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Yoga Medicine ® Therapeutic Specialist

Yoga with Joy - Joy Zazzera

Serving Women 50+ with Online Yoga Therapeutics & Meditation — Based in Lackawanna County, PA, including Carbondale, Mayfield, Archbald, Scranton and Clarks Summit — and worldwide

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Yoga Therapeutics & Meditation for Beginners

Joy Zazzera'a Blog

Welcome to your trusted space for science-informed insight and body-wise support.
If you’ve ever searched for yoga or meditation help online—and ended up more overwhelmed than empowered—you’re not alone.
This blog is here to remove the guesswork out of what's possible.

Here, you’ll find clear, compassionate guidance rooted in yoga therapeutics, meditation made simple, massage therapeutics, and my lived experience. Whether you’re navigating joint replacements, reduced mobility, chronic stress, or just starting out with yoga and meditation, this space is meant to remove confusion and offer real solutions—for your body, nervous system, and stage of life.

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Yoga Medicine ® Therapeutic Specialists Human Cadaver Dissection Lab training at the Laboratory of Anatomical Enlightenment in Boulder, Colorado.

Yoga Medicine ® Therapeutic Specialists Human Cadaver Dissection Lab training at the Laboratory of Anatomical Enlightenment in Boulder, Colorado.

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.

Jul 273 min read

Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist

Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist

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

Jun 86 min read

Practicing Reclined Hand to Big Toe position to stretch the hamstrings and calf assisted with a yoga strap for more control through the experience.

Practicing Reclined Hand to Big Toe position to stretch the hamstrings and calf assisted with a yoga strap for more control through the experience.

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

Apr 203 min read

Knee pain after sitting is often your body's way of moving cautiously - not failing. Yoga therapeutics helps you move with more ease and less guarding.

Knee pain after sitting is often your body's way of moving cautiously - not failing. Yoga therapeutics helps you move with more ease and less guarding.

The Science of Yoga Therapeutics: 7 Proven Benefits for Stress, Pain, and Mobility

When you’re stiff, cautious, or afraid to move, your nervous system is doing exactly what it’s designed to do—protect you. But when protection turns into avoidance, it can lead to deeper restriction, discomfort, and disconnection. That’s where yoga therapeutics comes in. This science-informed, personalized approach to movement uses the “a little and often” method to help reintroduce safe, accessible movement—especially for joint-sensitive adults or those recovering from in

Feb 244 min read

Yoga Therapeutics Practice Props

Yoga Therapeutics Practice Props

Yoga Therapeutics as Personalized Medicine

Discover the transformative power of Yoga Therapeutics as personalized medicine. Learn how Yoga Therapeutics supports healing and resilience.

Feb 174 min read

A woman uses therapy balls to release tension in the upper back, applying gentle pressure to alleviate muscle tightness and adhesions.

A woman uses therapy balls to release tension in the upper back, applying gentle pressure to alleviate muscle tightness and adhesions.

Yoga for Stress Management: What You Need to Know

Discover the transformative power of yoga for stress management. Learn how understanding the body-stress connection can enhance resilience and well-being through the practice of yoga therapeutics.

Feb 34 min read

Joy Zazzera is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s only Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist—one of just three in the state and 104 in the U.S.

Joy Zazzera is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s only Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist—one of just three in the state and 104 in the U.S.

Yoga Therapeutics for Musculoskeletal Conditions

If you're seeking relief from pain, stiffness, injury recovery, or stress-related tension, it's important to work with a yoga teacher who understands how to safely and effectively support your body’s needs. Not all yoga instructors are trained in therapeutic practices, and not all certifications are created equal. Two of the most recognized credentials in the field are Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist.

