Yoga Gardens NFP
Our Misson
Yoga Gardens NFP is a women-founded not-for-profit organization that began in Chicago. Our goal is to aid and uplift communities in impoverished Chicago neighborhoods by teaching & practicing peace, and by making healthy and nutritious foods available. Through yoga, meditation, healthier food options, and beautifying the neighborhood, we relieve stress and disease in areas where these difficulties are most prevalent. Yoga Gardens NFP board members and Trustees are professionals in various fields but are all yogis at heart. As yogis, we collectivity believe that it is our responsibility to give back to our community, and Yoga Gardens makes it our mission to do so.
What We Do:
We revitalize vacant lots in developing residential areas, which often accumulate garbage, attract criminal activity, and ultimately become a burden on the residents. Yoga Gardens transforms each lot into a thriving yoga & gardening community space. Our board members assemble groups of local volunteers to participate in constructing and maintaining the lot. Hundreds of native plants such as bees and butterflies attracting flowers, trees, and large shrubs are embedded and encompass the lot. Raised beds are constructed for a fruit and vegetable garden, as well as a wooden deck for the teaching and practice of yoga. Together and through a true grassroots effort, we transform a lot into a garden and yoga center for residents to use throughout the spring, summer, and early fall.
Our Vision:
Yoga Gardens NFP relies on the generous donations of supporters and sponsors to create a yoga garden and employ people in the community. We have successfully assembled a local group of volunteers who help maintain the garden. We would also like to employ young adults ages 16 and older who have an interest in being a student of yoga and teaching peace and health within their community. With the help of yoga studios, community leaders, and neighborhood sponsors we will offer scholarships to students who are interested in being certified yoga teachers. Our vision is to aid young at-risk adults by helping them become yoga teachers, and ambassadors of peace and healthy living within their own communities. By opening up a new world of possibilities to the youth in impoverished neighborhoods, we enable people to effect change on themselves and their communities.