence masterfully weaves together the ancient wisdom of yoga with modern neuroscience and clinical practice in an accessible and compassionate manner.
This how-to toolbox will arm you with knowledge and with powerful, yet simple, mind-body activities that reduce suffering and increase well-being.
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Social work and yoga: The evolution of practice from talking to moving
Australian Social Work, V. 74, Issue. 2 (2021)
Yoga in schools: Some guidelines for the delivery of district-wide yoga education
Journal of Yoga Service, (1)1: 53-59
The impact of breathing and music interventions on stress levels of patients and visitors in a psychiatric emergency room
The Arts in Psychotherapy Journal, 40(3): 347-351
Resources
LifeForce Yoga: An evidence-based mood regulation protocol that supports those with anxiety, depression, and PTSD using accessible yoga tools (www.yogafordepression.com)
Subtle Yoga: Provides holistic education and training for yoga professionals and health care providers (www.subtleyoga.com)
Functional Synergy: Trains yoga teachers how to have functional, pain-free movement with yoga therapy (www.functionalsynergy.com)
Yoga Roots on Location: Trains yoga teachers and leads embodied antiracist organizing through Raja yoga (www. yogarootsonlocation.com)
Yoga Tune-Up: Uses a fitness therapy format designed to eradicate pain, improve posture, and enhance performance through a unique blend of corrective exercises, self-message, and yoga (www.tuneupfitness.com)
Yogafit: Emphasizes sports science and alignment principles, as well as the ancient traditions of yoga (www.yogafit.com)
YogaU: Online Yoga Education for Everybody (www.yogauonline.com)
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Articles
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