About the Practice
Yoga OM in Huntersville, NC
Yoga OM is a welcoming and intimate, membership-based yoga sanctuary in Huntersville, North Carolina, devoted to mind–body integration, spiritual well-being, and consistent practice.
Here, yoga is approached as a living practice—one that supports holistic health, nervous-system regulation, and inner clarity. Yoga OM offers a grounded space where students are invited to slow down, show up regularly, and cultivate presence through traditional teachings.
Where body and breath meet the wisdom of nature,
each practice sparks vitality and awakens the heart.
Yoga as a Practice
Yoga is the path toward freedom from suffering, illusion, and the limitations of the ego, leading to self-realization and union with universal consciousness. This is cultivated through disciplined mind–body practice, steady breath, and awareness.
At Yoga OM, yoga is not treated as a workout alone, but as a transformational practice that unfolds over time through consistency and care.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Yoga OM is rooted in the tradition of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, a dynamic and meditative system taught in the lineage of
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who learned directly from his teacher Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.
Ashtanga synchronizes breath with movement (vinyasa), creating heat, circulation, and purification of the body, mind, and nervous system. Through regular practice, students develop strength, flexibility, stamina, and mental clarity, alongside a deep sense of well-being.
Traditionally, students memorize a set sequence and practice independently within a shared space. Later in Guruji Jois’s life, teacher-led (Led) classes were introduced and are now practiced alongside Mysore-style sessions.
The Ashtanga Method
The practice begins with Surya Namaskara A & B, followed by a standing sequence and one of the six traditional series, ending with a closing sequence.
The Six Ashtanga Series
Primary Series – Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy)
Intermediate Series – Nadi Shodhana (Nerve Purification)
Advanced Series – Sthira Bhaga (Centered Strength)
Advanced A (Third Series)
Advanced B (Fourth Series)
Advanced C (Fifth Series)
Advanced D (Sixth Series)
99% Practice · 1% Theory
Progress is built through lived experience on the mat, guided by breath and repetition rather than intellectual effort alone.
Postures are taught sequentially, allowing each student to progress at a pace appropriate to their body, history, and capacity—making Ashtanga suitable for beginners, experienced practitioners, and those with specific physical or health considerations.
About Mysore Style Practice
Mysore style is the traditional method of practicing Ashtanga Yoga.
Students move through a fixed sequence of postures at their own pace, guided by breath, while receiving individual instruction, adjustments, and support from the teacher. Each practice is given over time, honoring the student’s readiness and growth.
Beginners start with a shorter sequence, and as strength, stamina, flexibility, and focus develop, additional postures are introduced. In this way, the practice becomes deeply personal, sustainable, and rooted in trust between teacher and student.
Practice & Membership
Ashtanga Yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation and is accessible to all ages, body types, and levels of experience. The greatest benefits arise through regular, committed practice, which is why Yoga OM operates as a membership-based practice space.
Students are invited to explore the practice through designated entry points and then deepen their journey through membership within the Yoga OM community.
For additional information on the Ashtanga lineage, visit kpjayi.org.
Meet Joy McLeod
Founder of Yoga OM • Jyotirmayī Devī
For more than three decades, Joy McLeod has devoted her life to the study, practice, and teaching of yoga. As the founder of the Yoga OM family of educational and wellness initiatives, she is dedicated to preserving the integrity of traditional yoga while thoughtfully integrating contemporary knowledge to support lifelong learning and whole-person well-being.
Teaching internationally since 2006, Joy has guided students, educators, healthcare professionals, athletes, and future teachers through yoga, meditation, mindful movement, and continuing education. Her teaching is recognized for its clarity, compassion, and ability to meet each student where they are, honoring the understanding that every journey unfolds in its own time.
Alongside her work in yoga, Joy is an Olympian DanceSport athlete whose lifelong exploration of movement has enriched her appreciation for discipline, balance, precision, and embodied awareness.
A Lifelong Student
Joy’s relationship with yoga began in childhood through a family culture that valued mindful living, disciplined practice, and quiet reflection. Those early experiences became the foundation of a lifelong commitment to study that continues today.
She believes that learning never ends. Every student, every conversation, every question, and every experience offers another opportunity to deepen understanding and refine one’s practice. Guided by curiosity, integrity, and thoughtful inquiry, she continues to study classical yoga, philosophy, anatomy, meditation, breathwork, and contemporary research, believing that authentic education is both rooted in tradition and open to discovery.
The Heart of Yoga OM
Yoga OM was founded on a simple belief: practice has the power to transform lives.
Here, yoga is approached not as a performance, but as a lifelong relationship with oneself. Students are encouraged to cultivate consistency, presence, resilience, and compassion through a practice that honors both individual growth and the wisdom of the tradition.
Whether welcoming someone to their very first class or mentoring the next generation of teachers, Joy’s intention remains unchanged:
To help people build a practice that supports a lifetime of learning, meaningful living, and service to others.
“Yoga has never been about becoming someone else. It is about remembering the wisdom that has always lived within you. Practice simply creates the space for that wisdom to unfold.”
A Blessing
May your practice become a lifelong companion.
May it steady you in times of challenge, deepen your understanding, and open your heart with each passing season.
And may the fruits of your practice extend far beyond the mat, bringing greater kindness, wisdom, and peace to all whose lives you touch.
Welcome to Yoga OM.
Olga Karmansky
is a contortionist and movement educator specializing in flexibility training, handstands, and contortion technique. She teaches online flexibility and contortion classes to students worldwide, working closely with yoga practitioners who want to expand their practice by building strength at end ranges, improving joint organization, and developing confidence in deeper or more demanding shapes.
Her teaching integrates contortion training, strength-based flexibility, and rhythmic gymnastics flexibility methods, offering clear, sustainable approaches to backbending, shoulder mobility, hip opening, and inversions. These methods are designed to partner with yoga practice, supporting long-term joint health, control, and confidence.
A U.S. Champion and two-time Pan American Champion in Rhythmic Gymnastics, Olga was the Official Olympic Alternate for Athens, Greece. She brings high-level technical experience into accessible online teaching for yogis, dancers, athletes, and dedicated movers.
Olga splits her time between Utica, NY, Fort Myers, FL, and New York City, and travels internationally to teach yoga-adjacent flexibility workshops and retreats. Her online classes make consistent, high-quality instruction available regardless of location.
She holds a B.S. in Applied Psychology from New York University and approaches movement education with care, clarity, and respect for individual bodies and nervous systems.
Sage Green
is a devoted student of the practice, known for his quiet strength and grounded presence. His journey into yoga began as a search for balance but over time, it became a path of deep listening, discipline, and inner stillness.
Drawn to the subtle power of arm balances and breath-led movement, Sage practices with a calm intensity where effort dissolves into awareness. His presence in the space is steady, intentional, and deeply felt.
As one of Joy’s yoga teacher students, Sage embodies the essence of being rooted in presence; moving not to perform, but to understand. His practice reflects a union of strength and softness, reminding others that true power is not force… but control, patience, and breath.