Yoga for good: How The Yoga Garden gives back

The studio is a converted home with hardwood floors, sage green walls and windows through which natural sunlight flows while you’re enjoying your practice. Even the studio’s newest location, inside of Adventure HQ, is modern and calming, perfect for a practice dedicated to relieving stress and finding peace.

Not just a gorgeous studio in which to better your downward dog, The Yoga Garden is community oriented, perfect for those wanting to give back. Every month – or just about – The Yoga Garden holds, what it calls, “Yoga for Good” classes. The classes are donation-based, and the money raised goes directly to that month’s selected nonprofit organization or person of interest. Past nonprofits have included Aloha Adoptions, Friends of Freddy and Daily Bread.

Loren Collarile, owner of The Yoga Garden, shared that the recently graduated teacher training groups are responsible for choosing the charities, as well as for scheduling and teaching the classes.

“It’s partly a way for them to get their feet wet in teaching, where they don’t feel a lot of pressure,” said Collarile. “They can co-teach and take turns, and the classes are donation-based and for a good cause.”

The selected organizations are typically local and there is usually a personal relationship involved between the instructors and the nonprofits. For example, one of the selected nonprofits was the No Bad Days Foundation, an organization that provides specialized devices and equipment to medically disabled children of Brevard County. One of the teachers, who was part of the training group at that time this foundation was selected, had worked with No Bad Days Foundation in the past. Because she had already seen the positive impact this nonprofit was having on the community, she decided to give back to the foundation.

Collarile also shared with me that when the husband of one of the studio’s regular students was involved in a diving accident, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, the teacher group decided to use the Yoga for Good classes one month to raise money for her husband and his medical expenses.

“We don’t pick random charities, there’s a purpose,” Collarile said. “When we actually know the charities and the people involved, more of the community gets involved.” We also discussed the added benefits of knowing exactly where your money is going – an important detail to keep in mind whenever you choose to give back.

“We don’t pick random charities, there’s a purpose,” Collarile said. “When we actually know the charities and the people involved, more of the community gets involved.” We also discussed the added benefits of knowing exactly where your money is going – an important detail to keep in mind whenever you choose to give back.

Apart from the Yoga for Good classes, The Yoga Garden also hosts kitten yoga classes throughout the year. Aloha Adoptions provides the kittens, and part of the money you spend when purchasing your spot goes directly to Aloha Adoptions. And, if you happen to fall in love with a kitten during your class, you can talk to a foster parent about adding a new furry friend to your family.

The Yoga Garden is making it easy to give back to your community. The hour you carve out of your busy schedule to take a yoga class is not only beneficial to your overall well-being but can also help make a big difference in the lives of others.

The Yoga Garden has two locations:

• EGAD: 1482 Pineapple Ave., Melbourne, FL 32935
• HQ: Located inside Adventure HQ at 5270 N US-1, Palm Shores, FL 32940

Yoga for Good classes are marked as such on The Yoga Garden’s Schedule, which can be found at their website: www.yogagardenfl.com

Yoga for Good classes are for students of all levels.

While you can make a donation online, Collarile encourages students who wish to participate in Yoga for Good to bring cash or a check to place into the donation jar present at the class