Ambassadors
Ambassadors of the Year
2019
Gwen Tan-Wynne
Malaysia
2019
Emery Bryant
SPRINGFIELD, MO
2016
Anouk Prop
The Netherlands


2017
Maneesh Kalra
Japan

2017
Wendy Chan
Signapore

2018
Juee Yew-Crijns
UK

2018
Lauren Peterson
USA
Committee Ambassadors

“Being part of team Yoga Gives Back the Netherlands & Belgium, we already organized many events in the last years to raise funding and awareness for the women and children in India, the country where yoga has its origins. Now the time has come for some real action at the source. In India, for children, since they are the essence of existence. That’s my deepest motivation to volunteer at one of the sister aid projects of YGB, orphanage Deenabandhu Trust from October, 2014. My goal is to help as many orphans by supporting them directly in practice (psychotherapy and yoga) and by raising funds for them to grow and develop to their full capacity. To reinforce this, I’m going to climb the Kilimanjaro mountain in 2015, dedicated to the orphans in Deenabandhu. With this extraordinary endeavor Expedition KILI (www.expedition-kili.nl) I would like to inspire other people to take action as well. For me, planting a seed on the top of the world for love and acceptance is a dream that comes true.”


Mina is the founder of the Yoga One Studio in the Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and For past 10 years, Mina has dedicated herself to learning and practicing yoga. Her practice has brought greater depth, clarity and joy to her everyday experiences. She loves sharing this with her yoga community through her teaching. Her teaching is disciplined in alignment due to her study and deep knowledge of anatomy. She strives to make her classes nurturing to the soul and to leave her students feeling reconnected to themselves.
“I feel truly humbled to be part of Yoga Gives Back. YGB’s work inspires me to help and serve others. Having first participated in YGB’s activities while living in Asia, I’m now committed to bringing YGB’s message and programs to my new home in the U.A.E. I’m particularly interested in creating sustainable programs that empower woman and give underprivileged children a chance for quality education. Through gift of yoga we can make a difference.”
Surrounded by melodic kirtans, devotional mantras, and the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita since his early childhood in Canada, Maneesh found his passion for yoga rekindled as an adult. Escaping the frenzied rat race of the corporate world in Japan, Maneesh made his way back to India to deepen his studies. Over the following years, his understanding of yoga expanded through his studies and friendship with renowned teachers Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, and Chad Hamrin. Maneesh has been teaching yoga, offering retreats, and hosting yoga-related events in Japan for over a decade including over five years of hosting a variety of YGB fundraisers. Through his work, Maneesh endeavors to bring back the true message of yoga and make these teachings more accessible and understandable to the modern practitioner.
“I was introduced to Yoga Gives Back when an old yoga friend sent me the Sister Aid: Part 3-NISHTHA video. For those who may not have yet seen it, well, you must see it. It takes place in West Bengal, the region where my mother was raised and a place I spent a number of summer and winter vacations as a child. So I felt an instant connection to the video, the young mothers trying to make a better life for their children and the message that there IS something we can do. In a short 7 minutes, this powerful video reveals how easily we can help our fellow human beings who suffer far away, out of sight. Distance becomes no barrier. Yoga Gives Back has made it easy. And the message is clear: let’s take a bit of time out of our lives, to give thanks and to share with the country that has brought us immense joy through this body of knowledge and practice called yoga. I am honored to have this opportunity to help, to spread the word, to raise some donations, and to combine my love for yoga with my passion for contributing to the welfare of the Motherland. As my teachers often remind us, it is all too easy to forget how blessed we are just to have the means, the time, and the ability to practice Yoga. I would like to thank Yoga Gives Back for providing me this platform to add my drop or two to the ocean of charity, and to give back.”

SHARDA TEN HOVE
Bali
Diaforlife, Now You Shine
Sharda teaches yoga privately in London where she also guides individuals into an ahimsa lifestyle through veganism and self/ social awareness.
“Some years ago I shared Yoga with women who have been victim of human and/or sex trafficking. Since then I am committed to find ways to help make a difference in the lives of women and children who have been traumatized. I am so thankful for YGB through which I get the opportunity to be part of a positive change in the lives of women and children and what better way to do this than through the gift of Yoga. I look forward connecting with many other ambassadors and YGB team members to join forces and be part of this inspiring fast growing movement to give back to the country where Yoga originates from. Namaste.”

