Lotus Healing Yoga is a website dedicated to Yoga practices facilitated by Joy Graham.

She practices as a Yoga Teacher, a Yoga Therapist, and as a Vedic Chant Teacher. She has years of experience working with the wonderful healing practices of Yoga: physical movements coordinated with breath and sound, image and intention, meditation, affirmations, mantra and vedic chant.  Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic Joy has focused on the Vedic Chant classes. Joy works in individual private sessions online, because in group sessions on Zoom or Skype chanting all together brings forth distortions and echoes! Not everyone is comfortable chanting individually and it takes more time to cover less during the class time. Joy was leading a group Vedic Chant class at Tabor Space which was magical, but she had to close the class because of the pandemic. She is beginning to teach at Taborspace again in September, 2024. Please go to Areas of Practice page for the flyer and more information about the class. Go to the Contact us page to send an email and to register.

Joy follows the teachings of Srī T Krsnamācārya in what is called Viniyoga, which means all the movements, breathing exercises, meditation and chant can be adapted for the ability, comfort and fitness level of each individual.  We do not want to pressure anyone  into a movement or any other discipline, instead, we want to adapt the movement or other discipline to nurture and strengthen the individual right where they are comfortable, with no judgement, progressing appropriately. It is the same learning Vedic Chant, we start practicing slowly and carefully in a way that establishes good and comfortable form, especially for the breathing. We want to be patient and kind to ourselves, always, especially when discipline is the hidden quotient!

Now is always an auspicious time to start!  Start where you are!   Yoga Sutra I.1 Atha yogānuśāsanam.

The breathing exercises are designed to carefully lengthen and expand the exhale, then the inhale, again starting at the appropriate level for each individual. There are so many wonderful ways to enhance health and well-being with breathing techniques.

The imagination, intention,  or bhavana is cultivated to assist and to stimulate or calm the mind/emotions, to nourish and direct the attention in meditation.

Affirmation, invocations, or Mantra spoken with movement or breath, on their own, or as part of a larger chant, are sacred messages which empower, protect,  and heal the individual. The Vedic Chants are sublime recitations of knowledge, healing,  and invocation heard in ancient times by Sages in profound states of meditation.   As we learn and practice the Chants,  the recitation vibrates and carries all the energy that the syllables of the Chants contain to every part of our being, transforming all relationships and the very atmosphere around us. A wonderful process of meditation focusing our attention on various rules to follow and lead us on a gentle journey of surrender to our highest and most humble Being.

.I am so deeply grateful to Bhāgavan Srī Satya Sai Baba, beloved Jesus,  Srī T Krsnamācārya and his son TKV Desikachar, to all of the Swamis before him from the Brahmatantra Parakala Math in Mysore, and the wonderful Rsi and Rsikā who heard the chants, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore and Unity,   Dr. Ernest Holmes and Centers for Spiritual Living,  Radha Sundararajan, all of the wonderful teachers at the KYM in Chennai, Śanthala Sriramaiah, the Venerable Dalai Lama, Professor Chen Man-Ching, the honorable Thich Nhat Hanh,  all of my teachers, all of my colleagues, and all the scholars and commentators and translators for all their valuable work, efforts, teachings and guidance.  This website is only possible through their enlightened work.  Nothing on this site is from me really, it is the compilation of all that has been read and studied, experienced and received.  I hope that it inspires all who visit to be kind, to love and respect all creation, to turn to Light for guidance and answer at all times, and in all circumstances.

For more information about Vedic Chant Classes go to Areas of Practice page. Peace and Blessings!

Logos designed by Marguerite Schumm of Portland, OR.