Studio & Joyful Teachers
Joyful Yoga Studio is an award winning studio- recently winning the Truro Chamber of Commerce Award for Best
Fitness Studio & Best Small Business of the Year for 2011 in Colchester and Most Loved Place to learn something new in 2015! Thank you to our loyal yogis & amazing teachers!**
Studio & Joyful Teachers
The first space to open in town devoted entirely to yoga -Joyful Yoga Studio has a beautiful location in downtown Truro on Inglis Street. The spacious second story location above Inglis Jewelers boasts high ceilings, natural lighting and an amazing selection of yoga classes to choose from. Joy Nicholson, owner and yoga instructor, is joined by several knowledgeable and friendly teachers to offer classes for everyone.
If you can breathe, you can do yoga.
As well as being an amazing physical exercise, yoga offers so much more. You will leave the studio feeling refreshed, relaxed and inspired.
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Joy Nicholson
Practicing yoga for over two decade now, Joy feels as though she was born doing it. She took her first class in Bridgewater, NS; (Can't remember the teachers name, but it made an impact!) while working adults with mental and physical health issues at Bonny Lea Farm. She immediately felt more patience, strength and groundedness within herself which relflected through her clients. She loves the calming effect for her mind; the lengthening effect on her body and the opening in her heart that comes with the practice of yoga.
Joy continued to seek out yoga classes through a decade in BC and travelling.
When Joy moved back to Truro she began working for CMHA as well as taking her first yoga teacher training. Yoga for Mental Health became her first focus- teaching yoga to adults with mental health issues. Joy loved seeing her clients gain coping skills while moving beyond the label of their diagnosis. Before long Joy started teaching more in her community, offering months of free classes for experience. She opened up Joyful Yoga Studio in 2006. A life long student, Joy continues to study the ancient art and has been a student of Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Dr. Timothy McCall, Nischala Joy Devi, Beryl Bender Birch, Todd Norian, Jenny Kierstead, Frank Jude Boccio and Cyndi Lee to name a few.
Joy is delighted to own a studio in her hometown- sharing and connected health and well-being within her community. Her compassion, creativity and enthusiasm shine throughout her classes and studio space. Joy and her studio have been recognized Nova Scotia House of Assembly as Best Young Entrepreneur for 2007, Best Small Business in Colchester in 2007 and Best Small Business of the year in 2011; Most Loved Place in Colchester to learn something new 2016!
Jennifer Stevenson
Jennifer Stevenson is a registered Massage Therapist and registered in Accupucture. She graduated of the first ever Joyful Yoga Teacher Training Program after many years of personal practice, so she offers phenomenal knowledge and makes yoga accessible to all.
Full of humour, enthusiasm and such a generous soul- Jennifer donates her skills to the community often & graciously. Students respond to her playful nature which is backed up by her fabulous anatomy knowledge. Other hobbies include mothering her three beautiful kids, singing, running and camping.
Jen leads our Community Acupuncture classes every Tuesday- Offering her wealth of skills in an affordable way for all!
Linda Campbell
Linda graduated from her Certified Yoga Instructor 200-hour training program with Joyful Yoga Studio in Spring of 2009. From the receipt of her certification she has explored instructing in Beginner, Flow, Hot, Power, Chair and Ball Yoga. Linda is committed to her time on the mat in the classroom and in her home practice. She brings to her offerings a
long history of instruction in fitness and a sense of adventure, curiosity and a light-hearted attitude. Linda highly recommends an open and playful frame of mind to finding that essential stillness - while in motion on the mat.
Come and get to know yourself...from the inside-out during the noon hour instruction she provides on Mondays during Noon Flow. You may find yourself cruising your "edge" and experiencing an unrealized potential in power and peace!
Diane Mahoney
Diane Mahoney comes from a diverse background. In university she studied psychology and education. She also has an extensive fitness background and has always led an active life. She studied dance for thirteen years and taught it throughout her youth. In university she became a Registered Fitness Appraiser and a fitness and weight room instructor which she continued for ten plus years. These days she continues to exercise and keeps herself busy with her family of five children, church activity and teaching math, science and yoga at Truro's only French school. Diane took her first yoga class at the age of seven and has never looked back - giving her more than forty years of yoga experience. Her journey of becoming a teacher, through Joyful Yoga, has been an amazing experience and has lead her to make yoga a daily part of her life - a practice she knows will last a lifetime. She is convinced that the many faces of yoga have something to offer for all of her moods, lifestyle and fitness needs.
Jodie Matheson
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Jodie Matheson is from Brookfield. She is married and a mother of two teens- a boy and a girl. She has been a critical care nurse for 19 years;mainly in Halifax cardiovascular intensive care. She also works part time as an RN at East Coast Dental Centre in Truro. Jodie is a CanFitPro PTS and is also a certified Schwinn spin instructor. She has a passion for health and wellness; and has dramatically deepened this interest since completing Joy's yoga teacher training program in June 2012. She looks forward to sharing her spirit and energy with you on the mat. Namaste.
