Yoga Gives Back - For the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life.

Partners

Founders

Kayoko Mitsumatsu, Co-Founder/President

When I was growing up in Japan, which is a very middle-class society, I had never experienced or seen any real poverty, especially growing up in Tokyo in 1960s and 1970s, when Japan's post-war economic miracle was taking place. Then, I had a chance to live in Brazil in the late 1970s, where as a teenager, I saw the divide between poverty and wealth, the reality of the real slums, kids on the streets begging every time you stopped the car at the traffic light, all very much like India. Social injustice hit me very hard and I chose to enter into documentary filmmaking.

As a middle age woman, feeling my life being so enriched by the practice of yoga, I felt a strong need to use all my resources to help others. I learned a lot about Dr. Muhammad Yunus' revolutionary micro financing while working on a documentary about Social Entrepreneurship featuring Kiva.org. I was struck by the incredible impact which micro financing could bring to alleviate generations of poverty. And 25 dollars can make a fundamental difference on somebody's life in India. As a happy and healthy yoga practitioner, I realized that I could contribute a little to India's poverty issues. I hope to invite everyone who benefits from Yoga to join in our campaign by giving back and making some difference together.

Joel Bender, Co-Founder/Emeritus

Los Angeles Headquarters

Leslie Hendry, Legal Adviser

My dad once said, "you always find a place to throw down your yoga mat," and it's true. I first tried yoga with my mom; then it was years later that I went back to a class after recovering from foot surgery. From that class to now a lot has changed but yoga has always been the bit of consistency I need. I'm fortunate to have thrown down my mat in locales such as India, Mexico, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Thailand, Paris, London, Spain, Sardinia, New York, Cambodia, Vietnam, Palm Beach and Texas. This ancient practice draws new people into its fold daily. A friend tells you it's great for stress, helps your tennis game, keeps you centered, keeps you in shape, whatever the case, the greatness of yoga I've given up trying to explain. I just do it.

What I do know is that it came from a culture totally different from mine. And while yoga has had its branding disasters, it emerges in our Western culture as a daily routine for a growing many. Yet in India, where it originated, few people practice yoga and many people live in unsafe housing without running water. Banking systems don't reach these people but poverty does. I produced a microfinance documentary and saw first hand the changes in people's lives through small loans. When I learned about Yoga Gives Back, without question, as an attorney who has worked with Wall Street and with nonprofits, I had to be involved. Whatever it takes--through the enthusiasm and balance for life I obtain through yoga--I work to give back so that people can take their first steps out of poverty. May all beings be happy.

Carla Patterson, Director of Development

As a yoga practitioner for over 15 years, the benefits of my practice have evolved far beyond my original belief that yoga was purely a great physical workout. As my practice deepened, I came to realize the spiritual aspect of yoga and how the focus I had on the mat began to have positive effects in my daily life off the mat.

In 2009, I attended a TEDx event where I was introduced to the process of micro-financing by one of the speakers. Learning how such a small donation could have such a huge impact on a single person's life, I knew this was something that I had to do. Since that time, I have researched various organizations that provide this service. In September 2011 I participated in "Thank You Mother India," the one day global event aiding the efforts of Yoga Gives Back and my search was over. Yoga Gives Back enables me to unite my passions for yoga and to increase my philanthropic support to micro-financing.

My successful career as a veteran entertainment talent and event producer is highlighted with over 20 years' experience as a key contributor in securing top celebrities and producing large-scale, high-profile special events for a wide variety of projects across the genres of television, film, music and sports. By combining my relationships and specialized skills with my philanthropic interests, I look forward to continue helping Yoga Gives Back make a difference by relieving the devastating poverty in India.

Ivonne Leonel de Cervantes, Director of Volunteer Efforts

I am a professional Interpreter and Translator currently working for a non-profit Health Care organization in the East Los Angeles area as a Cultural & Linguistics Specialist. I was introduced to yoga one lucky evening when I joined a Kundalini class at Golden Bridge, and it has been a learning and enriching experience ever since.

