Skip to content

Where different views on Israel and Judaism are welcome.

  • Home
  • Subscribe / donate
  • Events calendar
  • News
    • Local
    • National
    • Israel
    • World
    • עניין בחדשות
      A roundup of news in Canada and further afield, in Hebrew.
  • Opinion
    • From the JI
    • Op-Ed
  • Arts & Culture
    • Performing Arts
    • Music
    • Books
    • Visual Arts
    • TV & Film
  • Life
    • Celebrating the Holidays
    • Travel
    • The Daily Snooze
      Cartoons by Jacob Samuel
    • Mystery Photo
      Help the JI and JMABC fill in the gaps in our archives.
  • Community Links
    • Organizations, Etc.
    • Other News Sources & Blogs
    • Business Directory
  • FAQ
  • JI Chai Celebration
  • JI@88! video

Search

image - Israel Bonds Vancouver event with ScharaTzedeck, Unbreakable Bond Dec 3, 2023, evite
Weinberg Residence Spring 2023 box ad
Follow @JewishIndie

Recent Posts

  • Gathering marked 30 days
  • Danish rescue at 80
  • Mental wellness focus
  • Universities have obligations
  • People helping one another
  • Second round of funds to Israel
  • Victoria deli’s new chef
  • Inspiration to improve world
  • Creating a family heirloom
  • Genealogy a great motivator
  • Studio 58 presents 1933 play
  • Double book launch
  • Art that makes people think
  • Community milestones … Fedoruk & Lederman
  • A fresh take on Hanukkah
  • טרודו מבקר את ישראל ומפגינים תומכי פלסטינים יוצאים נגדו
  • Students to learn of Holocaust
  • United against antisemitism
  • Consume responsibly
  • Identifying the victims
  • Tidbits about life now
  • Civil society has been crucial
  • Tensions at university
  • A call for toughness
  • Efforts to reduce fake news
  • Under the bed, in the closet
  • We are not here, there
  • A spoof on true crime
  • Culture Crawl starts Nov. 16
  • Improving mental wellness
  • Online dialogue on housing
  • Help fund Gary documentary
  • AGM celebratory, sentimental
  • Survivors play brings tears
  • Learning opportunities
  • המלחמה במזרח התיכון תשפיע לרעה על חיי יהודים וישראלים בכל רחבי העולם

Archives

screenshot - yogabuggy.com homepage

Making yoga more accessible

0 Flares 0 Flares ×

For Miriam Leo-Gindin, founder of the Yoga Buggy, COVID-19 has meant more opportunities to bring her passion for yoga to Vancouver youth – free of charge.

Leo-Gindin, 41, a former school teacher who has taught yoga in various capacities, including at Vancouver Talmud Torah, founded her Vancouver-based nonprofit organization in 2017. Until recently, she was offering free Zoom yoga classes to kids, but, thanks to sponsorship from the Canadian Red Cross, she’s been able to offer physically distanced classes at McSpadden and Woodland parks to local children and their families.

photo - Miriam Leo-Gindin
Miriam Leo-Gindin (photo courtesy)

“I’ve been doing yoga since I was 19 and it helped me get through some of my own health issues,” she told the Independent. “I founded Yoga Buggy to bring yoga to all kids and families, including those who are underserved, have financial difficulties or don’t have access for other reasons.”

The “buggy” part of Yoga Buggy refers to its mobile nature. Leo-Gindin’s classes are portable, so she is able to bring them to before- and after-school programs and to parks, so that families don’t have to travel far to participate. In addition to the Red Cross, her organization also has received funding from the B.C. Recreation and Parks Association.

Pre-pandemic, Leo-Gindin was doing around 25 classes per week all over the city, in Vancouver schools, YMCAs and neighbourhood homes, while also planning expansion into Burnaby, Richmond and Coquitlam. When COVID-19 began, she launched Community Zoom Yoga, offering two sessions a week for 12 weeks. The classes had a variety of themes, from community kindness to staying healthy, and were geared at children ages 5 through 12. There were also classes for preschoolers and teens.

“Yoga is really fun and kids enjoy it,” she reflected. “It brings out their creativity, helps build their attention span, makes them feel more confident, and can play a supportive role in dealing with anxiety, depression and behavioural issues.”

The website notes, “Yoga Buggy’s trauma-aware practitioners strive to offer as welcoming a space as possible. Choice in how to participate is always at the forefront of our classes and events. If there are any sensory, learning or additional supports that could be of benefit to any of the participants, please let us know so that we can offer as hospitable a space as possible. This information is kept private and confidential.”

Yoga Buggy has 15 active teachers and will continue its work through the fall. Leo-Gindin hopes to develop a yoga teacher training program and to start a YouTube channel to increase her reach even further with kids yoga classes. For more information, visit yogabuggy.com.

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond. To read her work online, visit laurenkramer.net.

***

Note: This article has been updated to make clear that, while Miriam Leo-Gindin taught yoga at Vancouver Talmud Torah, she was not on staff at the school.

Print/Email
0 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 0 Google+ 0 0 Flares ×
Format ImagePosted on August 21, 2020August 27, 2020Author Lauren KramerCategories LocalTags children, coronavirus, COVID-19, education, health, Miriam Leo-Gindin, yoga

Post navigation

Previous Previous post: Discussion, wine, food
Next Next post: New MK has Canadian roots
Proudly powered by WordPress