For local activist and Burnaby Heights business owner Eric Mathias, the practice of yoga isn’t just about exercise and meditation – it’s about giving back.
Throughout April, the Moksha Yoga Burnaby co-owner and chair of Grow Your Yoga 2016 is determined to see his studio raise $10,000 for the Pull Together initiative. Pull Together provides financial support to First Nations’ in environmental legal battles against companies such as Enbridge. The studio has raised $1,554 to date.
“It’s not just about one person sweating it out on their mat. It’s about people united in cause and intention,” said Mathias. “It’s really about expanding what a yoga practice does.”
The Grow Your Yoga annual event unites over 70 Moksha/Modo Yoga studios across the world in a month-long fundraising campaign. Last year, $138,500 was raised for Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada. This year, the studios have turned their attention to combating climate change. In addition to Pull Together, Grow Your Yoga 2016 is also fundraising for the David Suzuki Foundation, Maasai Wilderness Conservation and 350.org.
During the campaign, Moksha Yoga Burnaby will be donating all the proceeds from their weekly workshops and karma classes, as well as any towel and mat rental fees. They will also be hosting a silent auction with donated gifts from local merchants.
Mathias believes the campaign is a good way to connect yoga back to its charitable roots.
“Yoga is activism in action.”
Anyone interested in making an online donation can visit crowdrise.com/mokshayogaburnaby1. To register for their weekly workshops, go to burnaby.mokshayoga.ca/classes
