About Yoga
Research has shown that yoga can carry both mental and physical benefits. Effects studied include improving mental flexibility, reducing stress and anxiety, repairing motor function after injury, and decreasing lower back pain.
After taking a hiatus from law school, I began practicing yoga to learn more about the connection between holistic body awareness and trauma recovery. I am 500-hour certified yoga teacher registered with Yoga Alliance. I have done 200-hour training in Santa Monica; 300-hour training in Bali; and additional trauma-informed and NCBTMB training.
I work with small groups and individuals one-on-one looking for a safe space to process their visions while supporting boundaries to overcome even the most difficult challenges. I’m a cheerleader for people who want to move the world and themselves into better directions. I’d love to be a part of your wellness journey.
Welcome to Our Practice
My approach to wellness coaching is based on two simple questions:
What do you need? What do you not need?
I help declutter the mind by teaching tools in meditation and breathwork, so we can identify what is essential to your life and what can help propel you forward. We all go through tough times sometimes. Being able to bring the best to our lives and to the lives of others is a constant practice. A regular physical yoga practice, a few good books, and routine self-care habits are all tools I support.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
FAQ
What type of yoga do you teach?
I’m trained in vinyasa flow and yin yoga. I also work with Tune-Up balls and myofascial release for deeper tissue work. My teaching style is focused on emotional balance, breath work, and philosophical breakthroughs for application in actual, real life.
I might mention with how Chakra theory might apply to your body; or how Judith Herman and Bessel van der Kolk would describe the way energy, stress, or trauma can get caught up in the body. Yoga is not a cure-all solution to mental health challenges nor a substitute for institutional change or justice. Yoga is a tool based on physical wellness and an enduring classical pamphlet of aphorisms.
Is it difficult to start a meditation practice?
I think body scanning during meditation can be very difficult for people, and I try to make meditation as easy and comfortable as possible. Instead, I enjoy guiding meditation focused on developing mettā, loving-kindness, for yourself, your body, and for others. I believe loving-kindness often starts with yourself and those immediately near you, so that you may uplift the energetic space around you, and protect yourself from lowering yourself for others. Meditation is an established tool for reducing stress, and may even support positive changes in the brain. Meditation ultimately is dependent on what you choose to inhale and what you need to exhale, and can be helpful in regulating the frequency of your resting thought patterns.
What would I need to do to start my practice?
You can email me at joanna@joannaongyoga.com.
What is your background? Where have you received your training?
500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance International.
200-hour training, YogaWorks, Santa Monica, USA, 2018.
300-hour training, Bali, Indonesia, 2019.
Spine and Scoliosis Iyengar Training with Koren Paalman, Los Angeles, USA, 2019.
Trauma-Informed Yoga with Hala Khouri and Kyra Haglund, San Francisco, USA, 2019.
Core Awareness: Psoas with Liz Koch, Kansas, REMOTE, USA, 2021.
Birth Doula Training, GracefulFusion with Nicole Heidbreder, Washington, DC, 2021. DONA International certification in process.
What are your rates?
Depends on how much time and what service. I offer sliding scale rates.
What other resources do you recommend?
I’m very curious about further scientific studies on neurobiofeedback training.
If you’re looking for other yoga resources, I’d recommend online classes at Glo.com and Alo.com, or meditation at Unplug in Santa Monica or the Calm app.
Yoga is not a cure-all solution to mental health struggles nor a substitute for institutional change or justice. I am not a licensed mental health worker nor therapist.
Book An Appointment
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. Dalai Lama
You can email me at joanna@joannaongyoga.com
or use the Contact form.
When and Where
Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm.
Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Free Consultation
A separate email will be sent to confirm time.