Moksha can also be translated as freedom. The Moksha Yoga series is free to change and evolve based on the needs of the students. The Moksha Yoga series was designed to free areas of the body that are often habitually tight and constricted - lower back, hips, knees, shoulders and neck. In this process the body is strengthened, toned, and opened, while the mind becomes still. Space is created within so that each student moves towards the full potential in their life.

Both Ted Grand and Jessica Robertson came to practicing yoga from a background in not-for-profit work. This background in human rights and environmental protection has shaped every aspect of how Moksha Yoga as a community was founded and continues to grow.

We sweat green! Well, not literally, of course, but we do operate based on a deep sense of responsibility for the effect of our actions on the natural environment. In fact every Moksha Yoga studio signs an agreement to operate with strict environmental controls. The studios are built with sustainable and non-toxic supplies, lights and heating systems are low consumption and all studios are cleaned with environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

We take our day-to-day environmental efforts a step further and donate monthly to Zero Footprint. Zero Footprint is an organization that measures the environmental impact a home or business is having on carbon emissions, a leading contributor to global warming. When emissions are determined, measured donations are made and Zero Footprint plants trees and protects watersheds to offset the negative effects our day to day power usage has on the environment. Moksha Yoga is now a Zero Footprint organization!! To offset the effect of your home, office, commute to work, airline flights, etc. visit www.zerofootprint.net.

We believe strongly in making hot yoga accessible. Not everyone is financially able to purchase a yoga class at a standard rate. For this reason every Moksha Yoga studio offers a hot yoga class that we call a 'Karma Class.' The class is $5 and is usually on a Friday night. (Click here to find the Moksha Yoga studio closest to you and their schedule of Karma classes).

All proceeds from the Karma classes are donated to local charities. Between all of our studios we have raised $30,000 to $40,000 per year.and the amount keeps growing!

In addition, each year the Moksha Yoga family sends 30-50 teachers into communities to introduce yoga to various under-serviced and often marginalized communities - for example: half-way houses, centres for addiction or youth at risk. Classes are taught free of charge and often give the individuals skills and elevate their feeling of self-worth.

Karma Classes helped to found The New Leaf Yoga Foundation.The New Leaf Yoga Foundation was created by Laura Sygrove (Moksha instructor) and Jessica Robertson (co-founder of Moksha Yoga) with a vision to put the Moksha idea of accessibility into practice.  The goal of the organization is to encourage individuals to turn over a new leaf in life through the practices of yoga and meditation and by fostering a commitment to nonviolent, compassionate engagement with themselves and with others.

New Leaf works with at-risk and incarcerated youth.  In the future the organization will expand to make these practices available to other communities of at-risk persons, including people living in shelters, recovering from addictions and living in poverty. To find out more talk to your local studio director or visit www.newleafyoga.org.