I know it's March, but I am still transitioning into 2019.
It's been a busy year so far, and my home practice of yoga
has helped me so much.
As I've set my intentions for the new year,
I've chosen the word NOURISH to lead the way for my
mind, body, spirit, and soul in 2019.
I've spent time reflecting on what I've learned through
Joanna Barrett Yoga:
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I am not perfect; and that's okay. There’s no need to focus on or compare myself to others.
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Balancing on one foot helps me balance my life.
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Slow and steady on my mat and in my life serves me well.
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Flexibility in my muscles develops adaptability as my life changes around me and within me.
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Breathing is essential; inhales nourish me and exhales release that which no longer serves.
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Every transition is just as important as the pose; the journey is more important than the destination.
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I can build strength in my body and strong resilience to overcome life's obstacles.
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Creating spaciousness within creates expansion for my capacity to hold all of life.
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Yoga is much more than people in beautiful poses, it’s the cultivation of healing and awareness to yourself.
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I am reborn with each savasana.
Inspired by this quote, "Yoga is not about touching your toes, it's about what you learn on the way down,” by Judith Hanson Lasater, I am refining my practice for 2019.
See the image below for my 2019 yoga intention.
Be sure to like Joanna Barrett Yoga on Facebookfor updates, inspirational quotes, informative articles, yoga photos and more!
With love, gratitude and devotion,
Joanna
Teaching Schedule
I am teaching Prenatal Yoga at Breathe and Play Everyday in Quincy, MA on Wednesday evenings (5:30-6:30pm)! This all-levels, all-trimesters class is designed to help women find comfort during pregnancy, connect with their community, and prepare for labor and birth. Physical postures (asanas), flowing sequences (vinyasas), meditation and breath-work (pranayama) help women relax and adjust to the physical, emotional and mental demands of pregnancy. Yogic philosophy and increased awareness can be invaluable tools during the birth process as well as when attending to a new child and a mother's own special needs during this challenging time.
I am also teaching Yin Yoga at Breathe and Play Everyday in Quincy, MA on Wednesday evenings (7:00-8:00pm)! Yin Yoga classes consist of a series of long-held, passive floor poses that mainly work the lower part of the body - the hips, pelvis, inner thighs, lower spine. These areas are especially rich in connective tissues. Yin yoga is a perfect complement to the dynamic and invigorating (yang) styles of yoga. Yin yoga is for you if you are tired and craving energy or you’re over-stimulated and have too much energy; if your mind is overactive or your energy levels are erratic. Benefits of a regular Yin yoga practice include: Calms and balances the mind and body; Reduces stress and anxiety; Increases circulation; Improves flexibility; Releases fascia and increases joint mobility; and Balances the internal organs and improves the flow of chi or prana. Suitable for students of all levels.
Asana, pranayama, mantra, and meditation techniques are personalized for students so they can be guided through a journey of self-discovery to promote healing, restore balance and increase vitality. The aim is for students to maintain an optimum state of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being -- on and off the mat.
Through yoga students can experiment with:
Breathing
Moving
Strengthening
Stretching
and, Resting
Private sessions are set up so that a student is in control over what they are doing with their body at all times, and I am there to provide safe, professional guidance and to help students focus on particular dynamics (what muscles they are using, what it feels like to have their feet on the ground, what it feels like to breathe, etc.).
Four Packages to Choose From:
Soothing the Mind: Package for Reducing Anxiety
Uplifting the Spirit: Package for Increasing Joy
Embodying the Self: Package for Decreasing Disordered Eating
Calming the Chaos: Package for Stress Relief
What’s Included in Each Package?
30 minute initial phone consultation
Three 75-minute private yoga sessions (in person or via Skype)
30 minute phone call follow-up
What Can I Expect?
Tailored sessions to your needs and abilities
Access to Joanna via phone and email between sessions
Reinforcement coursework between sessions
Weekly inspirational emails and check-in
Reading list of recommended books
Discounted rates for purchasing a second package or additional sessions
For additional questions, rates and payment plan options, please email Joanna.
Uplifting the Spirit: Package for Increasing Joy
Yoga can help alleviate the symptoms and root causes of depression. Both active and passive poses, along with breathing and meditation, can provide relief from depression. Whether due to chemical imbalances or situational experiences, joy can be found through a holistic yoga practice.
