Stacy Joyce
Stacy’s mild scoliosis from childhood progressed rapidly in her early teens. At 16 years old, her S
curves were severe at 55 degrees in the thoracic spine and 78 degrees in the lumbar spine, and she had a spinal fusion with Harrington rods from T5-L4. She took her first yoga class two years later, and has practiced ever since. Yoga felt like a safe way to explore being in a body that she was unfamiliar with, and her practice became a source of joy over the years.
Stacy didn’t realize that there were specific ways to modify a yoga practice for those with scoliosis and a spinal fusion, which would have explained why certain poses felt so difficult. During her 500-hour yoga teacher training with YogaWorks in NYC, she discovered teachers, such as Miriam Rosetti, Deborah Wolk, and Alison West, who taught specific classes and workshops for these conditions. She was in tears taking the subway home after attending her first scoliosis and spinal fusion class with Miriam, because she was overwhelmed with this new information and wished she had found it earlier. After following Elise Browning Miller’s work for years, she completed training and certification with Elise Browning Miller as a Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer in 2021. Stacy is forever grateful for having found these beacons of light in these gifted teachers, to not only feel better in her own body, but learn how to spread these teachings to her students.
For information on classes, workshops, and private lessons, Stacy can be contacted at stacyjoyceyoga@gmail.com or www.spinalfusionyoga.com
