Joschi Schwarz
creative director/co-owner of Joschi NYC - Yoga & Pilates
A uniquely modern yogi, Joschi Schwarz likes to push boundaries and think outside the box. He first unrolled his mat in 1998 after a successful dance career of 15 years and the spark he felt during his first yoga class changed the course of his life forever. The practice of yoga immediately resonated with Joschi and inspired the former dancer/choreographer to develop his own cutting-edge, innovative brand of yoga - Joschi Flow.
"[Joschi Flow] is the kind of class I always wanted to take, but couldn't find anywhere, so I created it! My passion is to help lead others towards self-expression and celebrating life in the now."
Joschi's innate ability to translate the mystical elements of yoga for the challenges of contemporary life makes him one of America's most naturally gifted yoga teachers. He is not only highly educated in yoga, but his fascination with the workings of the human body prompted him to study medicine after a career as a highly acclaimed performer.
Joschi believes that focusing on proper alignment is not just safe, but also provides gateways to inner stillness and focus. Fusing his life passions together, Joschi is a natural born teacher who creates an atmosphere of energy, knowledge and attitude and shows superb yoga instruction in every class with sincerity of intent and devotion to his practice. "I like to give my heart and soul into what I do." says Schwarz.
His personalized, energizing classes such as the hugely popular Joschi Flow effortlessly infuse spirituality with dynamic vinyasa flow yoga along with influences of creative dance, martial arts, pilates and fitness.
"I love Joschi Flow because its choreographed, has a real flow and movement to it, and it's never boring," he says. "It's forward thinking; my personal vision for fitness that's pushing boundaries and thinking outside the box. It's exciting to create something like that."
Joschi's work continues to evolve and is deeply influenced by many great movement traditions. Joschi approaches his life with a fierce willingness to learn and grow and his commitment to make yoga accessible and inspiring to all is reflected by his genuine willingness to deepen his own personal understanding of human experiences.
"Yoga is transformative and sometimes can be a scary process. A good teacher can recognize this process and help others to navigate their way through it." says Joschi of his teaching philosophy.
Fusing his life's passions together, Joschi dove head first into the fitness explosion in the late 90's to eventually rise to the top of New York's yoga community. As an instructor, Joschi is a true movement aficionado, with a great passion for creativity and metaphor. He loves to play with sequencing in order to take his students into a deeper understanding of a pose and, ultimately, of themselves.
A native of Stuttgart, Germany, Joschi has lived and worked all over the world experiencing many different cultures and ways of life. But the biggest impact on Joschi's yogic life have been his friends and students. They constantly keep him inspired to be creative and original and at the same time keep him grounded with their friendship. Because of them he is a stronger, better, truer person, both in subtle and in obvious ways.
Drawing upon a wealth of experience as a dancer/choreographer, fitness expert and passionate yogi, he brings over 20 years of invaluable experience to his role as creative director/co-owner of Joschi NYC in New York City.
Throughout his dance career, Joschi has worked with some of the most well respected artists in his industry and he's been featured in television, magazines and newspapers throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. Today, he leads teacher training programs, retreats, master classes, and all sorts of energy-inspired amazing events all over the world and has helped shape the physique of Olympic Gold Medalists, Academy Award Winners, TV personalities, high-powered business executives and many more. Joschi is a member of Yoga Alliance and holds multiple fitness and yoga certifications.
Joschi Schwarz has been a resident of New York City since 1995.
Contact Joschi:
Joschi NYC
163 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
p: 212.399.6307
f: 212.627.2251