Joyce Schroeder Peirce
Compassion in Action - Self Care with the MELT Method® and Shake Your Soul®
Rudy and Joyce met when they were both residents at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and were married there in 1993, the same year she became a certified Kripalu yoga teacher. In 1998 Joyce went back to school and embarked upon a 15-year career as a Speech Language Pathologist.
In 2014 she and Rudy began extensive travel schedules, bringing their gentle teachings to yoga studios up and down the east coast. Fast forward to 2020, everything changed, and Rudy & Joyce began teaching from their living room. Enter Zoom.
Today, Joyce not only acts as producer and communications director for Gentle Yogis, she also teaches online. She offers the MELT Method®, a gentle self-care practice that is the next best thing to getting a massage and Shake Your Soul® dance classes that have been a source of joy and self-expression for her that she is eager to share.
She took her first MELT class in 2013 and knew immediately she wanted to teach this specialized system of Hands-Off Bodywork® to help others prevent, and even eliminate chronic pain and move with more ease.
Joyce trained with Sue Hitzmann, the creator of the method, from 2013-2015, and is recognized as an Advanced Instructor. She has taught MELT in yoga studios in the Berkshires and has frequently been involved in the training of new MELT instructors.
Joyce’s students appreciate her clear detailed guidance, and the soothing pace of her classes. Rudy, has found MELT to be an important complement to his yoga practice to increase flexibility, and for smooth recovery from other physical activities. Many of his students enjoy it too.
What Joyce most enjoys about MELT is that it is a gentle and compassionate approach. MELT helps people feel better and increase their enjoyment of life through ease and comfort in daily living and movement activities.
Joyce first started guiding dance experiences in the late 80s and was certified as a Danskinetics teacher at Kripalu in the early 90s. In 2008 she trained with Dan Leven in Shake Your Soul® Yoga Dance and in 2024 she was certified as a Level 2 Shake Your Soul instructor. She loves the movement repertoire and variety of music used for this dance modality and is eager to share it with others.
Join Joyce for compassionate self-care through MELT and movement!
Joyce's Education and Trainings
- B.S., Early Childhood Education, Kansas State University, 1986
- M.A., Communication Disorders, 2001, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology, 2002, American Speech Language and Hearing Association
- Early Intervention Specialist Certification, 2006, Department of Public Health, Massachusetts
- MELT Method® Instructor, 2013, MELT University, New York City
- Kripalu Yoga Teacher Certification, 1993, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lenox, MA
- Kripalu Danskinetics Instructor, 1989, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
- Shake Your Soul movement facilitator, Level One, 2008, Level Two, 2024, Leven Institute for Expressive Movement, Lenox, MA
"Joyce is so talented, caring, and patient. I've been to other MELT instructors, and Joyce is one of the very best."
Enjoyed class tonight as always. Prior to COVID I would get a massage about every two weeks. Of course, that stopped abruptly and I am not sure when I will feel comfortable again getting a massage. So, MELT has been a nice alternative and I like the fact that I can do it on my own and at my convenience. Thank you for helping me learn how to do it.