I was born and raised in Mexico City but had the opportunity to live in various places before moving to Los Angeles in the summer of 1998. I have never been to India, but I have seen the face of poverty in other parts of the world, and I know it is a reality no one should have to endure. My own country is home to absurd social contrasts.

I believe that every day we are faced with choices and opportunities to make a difference in life and in the lives of others. The women who are recipients of micro loans are not asking for handouts, they want to be self sufficient; they want to work and feel proud for being able to support their families. I want to be a part of making their dreams come true, and Yoga Gives Back is giving me this opportunity.

Lila French, Online Manager

I was born to parents studying Hare Krishna, went to a temple as a child, and was an active member of the Indian students group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I graduated with degrees in Computer Science. So maybe it's more of a surprise than anything that it took until 2009 for me to start practicing yoga.

I became a regular member of Joel's Ashtanga class at Liberation Yoga and quickly became friends with Joel and Kayoko. When I found out about Yoga Gives Back, I offered to help out in the best way I knew, by doing web development.

In the brief period of time I've practiced yoga, it has transformed my life. It's a pleasure to give back to India, where it all began, and especially to give in a way that empowers those receiving help.

Jason Chang, Director of Finance

Peter L. Alejandro, Strategist

Strategist / Sales & Marketing guru by day. Full-time seeker and yogi on the path.

Chrissy DaRe, Online Support

I support Yoga Gives Back because it's driven through compassion and giving to serve one of the most important purposes in our lives, helping others. In my own ways, I have felt the challenges that life brings at times when our circumstances make the path of our hopes for the future harder to achieve. I have been so thankful when I've received help myself and I've always wanted to return the same to others.

Once I heard about YGB's mission, how they help empower women and their families in poverty to achieve their dreams. I wanted to be a part of it. My goal in college was not only to do something I loved but to also achieve the stability I needed to survive so I could reach out to others who were struggling themselves. I believe that the women in India have these same desires, to dissolve, through their work and knowledge, the struggles and limiting circumstances they all face. YGB provides a way for us to help each other accomplish the same thing, a world of love, peace, growth, where we have the ability and resources to fulfill our goals and help others in return through these actions. Yoga has brought me much love, light and healing so I'm thankful to be a part of Yoga Gives Back.

Steven Woodruff, Marketing Associate

What I love about YGB is that it provides a vehicle for people who enjoy and grow from a Yoga practice to affordably fund a project which can have a tremendous impact on the lives of so many. Through micro lending to Indian entrepreneurs we can each give a relatively small amount to help shape infrastructure and transform lifestyles through free market exchanges. Anyone can participate and the benefits are far reaching; in many cases the borrowers of funds generated by YGB could not otherwise obtain small business loans because of cultural class or gender biases. It feels good to make an investment in people who want to work, want to succeed and provide for their families as a result of their own efforts. I think it's fantastic that over 95% of the loans granted have been paid back in full, and more then half of the entrepreneurs are repeat borrowers - it shows that the investment loans being made are paying off and the funds are, in fact, facilitating growth and changing people's lives.

Personally, I've been a marketing management professional for over 20 years. With progressive experience in a variety of marketing and management roles, both as a consultant and as a principal. I find my passion in work and business tends towards start-ups, launches and ground level dialogs with entrepreneurs, visionaries and investors. I feel my greatest contributions to the YGB team will result from my enthusiasm, the diversity of my experiences and my desire to effect positive quality of life changes by empowering individuals and cultures to be self sustainable.

I've been a long time practitioner of yoga with an emphasis on Asana. After more than 10 years as a student, I became a Yoga Alliance certified teacher in Spring of this year and now teach classes 4-5 days a week around the Ventura county area.

"In our Yoga practice, as in our daily lives, we are tasked with working from the inside to the outside in body, in mind, spirit and divinity."

New York

Shelly Horn

Shelly graduated from the Ohio State University. She has worked at Camp Heartland, a camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS in Minnesota, and at the Democratic National Committee doing LGBT and women's fundraising. Shelly currently runs constituency outreach programs for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign.

