Joanne Matson

Hi! My name is Joanne and I try and embrace Ayurveda and Yoga in all aspects of my life. I found these sacred sister sciences as a form of healing from my debilitating life with Crohn’s Disease, and as a result of this devastating auto-immune disease, degenerative spinal arthritis. I try to balance our modern hectic lifestyle with the practice of living with awareness through yoga and daily routines. My intention is to share my own experience of healing by helping others find peace and balance in their everyday lives.

Once my disease fell into remission, and ultimately became obsolete, I wanted to learn how to heal others with the rudimentary information I had learned through the hard knocks of experience. Fortunately, I found incredible teachers along my path as I began my official schooling. I am certified as an Ayurveda Wellness Counselor from both the Kerala Ayurveda Academy and the American Institute of Vedic Studies, and certified as a Raja yoga teacher (Sundara College of Yoga, Encinitas, CA) where I studied, and continue to do so, with my beloved teacher Tom Kelly. My teachings incorporate Hatha, Iyengar, Yin and Vinyasa yoga, along with the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda into my teaching style. My intention is for my classes to form a tapestry of movement, meditation and stillness – with particular attention to mindfulness and breath.

When teaching or counseling, I subtly weave Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga into my classes by incorporating and encouraging Pranayama (breathwork), Asana (yoga postures) and meditation. I credit my guru, Paramahansa Yogananda for leading me in the path of yoga, and to the many other beautiful healing teachers, in all forms, who have graced my life with love and inspiration. With humor and humility, I invite my students and clients to awaken to their true healthy nature by creating balance, clarity and a sense of peace within themselves.