Laura Blois
Laura Blois has been teaching Hatha yoga for four years and has been practicing for 15 years and believes that yoga is the best way to de-stress, calm the mind and maintain a healthy balance in life mentally and physically. In addition to completing her 200 Teacher Training at Joyful Yoga, Laura received training as a LifeForce Yoga Practitioner with Amy Weintraub, a renowned leader in Yoga for Mental Health. This training offers an application of yoga specifically designed to treat and manage mood symptoms such as anxiety and depression, in a gentle, compassionate manner.
She is inspired by the teachings of Rod Stryker, Elena Brower and Sally Kempton.
Laura has always been passionate about education and has taught French, Socials and Dance at the secondary school level. She is keen to one day bring her enthusiasm of yoga in the public school system. Laura is currently working to complete a Masters of Education Counselling from Acadia University. She feels this degree complements her yoga teaching and in the future she plans to offer a unique combination of yoga and talk therapy as an alternative way to heal and regulate mood symptoms.
Riley Winsor
My name is Riley and I am 23 years of age. I'm originally from Cape Breton but made the *big* move to Truro during junior high.
My journey with yoga originally took place in high school after taking yoga 11, and I've continued to fall in love with the practice ever since.
When you come to one of my flow classes you can expect to combine strength building movements with a variety of postures whcih will help to increase flexibility as well- all while staying connected to the breateh. Upbeat tunes an dpositive vibes gauranteed! (And maybe a little bit of sweat too!)
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Lynn Marie Mattie
Lynn Marie completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2002 at the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies in upstate New York. She returned to Omega in 2003 to complete a 5 month Building Peace from the Ground Up program, where she studied with shamans, healers and many other teachers. Lynn Marie is the proud mama of her beautiful son, Dane. She is on the board of directors for the Herbalist Association of Nova Scotia. She loves to dance, garden, and study all things mystical… especially astrology!
She grew up on a farm and has been able to intertwine her accounting career with her love of agriculture. She currently works as the Director of Finance for Blueline New Holland Limited.
Lynn Marie has most recently been studying yoga with Supriya Dasi of The Peace Project to deepen the spiritual side of her practice. She is very happy to be back teaching at Joyful Yoga, re-connecting with many of her yogini friends. Lynn Marie offers a welcoming safe space for a gentle yoga practice. Listen to your breath, feel your body, allow your light to shine.
Mary Oatway
Mary lives in Truro with her partner, 3 homeschooled children and a menagerie of chickens, cats and rabbits. She has been dabbling in yoga since she became pregnant with her first child and loved the emphasis on connecting mind and body. Now over 14 years later she is excited to be a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, having graduated from Joyful Yoga teacher training in April of 2016.
Mary works occasionally as a birth doula and gained her certification in pre- and post-natal yoga through TAYS in Halifax.
Formerly a wilderness canoe trip leader, Mary still loves to get outdoors with her family, whether camping, canoeing, hiking or gardening.
Mel Cotterill
I remember my first experience with yoga, following along with one of those videos they use to have on TV at 6am when I was a teenager. My yoga path was on and off after that, until I discovered that yoga was accessible to me, in my own living room, in my pajamas, while I was at home with two small children. That is the beauty of yoga, it is always accessible. As a pre-natal teacher, and breastfeeding educator I thought I was taking my Yoga teacher training in 2015/2016 to further my career by offering pre and post natal yoga, but yoga has become so much more than a career option for me; it is a way of life.
Yoga has helped me learn to love myself, just as I am, and it is my hope as a yoga instructor to help others start to catch a glimpse of the freedom that letting go of your ego, and being present in the moment, can provide. I teach yoga to bring more peace to the world, one class at a time.
When I am not on my yoga mat you can find me chasing my kids in various directions, reading, crafting, camping, cooking and helping to build a community that values families, mothers, women, body positivist, and self nurturing.
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Ida Kuhn
Ida has been always interested in healthy lifestyle and how to stay active and to eat healthy.
From the moment of taking her first yoga class, she fell in love with yoga and dedicated her time to attending as many yoga classes as she could. Very soon, Ida noticed the positive effects on her body and mind and wanted to share this experience with people in her community. Her goal is to help people to stay healthy, active and to socialize with each other. This is what yoga means to her: yoga => union, not only to connect body, mind and spirit, but also to connect with each other. Yoga is also about having fun and joy while you are on this interesting and wonderful journey to find your essence, your true Self.
She completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with the Joyful Yoga Studio and her 13-hour Yoga for Seniors Teacher Training with Jean Short in May 2019 and is eager to serve her students. How may she serve you today?
Jen
When asked about the influence yoga in her life Jennifer can never isolate it, as it permeates everything that she does. She has been practising yoga and dance in some form as long as she can remember and was fortunate to find family yoga over the last decade to bring her son into the practice.
She references it in her adult classroom in college teaching as she demonstrates relaxation techniques for her public speaking classes. She uses it in her special needs work to help her learners to focus and calm their bodies and minds.
Her daily practice is not typical. Very often a pose will appear half way through dinner preparation or while gardening. During an evening practice she will flow from Asana to dance to chant.
Recently she graduated from the Joyful teacher training program and has expanded her teaching to include a grade school yoga club in Bass River and a chair yoga class in Economy. She looks forward to building her classes to include a focus on special needs and their caregivers.
Blessed be.
