top of page
About Us

About Yoganize

Yoganize is a unique combination of Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Pilates and specialized toning exercises, along with Qi Gong, Reiki and meditation to invigorate, balance and heal the mind, body and spirit.

 

Yoganize originated in South Africa and was developed by Karen Noonan.

​

To Yoganize Your Life is to learn to love and accept yourself NOW – in THIS MOMENT and to move forward with true enthusiasm for life.

​

To Yoganize is to respect and honor oneself in body, mind and spirit ….to know that

‘I am already enough!'

Karen

Karen Noonan

fullsizeoutput_1d8d2.jpeg
'Yoganize Your Life' with Karen Noonan (Ph.D; C-IAYT; E-RYT500; RYS 200)

Karen is a certified and registered Yoga Therapist with the  International Association of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) and an experienced yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500), with a Ph.D in Divinity/Metaphysical Sciences.

Initially qualified as a teacher with a specialization in Exercise Science (Physical Education) and English, Karen has been studying and teaching healing movement therapies and yoga since 1984 - in South Africa, the USA, Europe and India. Karen has trained with and studied under many renowned teachers around the globe, including Max Strom, Mark Stephens, Guru Rattana. She holds numerous certifications in various styles of Yoga, Pilates, Aqua, FITCO (ACE equivalent), prescriptive back care, Pregnancy, Kids Yoga, REIKI and Touch for Health. She is passionate about healing through prescriptive movement therapy and loves to work  with clients using every possible modality, as it serves the individual. 

Karen’s passion for movement and participation in various individual and team sports, such as dance, gymnastics, swimming and karate (she earned her Black Belt in the ‘Tang Soo Do’ style of martial arts in 2007), have influenced her unique style of teaching. Her continued studies in Kinesiology, Anatomy and Physiology, Yoga, Pilates and Yoga Therapy are the reason behind the prescriptive nature of Karen’s yogic practice and teaching style.
 
Her intuitive teaching style ensures that each and every person feels comfortable and loved. You will always work at your own pace and be educated that your ‘perceived’ limitations are a gift when you learn to listen to your body. In this way you can only grow in strength, flexibility and endurance – this is the balance we seek, not only in the mind/body/heart connection, but in all aspects of our being. Our aim is to stay as youthful and comfortable in our bodies as possible – pain is not an option and can be treated and prevented with the right attitude and movement therapy for YOU, the individual.
 
Born in Zimbabwe, Karen moved with her family to Pretoria, South Africa. It was here that she opened her first healing movement studio: Sculpto Dynamix.® The Sculptonetics® family helped Karen raise two little girls and in the creation of her first movement video, still popular today, though out of production (Download only).
 
The Noonan family relocated to the USA in 1998 where she opened the Yoganize® studio in Greer, South Carolina. This beautiful haven was filled with love and happiness and became the Yoganize family the starting point for the Yoganize Teacher Training – 200 hours (RYS200) and the home of two new DVD's – Loving Self (2011), for all levels and ‘Healing Yoga Therapy' (2013). These two DVD's are available (hard copy and download).
 
The Yoganize Cross Mat (Patented in 2011) is a unique and necessary addition to your home practice and, this too was created by Karen, in SC. This is available for purchase by request.
 
Following a few international and national moves, Karen and her husband settled in Johns Island, S.C. The Yoganize island studio opened in 2023 for private sessions in Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Meditation/Yoga Nidra, Life Coaching as well as small, intimate workshops and events.

 

Yoga therapy

Yoga Therapy

Why Yoga Therapy with Karen?

Karen provides personalized guidance through the teachings and practices of yoga, to support individuals living with, or recovering from, illness, injury, or adverse health conditions (mind-body-spirit).

 

Through the broad therapeutic applications of Yoga, Yoganize strives to create a safe, supportive and nurturing environment in which individuals are empowered to effect positive transformations in their overall experience of health and wellbeing.

​

As an educator and specialist in Exercise Science, Karen’s passion is to bring the individual back to ‘center’ - fostering physical, mental and emotional balance and regulation. Health concerns prevent one from living life to the fullest - once such concerns are addressed, reaching a space of happiness and peace are possible. Mind, body and spirit are connected. What affects one area, affects all and so we treat the WHOLE being. Karen refers to this as the ‘TOTALITY APPROACH,’ and uses the modality that will best suit YOU and your personal condition as she works together with you - as co-creators  - to bring you back to your personal center of love, peace and joy.

 

You are worth the effort and you deserve to know your true value.

How does Yoga Therapy differ from Yoga?

Yoga teachers and instructors teach yoga classes, which can be one-on-one, or in a group. Yoga teachers may be less experienced, focusing on teaching students about the various yoga systems (e.g. Hatha, Yin, Vinyasa, etc.) because they lack specific credentials needed to carry out more intensive therapy sessions. Certified yoga therapists, on the other hand, teach clients how to use specific yoga techniques and practices, in order to provide relief for the specific issues or medical conditions they face.

​

A combination of specific and specialized yogic techniques will be utilized to guide the client through an individualized practice that promotes wellness for body and mind. Sessions may include physical poses, breathing practices, cleansing practices, meditation, guided relaxation, energy-work, yoga philosophy, and stress-reduction techniques, all adapted to suit the client’s individual condition/s and goals.

 

As a Yoga Therapist, active certification by the profession’s international governing organization, the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) is a requirement. This status implies that qualifications meet the association’s stringent requirements for training and practical experience, including studies in anatomy and physiology, meditation and stress reduction, yoga philosophy, and the safe adaptation of yoga practices to particular health conditions and challenges.

 

The Yoganize approach is to teach the individual holistically - you are unique and ‘one-of-a-kind,’ and you deserve to be treated accordingly. Karen will work with you to identify areas of imbalance and create a personalized practice that aims toward improved functioning and happiness on all levels of being - body, mind and spirit - while naturally regulating the nervous system, through mind-body exercises and interventions.

Focal Age Groups

Adults

Adolescents / Teenagers (14 to 19)

Preteens / Tweens (11 to 13)

Children (6 to 10)

Toddlers / Preschoolers (0 to 6)

Skills and Expertise

Positive Aging

Stress Relief

Anxiety

Depression

Heart Disease

HBP/LBP

Glaucoma

Back Pain

Joint pain (shoulders, hips, knees etc.)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Arthritis

Stiffness

Chronic Pain

Fatigue

Headache

MS

Neurological Disorders

Parkinson's Disease

Addiction

Balance

Alignment

Pregnancy

Veterans Yoga

Childrens Yoga

Meditation

Yoga Nidra

Reiki

​

Ultimately our aim is to guide you back to physical, mental and emotional balance and wellness, while creating an environment in which you will be able to freely embrace, accept and love your true nature through self-exploration and acceptance (self-love). We will work towards energetic balancing and spiritual nourishment, as it serves your personal needs.

Warrior Two
Contact

Contact Us

Yoganize

Johns Island, South Carolina, USA

Tel: 864-325-6053

Email: karen@yoganize.com

Thanks for submitting!

color_logo_transparent.png
bottom of page