She has been practicing yoga for eight years and it has been the cornerstone of her daily life. Shelly's passion is public and community service and has done a lot of genocide prevention, women's rights and microfinancing work. She will be going to Mysore next year to study yoga full time!

Lisa Goldenberg

Yoga has given me so much. Through its timeless wisdom and long line of wise teachers and devoted students, yoga offers a chance at true transformation. Its lessons are immeasurable—there's always more to learn. After many years of asana practice, I am very interested in how we can practice yoga "off the mat".

For so long I have reaped the benefits of yoga, I am thrilled at the opportunity to give back.

San Francisco

Houston

Shamanth Shankar

As a yoga practitioner myself, YGB's mission of empowering women in India through the yoga community is in close to my heart. Born and brought up in Bangalore for my first 18 years, I have seen and come across families with abject poverty, who had the potential to better themselves with financial aid. I have supported families, individuals, and have contributed to traditional colleges within my reach. I believe in YGB's intention of bringing the yoga community together to aid would-be successful women in India.

On a personal note, by God's grace I have practiced different forms of popular Yoga styles, meditations, and Tai Chi since 2001, when I started my yoga practice with the intention of improving the community by improving myself. I continue to practice yoga (Ashtanga and Ramdev) and Sri Vidya meditations. I have worked with Schlumberger (an oilfield service company in Houston) since 2001. I hold engineering degrees from IIT Madras and Texas A&M.

Jason Oslo Kolker

Charlotte, North Carolina

Jane Connors

"I was first introduced to yoga in 2003 when I was injured. Using the practice to overcome my physical injuries, yoga began to resonate with me on an emotional as well as physical level, and I became a Yoga Alliance certified teacher to share with others the inner steadiness and outer sturdiness that yoga offers. But I was still hungry and desired to experience yoga at its source, which motivated me to travel to Mysore, India. There I studied Ashtanga under Saraswati, daughter of Pattabhi Jois, which led me to the orphanage. In the afternoons, several of my fellow yoga student volunteers and I took the children to the local park. I went to the orphanage to give my time, but what I gained was beyond measure. After I fell in love with yoga itself, I fell in love with an orphanage in India. Traveling to Mysoreopened my eyes to how content, open and generous the people of India are. In the West, we may be economically affluent but often emotionally starved. In India, they are emotionally thriving despite widespread poverty. India stirred a need to connect with myself on a deeper emotional level and a desire to support the people of India to further their economic stability through microfinance and "sister aid."

Yoga Gives Back is an opportunity to express my appreciation to those who gave me this beautiful gift of yoga. Yoga Gives Back allows me to participate in forging an exchange of economic and emotional wealth between the West and the East."

India

Anand Varadaraj

Anand Varadaraj is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Ecoforge Advisors Pvt Ltd. He has a background in renewable energy and Sustainability related projects.

Anand has a Post Graduation in Management Studies with a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics, Statistics and Economics.

Prior to EcoForge, Anand worked in GENPACT, A GE Company, where he worked on Business Market Intelligence projects in GE Aviation. He also worked on GE's Ecomagination Project on Wind Power turbines. He worked on background research on cost-effective model wind power in the world's energy portfolio for GE. He has also worked on projects with livelihoods initiatives, Training rural women panchayat members and advising farmers in water shed programs in rural Bangalore, India. On the board of Bangalore based NGO Vidyanikethan, he advises on development of the NGO in socio-economic sectors. He started a program for the Ngo's School students through corporate funding.

Anand regularly participates in conferences on renewable energy. He was invited to UN conferences on Climate change both at Bangkok and at Copenhagen. He was also interviewed by BBC London for his participation in COP15. He is also TiE member and organizes Environmental related events for them. Anand also works with International TV on Business news reports.

Anand is actively involved in finding and following existing projects of YGB in India.

Suruchi Dumpawar

London, UK

Emily Gopaul, Yogafizz

The concept of giving something back to the birthplace of yoga is what initially prompted me to get in touch with YGB – yoga has given so much to me over the last 10+ years, and I know that it is a journey that will continue as long as I am alive—what an amazing gift!

