About Us
What is The Joyful Willow?
Hello! Chrys and Tanja here. Welcome to the Joyful Willow!!
If this is your first time visiting, let us do a brief introduction: We are a yoga and lifestyle business that provides, through various social media and virtual platforms, videos and blogs relating to the practice of yoga as well as tips on how to have a more balanced and sustainable lifestyle. Our purpose is to create high quality (& joyful!) yoga and life-style content to help people let go of any inner judgements, allowing them to be their most authentic self. We aim to inspire others to be curious and encourage them to pursue personal growth through movement, food, travel and connecting with nature.
The Joyful Willow’s name was inspired by the beautiful willow trees that grow in Sierras de Bellavista, a small mountain town tucked in the Andes on the Chilean side, where we have spent a great part of our life. Besides being a beautiful tree, willows represent resilience, flexibility and adaptability—this is because if you take a willow branch and plant it in the ground, a new willow tree will grow in its place. Like a willow tree, we aim to be flexible yet resilient, adjusting to life’s pressure without snapping under its weight. We believe in trying to find balance and joy in our lives, and The Joyful Willow was created with the aim to provide you with tools to assist you in finding happiness and peace both in your yoga practice as well as in the other aspects of your life.
As we grow both as a company and individuals, we hope that we can help you with your personal goals, whether that is to improve your health, find more balance in your life, or develop your yoga practice.
About the Founders
The Joyful Willow was founded in 2023 by two Chilean-American sisters who, after years of working in the corporate world, decided to take the leap and create a business together that aligned with their values: to be a contributing member of society, to promote sustainability and balance in people’s lives, and above all, to bring joy to their communities.
About Tanja
Co-Founder and Vinyasa & Restorative Yoga Teacher
Hola! I grew up in Chile, with a love for the outdoors, especially for the mountains. This led to me eventually finding rock climbing as one of my favourite ways to spend my time! So you will find me climbing rocks wherever I go to.
Even though I started practicing yoga many years ago, it was in 2018 after a car accident that I realised how much yoga helped me with my recovery and I wanted to try and help others. I studied to be an instructor in 2020 and subsequently started teaching online and in person classes. The more I practiced yoga, the more I realised that to have a life full of joy it is important to work on our inner state of mind, on how we relate and communicate with ourselves and others as to create harmony. So I also decided to learn more deeply about personal development, leadership and communication, which led me to be certified as a Mentor in Leadership by Vital Voices.
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At the end of 2021 I started teaching yoga outdoors in the Women Rock Warriors workshops all over Ireland which are run by my best friend and incredible rock climbing & life coach Nastia! We both love rock climbing and the outdoors but mostly we wanted to create a safe space for women to explore these, to be outside of their comfort zone, and have the time to self reflect and learn both yoga and rock climbing in nature.
Yoga has many meanings to me, but the focus of my practice and teaching circles around creating the space and movement that allows mind and body to flow in sync and to connect. I have found that this is when I am the happiest and most joyful. For me yoga is not just a physical practice, but it is also how we treat each other, how we treat ourselves, and how we practice love.
The one thing that I recommend in all my classes is to allow yourself to listen to your body and energy. My goal is to help you to let go of any inner judgements through a vinyasa style practice, and allow yourself to be your most authentic self to grow within your yoga practice, and grow to be the person you want to be in and out of your mat.
About Chrys
Co-Founder, Business and Legal Affairs
I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile and spent a lot of my youth running around outside and playing in the beautiful forests of Sierras de Bellavista, a small mountain town in the Chilean Andes. Born to an American mother and Chilean father, I grew up in an international family that encouraged adventure, exploration and pushing one’s limits. I received my undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, majoring in Asian Studies, and lived a few years in Japan before getting my law degree at Harvard Law School and my masters of law degree at Cambridge University. After seven years of working as a lawyer for private law firms in London, I decided to pursue my passion for yoga, travel and good food and founded a business in 2023 with my sister, Tanja, which we named The Joyful Willow. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, exercising, and spending time with friends and family.