On February 4th, after a full day of teaching online classes, Pilates and yoga master Niedra Gabriel suffered a serious stroke at her home in Ojai, California. It was several hours before she was found and taken to the hospital, where she received treatment. Her sister, Ruthie, flew in from Israel, and for the past eight weeks, has been–with the assistance of a community of amazing friends and supporters–caring for Niedra during what promises to be a slow and challenging recovery.

(This fundraiser is being co-coordinated by Dan Koeppel, one of Niedra's friends and students, and Niedra's sister. All funds will go directly to Niedra.)

Niedra has recently been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility, where she is working hard to regain basic functions like speech, movement, and swallowing.

If you know Niedra–either personally, or from her decades of working with Pilates and yoga students, or her role as a master teacher trainer–you know that she is one of the most compassionate and inspiring individuals you will ever meet. She has touched and improved so many lives.

Now it is time to give back and help Niedra. In addition to medical and rehabilitation expenses–which insurance won’t fully cover–there’s a need to help take care of basic costs, like maintaining her home so she can go back to it as soon as possible; caring for her dog, Wally and her cat, Twilight, and so many other small items that need attention. Her sister is going to need respite assistance–she can’t handle this alone–and professional caregivers and additional therapies will be a necessity.

The Pilates community, especially, has–temporarily, we hope–been deprived of one of its brightest lights. Please donate what you can so Niedra’s spirit can shine again (and if you’re unable to donate, we completely understand. Sharing this page with your community is just as powerful in helping us reach our goal.) Please help.