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A Texas girl at heart, Joy Winkler loves the very “Texas” spirit that skirt celebrates – a similar spirit she incorporates into her every day yoga practice. A mechanical engineer turned yoga practicioner and teacher, Joy made a decision to never work again – and by that she means consciously.  Whether she is teaching her yoga classes, returning emails or handling mechanical issues at her yoga studio, she does it from the heart and has fun doing it!

The owner of Joy Yoga on Washington, Joy strives to share the empowering and healing effects yoga can have on your life.  “My passion is using yoga postures as tools for people to release worry and stress, and as tools to feel that we can choose to allow even challenging situations (or poses!) be joyful and liberating.”

A native Houstonian and graduate of Rice University, Joy worked as an engineer for several years before making yoga her life in 1999. Her passion for yoga stemmed from ballet classes that she began at the young age of three.  Early on, she found the joy and freedom in movement.  She does admit that her engineering background makes her quite the unique yoga teacher –  she is detail-oriented, highly organized, punctual and most importantly has a dual perspective on life having worked on the corporate side and experienced the negative aspects of a job that is not centered around passion.

Joy looks forward to The Texas Yoga Conference taking place here in Houston February 19 – 20. As a member of Texas Yoga Association, she also has plans to travel alongside yoga partner,  Jenny Buergermeister, on an 11-city tour next year called the Texas Two-Steppin’ with Yoga Tour