Street Yoga: Ending youth homelessness through yoga
Street Yoga, founded by Mark Lilly, offers yoga and wellness classes to homeless and sheltered youth in Portland, Oregon.
Through the teaching of free yoga, meditation and wellness classes, Street Yoga seeks to help homeless youth increase their physical, emotional and spiritual strength, stamina and flexibility so they can better meet their own core needs. They work closely with service providers striving to help homeless youth secure safe housing, nutritious food, accessible health care, employment, clean clothing, educational choices and human dignity.
More information: streetyoga.org
What an inspiring organization! Teaching at-risk youth how yoga can improve their lives is brilliant. Not only will they learn poses and become more flexible, but just starting to listen to their body will help them make better future lifestyle decisions. Maybe they won't start drinking to excess or taking drugs because they will listen to the opposition their bodies raise to those toxins. Maybe they will take up other new, healthy physical activities.
Even better, maybe yoga just brings them a moment of peace and calm, as some of the kids in the video pointed out. And how priceless is peace!
Long live Street Yoga!
posted by NinaW on 1/11/2008 3:56 pm