top of page
Serving Women 50+ with Online Yoga Therapeutics & Meditation — Affirming LGBTQ+ Well-Being — Based in Lackawanna County, PA, including Carbondale, Mayfield, Archbald, Scranton, and Clarks Summit — & students worldwide.
Yoga Therapeutics & Meditation for Beginners
Joy Zazzera'a Blog
Welcome to your trusted hub for yoga therapeutics, meditation, and body-wise support.
If you’ve ever searched online for help with yoga or meditation—and felt more overwhelmed than empowered—you’re not alone. This blog is here to simplify the science, remove the guesswork, and teach you how yoga and meditation can truly support your body and nervous system.
Here, you’ll find clear, compassionate guidance rooted in therapeutic yoga, meditation made simple, massage-informed self-care, and my lived experience. Whether you’re navigating joint replacements, reduced mobility, chronic stress, or just beginning yoga and meditation after 50, this space offers real solutions—practical tools you can trust to feel better, move with confidence, and build a sustainable home practice.
Search
Microdosing New Year Intentions
Every January, we’re asked to decide who we’re going to be for the next twelve months. One word or phrase. One intention. One bold declaration meant to carry the weight of an entire year. And for a while, it works — until it doesn’t.
This year, instead of asking “What’s my big intention?” I’ve been asking a quieter, more practical question: What if growth didn’t require a dramatic overhaul — but a series of small, well-timed adjustments? This blog explores the idea of micro
Joy Zazzera
Dec 22, 20256 min read
Yin, Yang & the Five Elements
Many women come to yoga and meditation later in life not because they want to perform, sweat, or push harder — but because something feels off. Energy fluctuates. Sleep changes. Stress lands differently. Old injuries speak louder. Motivation isn’t what it used to be — or it shows up inconsistently.
A way to understand the body as dynamic, responsive, and shaped by seasons, emotions, and lived experience — not just symptoms in isolation — is through Traditional Chinese Medi
Joy Zazzera
Dec 16, 20255 min read
Considerations When Your New to Yoga After 50
Teaching yoga is not an advanced form of personal practice. And being a “beginner” in midlife is not the same as being new to yoga at 25, or even 35.Learning to practice yoga and learning to teach yoga are related—but they are not interchangeable.
And neither automatically prepares someone to guide bodies that have lived, adapted, compensated, healed, and changed over decades.
Joy Zazzera
Dec 7, 20254 min read
Savasana as Medicine: How Stillness Supports Healing and Stress Recovery
If you’ve taken a yoga class before, chances are you are familiar with Savasana as the final relaxation pose that concludes the movement experience. But Savasana is not the end of practice. It is where practice becomes part of you, and it can also serve as a stand-alone experience.
Joy Zazzera
Dec 1, 20253 min read
Online Yoga Classes: Yoga a New Way in the New Year
Build balance, mobility, resilience and confidence safety at home with follow-along beginner-level ONLINE YOGA CLASSES in a style and pace that truly meet you where you are.
Joy Zazzera
Nov 25, 20253 min read
What Studying a Human Cadaver Changed About How I Teach Yoga
As a movement teacher — a Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist — and Licensed Massage Therapist, my work centers on therapeutic application: helping people move, heal, and restore trust in bodies that have been injured, altered, or changed by time, surgery, and stress. That responsibility carries weight. And it requires more than memorizing structures from books or listening to lectures about the human form. This and my owned unconventional lived experiences brought me into
Joy Zazzera
Nov 13, 20256 min read
Why Consistency Counts: The Science Behind a Home Yoga Routine (and How to Make It Stick).
If you’ve ever sworn, “This is it—I’m prioritizing my health!” only to slide back into old patterns days later, you are so not alone. Those lapses can sting—leaving shame, self-doubt, and the worry that maybe you just don’t have enough willpower. But inconsistency isn’t a character flaw; it’s a systems problem. The brain burns energy on daily decision-making, and when every practice depends on motivation and executive effort, we fatigue fast. This blog offers some good news a
Joy Zazzera
Aug 16, 202510 min read
Yoga for a Body That’s Changed: A Therapeutic Approach for Women 50+
If you’ve been trying to heal or find confidence with yoga by attending a weekly group class, you might feel stuck. That’s because these classes are designed for the general population—not for people managing joint replacements, chronic pain, fatigue, or nervous system dysregulation.
One of the most transformative lessons I’ve learned (and now teach) is the “little and often” approach. You don’t need a 60 or 90-minute class to see progress.
Joy Zazzera
Aug 2, 20258 min read
Why a Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Would Study a Cadaver: Insights from the Inside-Out
While many yoga trainings skim the surface of anatomy, my path as a therapeutic yoga teacher has led me far deeper. In April 2023, I participated in a human cadaver dissection lab at the Laboratory of Anatomical Enlightenment in Boulder, Colorado. This wasn’t about textbook diagrams or abstract theory—it was an unfiltered, humbling, and profoundly human experience that reshaped the way I teach.
