Welcome to Breath of Joy Yoga!! I am super excited about this new beginning for me and for our community! Recently I decided to teach yoga inside of PoJo Wellness in Springtown, Texas. It is the cutest space to teach. It feels very welcoming, and I believe you will feel that as soon you step into this studio. All of the amazing women at PoJo Wellness add so much to this beautiful space. You will find the sweetest and most dedicated women who offer so many wellness services. It is a wonderful, clean, bright, and friendly place.

I would like to tell you a bit about myself, so that you can understand the heart that is put into this studio. I have loved yoga for several years, and knew immediately how it helped me through some stressful times. I am married to my sweetheart, and we recently celebrated 27 years. We have worked hard together to raise 4 adult children and build a life together. Marriage and raising children, building a home and life, working hard, and still making time to have date nights has not always been easy. We have made some hard moves, changed our lives completely, and had some successes and some difficult times.

Yoga, at the beginning, was about two things for me. One was losing weight, and the other was to help with some depression and stress. I started practicing yoga in 2014, at the age of 40. It wasn't until 2022 that I went deeper into my yoga practice. In November 2021, around Thanksgiving, I was diagnosed with stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Her2 Positive Breast Cancer. I was so devastated and in shock. We had just started a brand new life in a new home and town. My youngest was a junior in high school. There is never a time that anyone wants to go through this kind of battle, but the timing seemed so unfair. I was determined to do EVERYTHING I needed to stay alive and regain my life. This was the beginning of a very hard "journey". I really hate that word, honestly. It is a journey though. There was a lot of Chemotherapy, surgeries, Immunotherapy, Dr appointments, and so much sickness. I felt absolutely beaten. I couldn't eat, and I slept so much because of the pain.

A friend introduced me to yin yoga, which I had never done before. I had stuck mostly to vinyasa or slow flow. Yin yoga was a game changer. I could do it in bed. It also really inspired me. After Chemo was done, and I was mostly healed from my surgeries, I decided to take yoga teacher training. I wanted to bring yoga to others battling breast cancer. This is where it all began.

I worked really hard learning as much as I could. I also was working on healing my body and my mind. I learned how powerful breath work is. I found out that meditation really calmed my mind. I began to get stronger in every single way. I started to feel better in my body, and THAT is my wish for you. To feel better in your body and mind. I started teaching in a few studios, and really found my confidence and joy again.

I am a certified and registered 200 hour yoga teacher, a certified meditation guide, a sound bowl practitioner, level 2 attuned for Reiki, and most of all I am just enjoying this new beginning. I continue my yoga education still, because I will always be eager to learn more.

Join me for yoga, and see how it can change your life.

Much love,

Shawn Walker

Breath of Joy Yoga