Jan 305 min read

Trauma-Informed Yoga: How Trauma Shapes Body & Brain

Trauma-Informed Yoga: How Trauma Shapes Body & Brain

Trauma-Informed Yoga: How Trauma Shapes Body & Brain

Stress is part of being human. It’s our body’s way of responding to change, challenge, and demand. But trauma is different. Trauma is what happens when we’re overwhelmed by stress that feels inescapable—especially when it involves threats to safety or survival. This blog explores how trauma impacts the brain and nervous system, why it affects the body long after the event, and how this understanding can lead us toward compassionate, body-based healing.

Jan 84 min read

Doctor pointing to a skeletal model of the pelvis, known anatomically as the acetabulofemoral joint.

Doctor pointing to a skeletal model of the pelvis, known anatomically as the acetabulofemoral joint.

Yoga for Osteoarthritis and Hip Replacements: Safe Movement for Joint Pain Relief and Recovery

If we’re lucky enough to live a long life, we’ll all experience some form of joint degeneration. That may sound grim, but it doesn’t have to be. Osteoarthritis (OA)—a common degenerative joint condition—can be managed, and even improved, with the right support. And for those living with hip replacements, there’s hope in knowing that healing is possible with movement that’s both mindful and biomechanically informed.

Nov 3, 20244 min read

Physical Therapist performs a movement evaluation of a female patient presenting with shoulder pain and restricted range of motion.

Physical Therapist performs a movement evaluation of a female patient presenting with shoulder pain and restricted range of motion.

Yoga for Shoulder Pain and Injuries After 50: How Therapeutic Yoga Supports Healing and Mobility

If we’re fortunate enough to live a long life, some level of joint degeneration is inevitable. But degeneration doesn't have to mean pain. In fact, shoulder pain in aging bodies is often less about the severity of the “damage” and more about movement quality, muscular imbalance, and how well the shoulder is supported by the surrounding structures. This is where yoga therapeutics—especially when personalized—can offer a profoundly healing approach.

Jun 30, 20244 min read

Working from a supine position (lying on the back face up) offers a therapeutic benefit to individuals dealing with the most common conditions of the spine. Their restorative nature can: help pain relief by promoting relaxation, improve awareness, flexibility, mobility, and neuromuscular control, and strengthening supportive muscles.

Working from a supine position (lying on the back face up) offers a therapeutic benefit to individuals dealing with the most common conditions of the spine. Their restorative nature can: help pain relief by promoting relaxation, improve awareness, flexibility, mobility, and neuromuscular control, and strengthening supportive muscles.

Gentle Yoga for Low Back Pain Relief

Low back pain affects up to 80% of people at some point in their lives. And yet, no two experiences of pain are exactly the same. One person may feel stiffness or deep achiness; another may deal with nerve pain, instability, or postural strain. What’s important to understand is this: even when imaging shows degeneration, bulging discs, or misalignment, pain is not always directly tied to structure. And even when there are no structural issues at all, pain can still be very r

Apr 28, 20245 min read

Scoliosis is a condition marked by a lateral curvature of the spine, often accompanied by subtle or significant rotational shifts which also affect the rib cage and scapula.

Scoliosis is a condition marked by a lateral curvature of the spine, often accompanied by subtle or significant rotational shifts which also affect the rib cage and scapula.

Yoga for Scoliosis: Supporting the Curved Spine with Therapeutic Practices to Improve Posture, Mobility, and Pain

From a yoga therapeutics perspective, scoliosis isn’t just about the bones. It’s about how the entire body adapts to the curve, especially the soft tissues that surround, support, and respond to spinal changes. Muscles, fascia, breath mechanics, and balance all play a role in how scoliosis is experienced and how it’s best supported.

Mar 24, 20245 min read

Person doing self-massage on shin muscles with two therapy balls.

Person doing self-massage on shin muscles with two therapy balls.

Understanding Fascia Tightness: What It Means & How to Support It

You may have heard that your fascia is “tight,” “wound up,” or “needs to be released.” These phrases are common in wellness spaces—but are they accurate? What does it actually mean when we feel stiff, restricted, or like we need to “stretch something out”? This blog explores what’s really going on beneath the surface—and how therapeutic movement, stretching, and self-massage can help.

