As a serial entrepreneur, Joanne has founded and directed three yoga studios since 2003.  She is currently seeing clients one-on-one and in groups at Urban Oasis Pittsburgh. Her specialty areas are adults and children with trauma, chronic pain, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.  She also works with veterans with acute mental illnesses. Joanne has seen the transforming effects of gentle, slow, and restorative yoga in her own life and in the thousands of people she has had the privilege of teaching.  It is the power of this work that gets her out of bed in the morning. She believes if you can breathe, you can do yoga.

 

    In 2005, Joanne founded Yoga in Schools (YIS), a non-profit organization, as a way to reach school children and teachers to help them nurture their own well-being through yoga.  Since then, YIS has become a leader in the field of school yoga, reaching over 20,000 children and 1,000 teachers with sustainable wellness programs. She has contributed to several journals and books on the topic of school yoga.  Some of these publications can be accessed at www.yogainschools.org.

 

    Joanne teaches and presents across the US at conferences and retreat centers including Kripalu, Omega, and the Graymoor Spiritual Center.  She considers it a great perk to combine her love of travel with her love of yoga. She has had opportunities to teach workshops and classes in many countries including China, Canada, UK (the country of her birth), Jamaica, Mexico, and Australia (the country she was raised in).

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    Joanne received her Master of Arts and Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She also has a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Pneuma Institute. 

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    Joanne has been married for 36 years and has 3 adult children all of whom practice yoga!  When she is not teaching, Joanne loves to read, write, hike, bike, travel, cook and even dance a little – just not all at the same time.

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