Joy Zazzera
Jul 26, 20253 min read
Yoga Philosophy Basics for Beginners: 4 Systems to Know
Yoga isn’t just about movement—it’s a rich and ancient system for understanding how we live, think, and grow. Long before yoga was associated with stretchy pants and studio classes, it was and remains a philosophy—a holistic way of approaching the body, the breath and the mind. If you’ve ever wondered about the deeper meaning behind practicing yoga, this article - Yoga Philosophy Basics for Beginners - offers a simple introduction.
Joy Zazzera
Jul 20, 20254 min read
Beginner Meditation Mistakes: 10 Common Myths You Don’t Need to Worry About
Meditation has become more popular than ever, but with that popularity comes a lot of confusion. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing it “wrong” because your mind won’t stop thinking—or because you haven’t had a transcendent experience—you’re not alone. The truth is, many common meditation myths can create unnecessary pressure and prevent people from starting (or sticking with) a daily meditation practice.
Joy Zazzera
Jul 6, 20254 min read
What Really Happens During Meditation?
Building Confidence in Meditation with The 6 Stages of PresenceWhen you first begin a meditation practice—or return to one after a break—it’s natural to wonder what really happens during meditation. Is it supposed to be calm and quiet? Should you be completely still, free of thought? What if you’re not? These questions are part of the journey. And the truth is, meditation isn’t about achieving perfection—it’s about meeting yourself right where you are and learning how to stay
Joy Zazzera
Jun 29, 20254 min read
How Much Should Yoga Cost? Discover Value in Personalized Practice
Yoga is more than a class. It’s an investment in healing. And like any investment, its true value depends on what it gives back—not just in the moment, but over time.
There are 6 factors to consider when developing your understanding about the value of developing a confident and personalized yoga practice and this article will discuss each of them.
Joy Zazzera
Jun 22, 20259 min read
How to Find the Right Yoga Teacher
Finding the right yoga teacher and style isn’t just about taste or preference. It’s about trust. It’s about alignment—not just physical, but philosophical. You deserve to know what kind of experience you’re stepping into, especially if you’ve tried other classes that didn’t quite feel right, or you’re approaching yoga with physical limitations, stress, or hesitatio
Joy Zazzera
Jun 8, 20255 min read
How to Create a Meditation Routine
One of the most powerful and transformative tools we have is a daily meditation practice—built into our day like a trusted anchor. Learning how to create a meditation routine that feels sustainable can be life-changing. Taking regular “time-ins” gives the mind a break from the constant stream of doing. It’s like putting your mental ringer on silent—offering yourself a permission slip to pause, reset, and create space between your thoughts and the demands of your day.
Joy Zazzera
Jun 1, 20253 min read
Is Online Yoga Effective? The Advantages of Practicing Yoga Virtually
Practicing yoga virtually offers unique advantages, especially for adults with movement limitations, joint replacements, or chronic stress.
Online yoga also removes common barriers: commutes, studio culture, and environments that may not feel inclusive. And when your virtual teacher is experienced in yoga therapeutics, the practice becomes not just accessible—but deeply supportive.
Joy Zazzera
May 4, 20253 min read
How to Practice Yoga Safely: For Older Beginners & Adults with Movement Limitations
Safe yoga for older beginners isn’t about avoiding all discomfort—it’s about learning to recognize your limits, respond to your body’s signals, and build capacity gently.
One of the most common concerns among beginners—especially older adults—is poor balance or feeling “unsteady.” This is often a result of disuse, outdated movement habits, or unresolved tension. The good news is that balance can improve with practice—especially when we focus on the foundational systems that
Joy Zazzera
Apr 20, 20253 min read
What Happens When You Sit Still To Meditate
Sitting still to meditate may seem simple, but it can awaken a wide spectrum of internal experiences—some subtle, some surprising. For many beginners, the first time they truly pause reveals a noisy inner world: thoughts racing, sensations rising, memories surfacing. This is not a sign of failure; it’s a natural part of the process. Meditation isn’t about “doing nothing.” It’s about gently witnessing whatever arises within you—without judgment or resistance.
Joy Zazzera
Apr 6, 20254 min read
How Meditation Affects the Brain and Body: What Science Reveals
In recent years, scientific research has made it increasingly clear: meditation profoundly affects both the brain and body. From improved sleep to reduced pain, emotional regulation to cognitive clarity, peer-reviewed studies continue to confirm what ancient traditions have long known. This post explores how meditation affects the brain and body, uncovering what science reveals about the true power behind stillness.
Joy Zazzera
Mar 23, 20256 min read
How Chronic Stress Impacts Your Health
Stress itself is a normal part of the human experience, a signal that something needs attention. But chronic stress, or distress—the overwhelming kind of stress that exceeds our ability to cope—can wreak havoc on both body and mind. Because each of our early warning signals is different, it’s important to get in touch with your own response to stress overload. Simply by paying attention, you’ll begin to notice the toll that stress is taking on your body.
Joy Zazzera
Mar 9, 20254 min read
bottom of page