Everyone deserves access to the healing benefits of yoga.

However, in reality, it is often the communities who could benefit the most from yoga practice that have, by far, the least access to it.  As you may know, Hands to Heart Center (HTHC) is Boston’s only nonprofit yoga service and action organization. Our trained Community Yoga Teachers share free, inclusive, accessible classes with Greater Boston’s most underserved communities suffering from the effects of poverty and trauma: homeless men, women and children, women living in domestic violence shelters, students of high-poverty schools, children with special needs, adults in treatment for substance abuse disorder, and veterans.  A regular yoga practice has been proven to alleviate anxiety, depression, stress and the consequences of trauma, while helping students build resilience and capacity. HTHC is proving this EVERY DAY through our programs.

“Yoga reminds me that I’m strong and capable. It’s easy to forget that when I’m living in a shelter. I want my kids to know that their mother is strong and that they are strong so I really like that they can do yoga with me.”

– Karla, HTHC Student at Brookview House Women + Children’s Shelter

HTHC is a small organization with a big impact, and 2018 has been an eventful year for us! By the end of 2018 we will have provided nearly 2,200 free and accessible yoga classes throughout Greater Boston! We’ve launched a partnership with The Prison Yoga Project, implemented monthly trainings for our Community Yoga Teachers, and were recently featured on WGBH’s Greater Boston. In addition, we’ve partnered with many new community organizations this year, including the Boston Housing Authority. For a young, grassroots nonprofit we’ve been able to accomplish so much with very limited resources, all because of the help of our dedicated community of supporters!

“I like yoga because it calms me down. I feel like yoga class is the only place that I can get some peace and some quiet. I use my yoga breathing when I’m mad or nervous and it helps me feel better.”

– Shamar, HTHC Student

Your contribution to our $5,000 goal will help us grow our yoga programming in 2019 like never before. We are launching our Community Yoga Teacher Training Program, offering monthly specialized trainings to our teachers on topics such as Trauma Informed Yoga, Youth Yoga, and Teaching Beginner Yoga. We also want to launch our Yoga Coach Program, which will train HTHC students to teach yoga within their own communities, addressing issues of sustainability and diversity. We want to further grow our Yoga for All program to reach more communities in need- we would even love to be able to make a permanent physical home for drop-in and regular yoga and mindfulness classes.

“Hands to Heart Center lightens the lives of many immigrants life Boston’s low income communities. HTHC provides the Eritrean Community Center a wonderful yoga class for women immigrants escaping violent conflicts and trauma, helping them to focus on their daily lives and staying healthy. When our community first signed up for yoga class they didn’t have any idea and they were confused how to do it; now they look forward to having the class every week! The class offered by HTHC has bettered the lives of many women who come to the Eritrean Community Center. We strongly believe that HTHC is an organization with the great vision of striving to make the world a better place! They truly are an amazing organization!”

– Ruth, Eritrean Community Center Director

What your gift can do:

• $2500- Sponsors an individual in our Yoga Coach Program
• $1500- Provides 40 yoga trauma sensitive yoga classes at one HTHC Community Partner
• $500- Provides a 12-class youth yoga series at a high-poverty Boston Public School
• $250- Provides one month of Yoga for Secondary Traumatic Stress classes for front line staff of our Community Partners
• $100- Provides 4 slots in the specialized trainings offered to our Community Yoga Teachers
• $40- Provides yoga mats and HTHC Class Kit for one HTHC Community Partner

Your donation is critical in helping us continue the important work we do, increasing access to healing benefits of yoga with those having the least access to it, and fighting for social justice through the transformative power of yoga. We simply cannot do this without you!

Sincerely,

Susan Lovett

Hands to Heart Center Director & Founder