Hello Yogis! My name is Lauren Fox RYT 200 and I am a Naples, FL Native and the Director of Donation Yoga Naples. In 2007, during my freshman year of college, I took my first 90 minute yoga class and fell in love with both the physical and mental aspects of the asana yoga practice almost immediately. Prior to trying yoga I was a competitive dancer and found joy in expressing myself to the combination of movement and music. I found happiness and freedom in the yoga classes that I took because I found mental peace and clarity through movement with breath and music. This was similar to dance, but I could also work on letting go of ego, competitive nature, and self-judgment during the process.

After practicing different yoga styles with different teachers for 6 years I decided to become a teacher myself because I wanted to help others find the physical and mental happiness that I felt. During the training I was told by my teacher that it was pretty much impossible to make a living as a yoga instructor, but after completing my 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training in 2012, I was determined to teach yoga full-time because it made me so happy. I started teaching at various studios and gyms and I saw just how costly classes were for the Naples community. I always wondered, “Could I afford these classes if I was not a teacher here?” I would ask my friends to come to my class or to join me for a class and constantly was told, “I can’t afford to do yoga right now.”

Today my teaching intention is to still bring mental and physical joy to every student that I teach, but also to see peace signs over dollar signs. This led me to creating Donation Yoga Naples which gives students the freedom to pay what they can afford for their practice, but also gives us the opportunity to donate half of all proceeds to local non-profits. I feel so passionate about giving all students the chance to practice their asana and karma yoga together! I create a different intention behind every class that I teach, create new music playlists that match the theme, and give hands on adjustments/massage to every student on both sides, left and right! I always am still the first to admit, “I don’t know what I don’t know,” but I do know that teaching yoga is a career that brings me joy and that everyone deserves the opportunity to practice yoga!

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Lokah Samastah, Namaste ॐ

A basketball and track and field athlete from a rural town in New Hampshire, I had never known about yoga until one night in the basement of my Boston University dorm in 2004. A medley of 18 year olds practicing on towels and led by the resident philosophy professor’s girlfriend – that was my raw and fantastic introduction to yoga. While I can’t claim that particular yoga experience to be what hooked me, it certainly opened my eyes, and marks the beginning of my current path in yoga.