YEAH YOGA

YEAH! YOGA shares evidence-based tools of yoga and mindfulness with youth involved & impacted by the criminal legal system in the Greater New Orleans area. We offer trauma-informed, and healing-focused classes to nurture youth's resilience and self-empowerment. Youth in our classes report a significant decrease in symptoms of depression & anxiety and significant increase in clarity of mind, self-esteem, and optimism about the future.

YEAH! YOGA has provided over 800 yoga and mindfulness classes to more than 5,000 youth participants within and outside of juvenile detention facilities in the GNO area. Our evidence-based, trauma-informed, healing-focused curriculum is specifically designed to help youth develop skills to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. We aim to mitigate the impact of trauma and incarceration and contribute to the dismantling of the school-to-prison pipeline.

A group of volunteer yoga teachers began teaching classes at the Rivarde Juvenile Detention Center in Jefferson Parish in 2016. Noting interest from the students to continue learning when they were released and the lack of accessible yoga for this population, YEAH! YOGA was born. Our work has expanded over the years due to continued support from Laureus Sport for Good Coalition and past fellowship in the Propeller Accelerator for Social Innovation.

In 2024 we launched the pilot of our Youth Yoga Teacher Training courses. This free program offers job skills development and a path to employment. We envision our trainees will grow into leaders in their communities.

Your support will move us one step closer to success!

Testimonials

Student Testimonials from our survey:

• "Yoga has helped me to be calm"
• "I think I might start doing this every morning."
• "I didn't know what to expect; I was a little nervous. I'm really glad I came, I've been dealing with a lot of losses lately but I feel really calm right now."
• "I honestly feel happier"
• "I was in a different place there for a while. I was so relaxed I almost fell asleep!"