Feb 18, 20244 min read

Woman practicing self-massage with two therapy balls targeting the fascia around the gluteus muscles of the hip with sinking pressure, calming the nervous system and improving local circulation.

Woman practicing self-massage with two therapy balls targeting the fascia around the gluteus muscles of the hip with sinking pressure, calming the nervous system and improving local circulation.

8 Fascia Facts Every Yoga Beginner Needs to Know

As we age, we accumulate molecules called AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-products). These form when sugars bind with proteins in the tissue and can: (1. )Make fascia more crystalline and rigid; (2.) Reduce elasticity; (3.) Contribute to the “stuck” feeling in tissues; But AGEs are very hydrophilic—meaning they pull in more water, not less. So older adults might actually have more hydration in their interstitial fascia, despite feeling stiffer.

Feb 4, 20245 min read

Gentle, intentional motor control engagement and coordination of the body moving slowly through space in kneeling exercise "Bird Dog" offer a slow build in stability and control of the core, spine and hips.

Gentle, intentional motor control engagement and coordination of the body moving slowly through space in kneeling exercise "Bird Dog" offer a slow build in stability and control of the core, spine and hips.

Yoga Therapeutics for Pain Relief: Building Resilience & Reconnection

Pain often distorts our sense of where we are in space. Many people with persistent pain lose proprioception—meaning, they’re not quite sure how they’re moving. This can lead to imbalances, instability, and more discomfort. A skilled yoga therapeutics approach brings awareness back online. By slowing things down, removing extra stressors (like balance or complex transitions), and noticing asymmetries with compassion—not criticism—you begin to re-establish a healthy relations

Jan 7, 20243 min read

Yoga's discomfort zone and what it means to step into it.

Yoga's discomfort zone and what it means to step into it.

Yoga's discomfort zone and what it means to step into it.

If your reaction to trying yoga elicits a mindset that you don’t have an able-body for yoga, or you can't balance, consider reading on.

Dec 14, 20225 min read

Hormones, Fascia, and Yoga: What Ovulation and Menopause Mean for Your Practice

Hormones, Fascia, and Yoga: What Ovulation and Menopause Mean for Your Practice

Hormones, Fascia, and Yoga: What Ovulation and Menopause Mean for Your Practice

Fascial changes in response to hormones is a topic that fascinates me and is now gaining attention in scientific research, especially...

Dec 10, 20225 min read

In yoga therapeutics, increasing circulation in the feet improves stability and balance in standing poses. One technique is to incorporate yoga props like a block with a myofascial therapy ball to produce sinking pressure and shearing stimulation.

In yoga therapeutics, increasing circulation in the feet improves stability and balance in standing poses. One technique is to incorporate yoga props like a block with a myofascial therapy ball to produce sinking pressure and shearing stimulation.

How Stretching and Myofascial Release Improve Fascia Health, Mobility, and Internal Wellness

The human body is a complex tension-integral system where push and pull have a win-win relationship. More simply, the body is bones connected by soft tissue within a net of continuous tension creating stability without direct contact. When the tension network shifts, it affects the entire system and has impacts on efficiency of movement, and propensity to injury.

Dec 7, 20226 min read

Yoga Sharpens Brain Health: Memory, Focus & Neuroplasticity

Yoga Sharpens Brain Health: Memory, Focus & Neuroplasticity

Yoga Sharpens Brain Health: Memory, Focus & Neuroplasticity

As we age, our brain actually atrophies in function. But did you know that practicing yoga as a regular part of your lifestyle can ...

Oct 16, 20226 min read

"What Kind of Yoga Do You Teach?"

"What Kind of Yoga Do You Teach?"

"What Kind of Yoga Do You Teach?"

I was recently asked by a new client after having taking a few classes with me to describe the style of yoga I teach. While my yoga is...

Aug 18, 20218 min read

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