Joan White

Joan began her yoga training in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1968. In a1972 horseback riding accident she broke her back and sustained other serious spinal injuries. She suffered from temporary paralysis and slowly began to recover do some yoga poses. Joan participated in a 1973 class in Ann Arbor taught by B.K.S, Iyengar .Watching her closely, he advised her what to do and what not to do. From the very first asana she knew that she had found her teacher.

Certified by B.K.S. Iyengar at the Advanced level, Joan has been studying with the Iyengar family since 1973. She has traveled to India 27 times and currently travels at least once a year to study with the Iyengars She was the Chair of the national certification Committee for the Iyengar National Association for six and a half years. She has been awarded best of Philly four times the last in 2009. The Philadelphia Magazine labeled her the doyenne of yoga.

In 2005 Joan had another horseback riding accident, which left her with a broken back, eight broken ribs, a destroyed shoulder and a punctured lung. Despite all of this she has continued to practice and learn from her experience. She has also had to learn how to work with both aging and injuries.

Joan’s teaching is true to the tradition’s high standards. Her language is direct and succinct. Her understanding of the poses draws from over thirty seven years of study with the Iyengar family. She genuinely enjoys being with her students and generously shares what she knows.