The Peoples Practice™

About Urban Yoga Foundation

UYF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that educates and empowers communities to be proactive about issues affecting their health. Through our service to love model the lifestyle brand incorporates equity and diversity into all our mindfulness yoga programs. Naming indigenous practices helps us to create an environment of inclusion fostering social emotional change. Thus encouraging individuals in communities to manage stress, develop mind-body awareness, health justice and health consciousness: We create safe spaces for contemplative practices in homes, businesses, schools organizations and corporations.

Friends, What an amazing opportunity this is for me to to share our milestones and journey for the year. As Founder I funded this organization with the intention of creating a bond with my child. I was a single mother and as our relationship grew we shared our practice with my daughters friends and subsequently her school. Our home model has continued throughout the years, bringing communities together transforming the idea of a studio into live work space as UYF created with The Foundation House in 2013 and Urban Sanctuary in 2016. Recognizing the deep need of wellness practices in underserved communities with all the ongoing trauma and gentrification tearing us apart. I dedicated my life to the mission of Indigenous practices and health advocacy. 20 years later UYF teachers, training and curriculum has touched the lives of over 500,000 people living in communities all over the world. UYF has no employees. Admin staff and most teachers volunteer. Teachers who teach in contracted schools or organizations receive a volunteer stipend. In 2017 we served as wellness partners with Amal Alliance bringing our training and curriculum to Greece serving displaced families from Syria and Congo. We are also happy to announce our vision to create safe spaces of practice with our new partnership in Senegal.

Mindfulness Yoga

Ghylian Bell, Founder

Personality is reduced and deformed with depleted thoughts and stagnant mind.

-Hussein of Jordan

Depletion and its connection to be disconnected and unaware is an idea we need to overcome. When we think in terms of today’s idea of modern yoga and mindfulness the perception is for people to connect and be present with their bodies, serving an individual need as a path to liberation. This is not the complete story of the practice of yoga. The full truth of yoga, which is a union in action and thought, is founded historically on a person’s ability to over come the self in order to be of service to the greater self. It is in this action we connect the community, keeping us mindful in yoga. This is a return to self-love through service. We are a living environment of energy and cells connecting in union with all that is around us on that vibrational level. Our responsibility is to create an understanding that we cannot deplete our personal environment or outside environment. We are All connected to the infinite cycle and are created to give and receive. This is the Life Cycle. If there is no completion of the cycle we create a catalyst for lower vibration actions. When our selfishness creates this one-way accumulation that has not completed the cycle, which involves giving back, we all suffer energetically. The positive energy that becomes you in service ignites love in its highest form of self worth and value. When we open the door to that service as a part of giving back, we are using higher vibrations as an expression of love and that is the genesis of the mindfulness yoga concept.