“As many seasoned practitioners will tell you, yoga nourishes your life in ways you never think possible… just by starting to stretch the body. I realize now, like all things, when you plant a seed and feed it well, it will flourish into an amazing beautiful thing. Yoga has been that seed for me. With deep gratitude, I have been exploring ways to share this experience and to serve through the very thing that offers so much joy. When I came across Yoga Gives Back, I was so inspired by their mission and by the team’s sincerity and commitment. It is brilliant that through YGB, we have a direct avenue to support the descendants of our practice and to stay connected to the seeds we plant. I am so honored and grateful to be a part of this.”

Heeki is a Korean born in Japan and educated in both Korea and the U.S. It was natural for her to step into the world of yoga with her multicultural back ground as her next stage of journey in 1998 while she was studying at UCLA. Her interest in yoga has brought her to explore its path in India and to study many types of yoga & spiritual practices including Ashtanga Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, and Reiki.
In 2007, as an extension of spiritual journey, she opened one of the most influential yoga studios, YOGABREEZE in Fukuoka, Japan. In the same year, she finally met her gurus who totally changed her life style – the creators of Jivamukti Yoga, Sharon Gannon & David Life – who emphasize enlightenment through having compassion to all beings.
She was inspired by the powerful and practical method of Jivamukti Yoga that she became the first Jivamukti Certified Teacher living in Japan in 2008. Since then she has been continuing to teach the method with passion and become an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher in 2012. With her Gurus’ blessings and under their guidance, she has been empowered to convey the method in Japan and internationally teaches workshops and invited to conferences in Asia and Europe.

Becky Stone is a wife, a mother, a yoga teacher and a could-be writer from Strathmore, Alberta, Canada. Practicing ever since she stumbled on a yoga VHS tape when she was pregnant 16 years ago, she has been sharing yoga as a teacher since 2010. The gift of yoga has blessed her health and well-being, and as a teacher, writer and studio owner, it has blessed her with a livelihood that allows her to share that blessing with others. Becky has been a supporter of Yoga Gives Back since 2014, and is delighted to become an official ambassador.
*Becky has been hosting a fundraiser class for YGB for the last 3 years, and just finished her Yoga in the Park summer fundraiser for YGB.

Senior yoga teacher, with over 15 years of experience in the study/practice of yoga who Teaches workshops both in Israel and abroad. Founder of “Ashtanga Yoga Tel Aviv” studio (since 2004) and coordinator of Yoga Teacher Training courses. Maya studied in Mysore with the late master Pattabhi Jois and continue her training with Sharath Jois. Maya is a certified “body wisdom” therapist, body wisdom is an integrative treatment method based on osteopathy. Maya delves into the Buddhist traditions, guides meditations and workshops. In recent years, Maya applied her knowledge and experience into therapeutic work with cancer patients at “Ichilov Hospital” and in her private clinic.
“I’m eternally grateful for the gift of yoga and it’s heritage. With every visit to India I’m constantly reminded of the contrast between our privilege life in the west and the deep poverty in rural India. I strongly believe in the effects of positive karma and paying our good fortune forward, we should all be a part of the giving circle even in a small scale which can balloon like a “butterfly effect”. It is my honor to be a part of this wonderful Yoga Gives Back project to support mothers and children in India. NAMASTE”
Nihan was born in Istanbul and studied political science and international relations at university in Istanbul and New York. She has been doing yoga since 1999 and took her yoga teacher training course at OM Yoga Center New York in 2008. After the course, she quit everything in return for a life of Yoga. She does yoga, teaches yoga, and teaches workshops and teacher trainings all around the world including UK, India, Italy, South America, Cyprus and Turkey. She’s based in Istanbul, Turkey where she teaches in a healthy life center named D-Life. She is also the brand ambassador of Adidas Turkey for their yoga clothing line.
“I start my day with a thanking session for the breath that I take in the morning, for living healthful and blissful with everything that I have. Some people weren’t born as fortunate as we are, but they also have simple needs and beautiful dreams as ours. I believe that it is our duty to share what we own with the community in any conditions which can be financial help or just a motivational conversation or just a big hug and smile, what ever available for us. This was my starting point for creating charity events in my own country, then Yoga Gives Back found me, when I decided to spread my gratitude to global area. Yoga gave me a lot that can take a book for me to write down, now it is my turn to give back by yoga. “
Founder and director of Yoga Seeds, a yoga events, retreats and training company based in Singapore, Wendy hosts regular yoga retreats in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. When she’s not traveling, she’s back home in Singapore, teaching in various settings, including corporate yoga classes, yoga for children, private yoga sessions, regular studio sessions and also community classes for the underprivileged. In fact, she teaches anywhere that she can unroll her mat! Wendy’s background and interesting eastern and western philosophy led her to explore and study the workings of the mind, body and subtle energies of the universe through meditation and yoga. Her style of yoga is a uniqueblend of Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga, with emphasis on the breath in both movement and stillness.
“Yoga has given me so much in my life, and it’s only natural for me to want to be part of an initiative that gives back, especially to India, the birthplace of Yoga. Yoga Gives Back helps our sisters in India through education and opportunities for financial independence, which I believe will have a huge impact in the future of women in India. I’m very blessed and privileged to be an ambassador for YGB and I’m proud to be part of the efforts to support this cause.”


