Help Veronica Bring Yoga to HR Hispanic Community

My name is Veronica Espe. I immigrated to USA back in 1994 from Mexico City, my dad was a seasonal farm worker. I worked in the orchard and the packing house for a while, trying to adjust to this new culture and language. When I had an opportunity, I changed my job to healthcare. La Clinica offered me an opportunity to grow and learn new skills. I became a Medical Assistant. 

I was a single mother and most of the time struggling financially. I never had the opportunity to join yoga classes due to lack of financial resources. I felt like I cannot do yoga or yoga wasn’t for me.


 

Recently, I work at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital and became Zumba instructor in 2013. For many years now, I have been volunteering teaching Free Zumba classes primary in Odell and also at Hood River for Free community Zumba. I became instructor because I want to bring physical activity opportunities to the community and focus on people with financial barriers also to start a healthy network of women that want to be more active regardless if they can afford it and just feel good and participate in a group for overall wellbeing.

 

I’m inspired to learn and share yoga because in the Latino/Hispanic community we are not very aware of the benefits of yoga and very frequently we don’t have access to classes because of financial barriers, lack of language, or cultural barriers.  Yoga interests me because its for more ages and people with different abilities because not everybody can jump and dance. I feel like yoga is more inclusive and accessible for more participants of different ages and physical abilities.

We have been offering scholarships to Veronica so she can practice yoga to determine whether she’d like to continue to invest her time in training.

 

Flow has been offering scholarships to Veronica so she can practice yoga to determine whether she’d like to continue to invest her time in training. This is her experience so far:

 

“I never thought that I will enjoy Yoga as much as I do. It’s being challenging and my body is learning new movements and slowly to be more flexible. I’m practicing at home as well, trying to remember the routines and working different muscles and areas.

 

I need to practice more my breathing, that part is being a little hard because I get focus on the movements /positions and I tend to forget my breathing. I have to remember that yoga is a practice/journey and doesn’t have to be perfect. I think with practice everything will flow more smoothly.

 

I’m  slowly bringing some yoga movements and sharing with the participants during my cool down/stretching after my Zumba class. Thank you again, I’m enjoying the classes and learning a lot!”

 

These funds will go toward:



$2500 Jaya Yoga RYT 200


$499 SAYF Yoga Biomechanics Training 


$100 Books


$999 One Year Membership to Flow Yoga (for ongoing practice and mentoring)*

$3998 Total

 

*Flow has gifted free yoga to Veronica over the last couple years, as well.