After some busy years of full-time Art teaching across secondary and primary schools (with my own yoga practice always by my side), I made changes that enabled me to find myself in the blessed position I am currently in... London based, I teach therapeutic yoga and relaxation classes to adults, including many hard-working school teachers, always with an emphasis on keeping yoga financially accessible to all. I am also fortunate enough to 'work' in London primary schools, teaching programmes of yoga and relaxation (and art) to some wonderfully energetic children.

Living in London one has access to all manner of beautiful studios and centres; it is easy to forget that yoga does not exist merely to conveniently feed our sense of well-being! What a positive way to revere yoga, and acknowledge its many benefits. Yoga Gives Back is conducive to building bridges, mutual respect and a sense of responsibility between international communities. A wholesome and fitting approach!

Although I am a newbie to YGB, I am really looking forward to working with the team and supporting their work.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Tatiane Rangel, So Ham

I discovered yoga in 2004 and have been a dedicated practitioner ever since. I've also developed a passion for Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. However my career is as a journalist and web marketer.

I am happy to support YGB, because I believe that global poverty and environmental degradation are our responsibility. Human beings need to find effective solutions, and every action to reduce poverty helps. I am grateful to support YGB's mission to give opportunities to those living in the birthplace of yoga.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cacau Peres, Dharmashala.wordpress.com

In 2003, during her tireless spiritual search, Cacau discovered the Hinduism, which led her to Yoga. She fell in love for the practice and decided to deepen her studies about this ancient philosophy. Because of such interest, she ended up working for Yoga Journal Magazine in Brazil for 3 years. In 2008 she met her Guru, the spiritual lider Amma, and became her devotee. Since then she has worked for her in sevas translating and reviewing Ammaji's speeches.

Cacau also contributed in a volunteer way for Cadernos de Yoga in Brazil, which she considers one of the best publications about Yoga in the country. In 2009 she had her first Teacher Training Course with Pedro Kupfer. Nowadays she is finishing another TTC with Micheline Berry, one of the best Vinyasa Flow Yoga teachers in the U.S.

She is very thankful to all the teachers that she met along the years because each one of them contributed for her personal and spiritual growth. "I think seva is one of the best ways we have to show our love and compassion towards the others. Yoga Gives Back is a wonderful opportunity to do seva and show our grattitude for Yoga."

Hong Kong and Asia

Deva Mecredy

The element of karma yoga, or seva was introduced to me as an integral part of yoga from an early age, through my parents affiliation with the Bihar School of Yoga. Yoga has been a tool of great healing and transformation in my life. A personal experience of positive change can often instill a desire to share opportunity for growth (on all levels & in every sense of the word) with others. As part of my desire to find the most effective and efficient way to be of use in our global community (and in India specifically), I found YGB. A community of individuals, dedicated to their own transformation, trying to offer the same opportunity for others, who have no voice of their own. In India, a place I have called home, during many periods of my life, it is my privilege to be able to give back in anyway possible.

Netherlands

Janneke Verburg-Wiersma, Deyogastudio.nl

Yoga has brought me so much in the last 10 years of my life. I cannot even imagine where I would be today without my practice. Yoga has shown me my path in life and so much more. So I'm grateful beyond words for the gift of yoga. And now, as a yogi being a yoga studio owner, I'm in the position where I can start giving back to the beautiful country and the beautiful people that have given us yoga. When I started thinking about a way to do this, I came up with the idea of creating a 'Yoga Gives Back foundation'. Only to find out that Kayoko already came up with the exact same idea years ago!! So I'm really happy to become part of the Yoga Gives Back organization that she has founded and be part of a community of like minded people!

I've been in India many times and I love the country, but the poverty over there has made a big impact on me. It's really hard for us Westerners to imagine that you just don't have any resources or ways to make something of your life. I really believe in micro financing as a way to provide this necessary resources to people who need it, to enable them to change their lives. So I'm really excited that we can make a difference by getting the yoga community together (worldwide!) and we can start giving back!

With love from the Netherlands, Janneke