Samantha discovered her calling in Yoga in 2002. She is trained both the Vinyasa and Iyengar traditions, with a great passion in teaching Yin and Kids Yoga. She enjoys the interaction with students and the ability to share her knowledge with them. Samantha is currently teaching at Pure Hong Kong.
“I am truly grateful for the gifts of yoga have given me, not only on yoga mat, but in my life as well. I used to work in a non-profit-making organisation before teaching yoga full-time and always know how much we should be of help to others, no matter it’s big or small. My recent trip to India taught me, again, how much I should be grateful for what I have now and the precious opportunity I have in Yoga. During the trip, the sight seeing bus was on the way back to our retreat centre. It was actually just a less than 10 second scene; I saw a little girl, who was about 4 years old, sitting on a pile of rubbish, crying without anybody taking care of her! I feel very blessed that I could be part of Yoga Gives Back and to serve! I am just a small drop in the ocean, however, we all can get together to become an ocean! “


Emery is a certified yoga instructor who has been registered with the National Yoga Alliance since 2008. She has been teaching yoga in southwest Missouri since 2007 following the completion of yoga teacher training in the VariYoga style at the Arkansas Yoga Center in Fayetteville, AR. In 2009 she continued her education with a teacher training in Ashtanga yoga at Maya Yoga in Kansas City, MO. Her most recent training in Power Yoga for Sports gave her the tools to apply her knowledge of yoga to develop sport specific yoga sequences helping athletes move more efficiently and avoid injury. Her diverse training background allows her to adapt the practice of yoga to all levels from beginner to advanced practitioner. Each class with Emery is a well rounded experience for the mind and soul.
“I want to support YGB to show my gratitude for the many lessons yoga has taught me that have made my life better in every way. I want to pay it forward by helping to make someone else’s life a little better as well.”


GWEN TAN-WYNNE
MALAYSIA
In 2015, while living in Beijing, Gwen saw YGB FILM “My Mother’s Dream” and was immediately inspired to be part of YGB. Being a mother of three growing boys did not stop her from organizing her first YGB event at the International School in Beijing, engaging teachers and students successfully. This March, Gwen successfully organized a YGB Fundraiser at the Habitat Penang Hill, engaging 200 local yogis and community.
Gwen’s teaching is shaped by her first teacher, Wanda Hewitt, whom she feels a deep gratitude to, draws inspiration from the wise and knowledgeable Judith Hanson Lasater and learning so many therapeutic tools in healing herself and helping others through her advance teacher training with Tiffany Cruikshank from Yoga Medicine.
“When I first heard of Yoga Gives Back, I was so inspired by its mission empowering women and providing education to children that I plunged straight into organizing an event. I am very blessed and honored to be a YGB Ambassador.
Yoga is part of me; and being able to give back through yoga, using it as a medium, as a vehicle, is paramount as it holds a space close to my heart. My hope is to inspire others who have embraced yoga as a journey to give back in other creative ways.”
Question? Comment? Want to hold a fundraising event?
Ready to Make a Change?
Join our #OneMillionYogis Campaign!