Joanna Wilson

Teacher

yonder

“Losing myself in the rhythm of it, absorbing the natural beauty all around me, gave me a taste of a spiritual connection that I craved more and more.”

I’ve always had a knack for expressing myself creatively and helping others do the same. I was a crafty child, and when I was introduced to ceramics in high school, I knew instantly that it would be a lifelong pursuit. I went on to achieve a graduate degree in ceramic arts, and I continue to teach pottery and sculpture classes and make my own works of art.

The discovery of my love for mindful movement came much later. I had always done what I thought necessary to stay fit but had never developed any deeper connection than that. Even once I began to study and teach Pilates and kettlebell classes, exercise still occupied a place in my life similar to taking vitamins or flossing: something that I just did to support the other aspects of my life.

“Losing myself in the rhythm of it, absorbing the natural beauty all around me, gave me a taste of a spiritual connection that I craved more and more.”

Then my husband and I spent four months hiking up the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to New Jersey. The stillness of mind that I found in the midst of the day-to-day grind of backpacking was truly my first authentic experience with meditation. Losing myself in the rhythm of it, absorbing the natural beauty all around me, gave me a taste of a spiritual connection that I craved more and more.

Once we returned to what most would call “normal life,” I needed a means of fostering and developing that connection, and the way that presented itself to me was through yoga. The combination of movement, breath, and sweat allowed me to let go and be right there, on the mat, and in that moment. After a few years of developing my personal practice, I decided to merge a love and a gift. My love of yoga as self-expression through movement and my gift of being able to help others find joy through their own creative assertions.

“The combination of movement, breath, and sweat allowed me to let go and be right there, on the mat, and in that moment.”

The more I teach, the more I am confident in my path and sure of my place in it. Since getting my yoga 200-hour certification at Thunderbolt Power Yoga in 2016, I have taught well over 1000 hours of yoga and am committed to growing my knowledge and practice. As I continue to  study and teach, my creativity flourishes and my yoga practice blesses me with a peace that keeps the rest of my crazy life in perspective. My hope is that as I walk this path, I help the yogis who move with me to be strong, connected, happy and creatively expressed.