This post was made in partnership with Joyn.
Finding Joyful Movement with Joyn
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I recently began my 200 hour yoga teacher training at Super Yoga Palace in Dallas. It’s been my goal this last year to heal my relationship with movement.
I’ve been in and out of workout classes maybe my entire life since age 15 onward. Before very recently, I’ve never joined a workout class without the intention of changing my body. I’ve done spin class, I’ve taken burlesque, swimming lessons, barre, pilates and weird trendy workouts that could have only been created in Los Angeles. I used to be one of those people who went to the gym four to six hours a day. All in the name of aesthetics. Never in the name of my own personal well-being or happiness. To me, happiness was an after photo, not a state of being,
Somewhere in the last few years I found meditation and restorative yoga. Both are such blessings in my life. Both have healed me from the inside out. I went to restorative classes following a big move, a break-up, a job-loss, an assault and I believe I saw significant healing from all of those classes.
I wanted to explore more classes – but outside the realm of restorative, meditative classes, I found a LOT of fitness oriented classes.
Luckily enough for me, I found a studio that resonated with my spiritual needs. I am now on the path to teacher certification there.
I was introduced to Joyn as a partnership. There are many brands I work with that resonate with me, but none that have resonated with me on such a personal level.
Joyn is an online community emphasizing fat-positive, joyful movement. It’s a place where instructors with fat bodies teach fat people how to move their bodies. There are a host of video classes including, guided walking, meditation, yoga, pilates and cardio dance. All of these classes have seated modifications.
Joyn is SUCH a radical and innovative tool. Fat people are judged in fitness spaces. We just are. We are assumed to be beginners. We are assumed to be on a weight loss journey. Our movement is a means to an end. Not the end itself. Not the present moment.
Before entering my yoga teacher training, I was SO nervous. I stayed up late the night before worrying about what awaited me the next morning. I remembered the welcoming presence of Anna Champman, Joyn’s resident accessible yoga and self love teacher. She had a body like mine, and she calmly guided me through a flow that felt good for me. There wasn’t a single moment when I felt shame about my body’s abilities.
I also plan on using the app for learning how to modify different types of bodies. I want to be able to cue bodies bigger and smaller than mine effectively through a yoga practice.
I believe that Joyn has the power to heal many many people’s relationship with movement. It helped me spiritually the night before a course and I will continue to use it in lieu of visiting fitness spaces I have even more nervousness about visiting: pilates and dance cardio, namely.
Lucky for you,Joyn offers a 7-day free trial with sign up. If this is something you feel like adding into your routine – its fairly easy.
I’m also giving away a membership with Joyn on my instagram feel free to enter!
If you have any questions about Joyn – feel free to ask me, I am continuing my membership after my partnership is over and can’t wait to watch the community grow!
FTC: This post was made in partnership with Joyn. All opinions are my own.