Soothing the Mind: Package for Reducing Anxiety
By transferring focus and attention to the body and breath, yoga can help to reduce anxiety in the mind and tension in the body. With poses, breathing techniques and meditation, yoga can help decrease anxious thoughts, worry and panic.
Embodying the Self: Package for Reducing
Disordered Eating
When practiced skillfully, yoga helps us accept and celebrate our bodies. As a healing practice, yoga has the power to help in the treatment of disordered eating. Therapeutically-informed yoga can reduce eating-disorder causes and symptoms, and provide a self-care tool in the recovery process.
Calming the Chaos: Package for Stress Relief
Yoga for stress relief is beneficial for calming the nervous system and encouraging optimal well-being. Yoga can help us slow down, focus on one thing, and find balance in our lives. Some yoga positions are particularly effective for promoting physical and emotional relaxation, tension relief and restfulness.
Yoga Teacher Mentorship Program
As a certified yoga instructor with 10 years of yoga experience, I provide personalized instruction as a valuable tool for students of all levels, including new yoga teachers.
This 1:1 mentorship is for new teachers who recently completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training program (as well as restorative, yin, and prenatal certifications), and who need to build additional skills for sequencing or gaining the confidence to teach in front of a class.
This mentorship program in yoga and meditation provide the perfect opportunity to address teaching goals and work on areas of interest. Sessions can take place in your home or at a studio in the Boston and South Shore areas.
What Students and Clients are Saying
Joanna Barrett Yoga
"After years of listening to Joanna talk so highly about yoga and its ability to relieve stress and provide grounding, I finally tried a class. Her wealth of knowledge and patience makes her an amazingly inspiring teacher. I am so glad to be able to share this passion with her now." ~C., Student
"Joanna is just an amazing yoga teacher. I am not sure I have the word to describe the serenity and peace she creates for her classes. As soon as class begins you feel loved and supported. I leave Joanna's classes feeling full of love and peace. Thank you, Joanna, for sharing your beautiful spirit with all of us." ~M., Student
Joanna Barrett, MA, RYT-200, is a Registered Yoga Teacher and clinical mental health clinician, offering counseling and yoga to clients with emotional and physical challenges, as well as those looking for stress relief and relaxation. Joanna has over 500 hours of yoga training in vinyasa, yin, restorative, prenatal, therapeutic, and trauma-informed yoga.
Joanna’s journey to yoga began after struggling for many years with depression, chronic fatigue, migraines, insomnia, and extreme stress. Her body, mind, spirit, and soul needed profound calming, centering, and relaxation. After her first yoga class, Joanna’s mind was clear and open, her body’s tension had subsided, and she felt that there was healing that could be done on her mat.
Three years later, Joanna found herself gravitating towards teacher training to advance her practice and find passion and purpose in her life. Moved deeply by the psychological effects of yoga, Joanna decided to pursue a career in yoga and mental health counseling. Joanna’s experience in holistic wellness and mind-body modalities for healing has led her towards guiding individuals to reach their full potential for optimal well-being.
She earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Joanna’s career includes the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, Harvard University’s School of Public Health, South Boston Yoga, Healing Tree Yoga & Wellness Center, Om Births, Breathe & Play Everyday, The Yoga Room, the Pathways Institute, and community mental health agencies in the Boston area.
Joanna completed her 200-hour teacher training at South Boston Yoga with David Vendetti and Todd Skoglund. She continued her studies and completed her Relax and Renew® restorative yoga teacher training with Judith Hanson Lasater, yin yoga teacher training with Joshua Summers, and prenatal yoga teacher training with Rebecca Conant. Additionally, she completed teacher training modules in the areas of “the psychology of yoga” and “restorative yoga therapeutics” with Bo Forbes and “Trauma Informed Mindy Body (TIMBo)” foundations training with Sue Jones and YogaHOPE. Joanna completed a yoga therapy mentorship program with Kate Graham at South Boston Yoga, and later went on to assist the program.
Continuing her studies, Joanna regularly attends national workshops and classes to learn new tools to bring to her students. She has taken workshops and trainings with Seane Corn, Elena Brower, Kathryn Budig, Shiva Rea, and Dr. Timothy McCall, among others. Joanna is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, American Psychological Association, National Counseling Association, Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, and Yoga Alliance. She is also a published writer for Elephant Journal, Identity Magazine, and the South Shore Yoga Collective.
