Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Murphy.
Hi Joy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I come from a family of entrepreneurs and am a second generation immigrant. Born and raised in Southern California, I was a ‘Shop Girl’ who spent weekends at my parent’s furniture store. That store was passed down to my dad after my grandfather retired. All I grew up knowing was my dad traveling during the month of my birthday while my mom filled in the gaps at home and the store. My parents worked hard so that their children could have stability. Now that I have children of my own, I see that their work ethic rubbed off on me!
After graduating college, I spent a lot of time figuring out what I wanted in a career. It lead me through jobs in a variety of industries and ended with focusing on being a stay at home parent. While I am forever thankful that I had the opportunity to spend time raising my children, I also felt tinges of emptiness as if pieces of my former self were drifting away. I found solace in going to the gym and fitness helped regain the emptiness I lost postpartum. This inspired me to teach group fitness classes part time where I met some remarkable mentors. Yoga at the time was a mere afterthought and served as a means for me to break from cardio workouts. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my second child that I got much more curious about the practice as a whole.
From there, I fell down the rabbit hole! I explored classes and teachers from yoga studios throughout my neighborhood and decided to take a yoga teacher training after my third child was able to be without me for an extended period of time. My 200 hour teacher training was with Brynn at True Flow Yoga in Newport Beach. She was actually pregnant, which made the experience even more special.
Yoga transformed my life in many different ways. It went from being a workout to a practice I incorporate in my daily life. As I continued to hone my teaching skills, I’ve learned that I can help so many people live yoga on and off the mat. The most important lesson- to slow down, embrace change and challenges and live life that fits my family and own needs.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning a service based business while being a parent has so many challenges! I juggled play and nap time with studying and work. I also moved through 3 different counties, so finding a consistent client base was difficult.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The primary style of yoga that I teach is alignment vinyasa flow. I tend to incorporate tai chi and qigong elements when I can and am known for promoting a balanced feeling after each session.
Right now I am a mobile yoga teacher. I help clients gain strength, mobility and flexibility in the comfort of their own home. I fell into this niche because I discovered many felt uncomfortable stepping into the gym or studio during and after the pandemic. I’ve also been fortunate enough to teach groups during life celebrations at amazing AirBnBs too! I am proud to offer custom sessions for the individuals in a private and group session.
My students are the real teachers. Through time I’ve learned that yoga is not a one size fits all practice, so I must thank the groups I taught at Crunch gym because they inspired me to adapt classes to fit more than one body type.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I don’t want to stop where I’m at now and want to aim for the stars. My future goals are to create a community wellness space where I can teach pre-natal yoga, parents can practice yoga with their children or come take a mental break from their family. Also, if anyone reading this is involved with or operates a nonprofit that helps single parents, I would love to speak to them about doing some sort of collaboration. It truly takes a village to raise a family and I’d love it if I can make some sort of impact, big or small.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joymurphyyoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjoyyoga_/
- Other: https://www.thumbtack.com/ca/temecula/yoga/joy-murphy-yoga-mjoy-yoga/service/457851435852177427?utm_medium=web&utm_source=txt&surface=sp
