Journey to Hope was a dream, a fleeting thought I had one
morning. Just over a year after this thought, it was a legal 501c3 non profit
organization. My dream had become a reality!
I am a firm believer in creating your own world. I believe
in fate, God, miracles and destiny, but I also believe that the universe grants
us access to opportunities. It is up to US to TAKE the opportunities and create
something of our own from it.
When Journey to Hope first came to fruition, it was
extremely organic. It happened very naturally but had I not been open to
receiving universal gifts, I may never have seen my window of opportunity.
I moved to Cape Cod in the spring of 2011. I was mere days
away from completing my 200 hour teacher training and ready for whatever the
universe was ready to give to me. Truth be told, it was the first time I have
never had a real plan for the future and it was equally the most stressful and
exhilerating time of my life.
On the same day I graduated from my yoga teacher training, I
also walked in my Master’s of Education ceremony at Cambridge College with a
masters in teacher English as a second language. I was supposed to be a
“teacher” and in many ways I still am. I had no real desire to step back into
the classroom walls, ever again... but I knew I wanted to teach. I just did not
know what, who where or how. I had spent 19 years in a traditional classroom
with my teaching and schooling experiences. It was all I had known – and yet I
did not want to go back. I told everyone I loved that I would look for a job as
a substitute amongst wedding planning and teaching yoga. Meanwhile, my brain
was spinning a million miles a minute trying to figure out how to do anything
but.
I have never felt so alive in teaching yoga. When I teach, I
feel my heart begin to expand. My love, my energy and my desire to spread that
peaceful message are some of my biggest gifts. Teaching yoga makes me feel
whole, and giving back with all of my heart and spirit is what I do best.
Shortly after moving to Cape Cod, I went to the local
library to check out a few books on starting your own business. In the
beginning, I wanted to open a for-profit studio that would provide non-profit
services on the side. I envisioned a beautiful backroom with books for children
and comfy places to sit. Allowing mothers who cannot afford yoga and daycare
services to have both within our space. I wanted to spend my days teaching yoga
for profit and giving as I was able within my own space.
As fate would have it, there were other plans. Upon checking
out with my books, I asked if I could hang my {brand-new} business cards on
their bulletin board to promote my yoga teaching. The lovely volunteer told me
that it was reserved for non-profits only. The next words out of my mouth were
organic, almost an accident: “I’m starting a non-profit.”
A few weeks later, I had a business plan, a name, a concept,
a handful of board members (who had no idea what we were getting ourselves
into) and two locations: the fateful library & a woman’s shelter.
In the beginning, it was an idea, a thought, a concept. It
wasn’t fully developed. I was not 100% sure of where it would take me – but I
knew it was where I was supposed to be.
We are still evolving and even now I am brainstorming
another fabulous project to share with the world. Had it not been for that one
librarian, Journey to Hope may not exists. That’s the beauty of it all. Take
the opportunities. Listen. And spread YOUR message and dream loud and clear.
Get out there – do yoga & make life sparkle!
Namaste,
Jenny
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