The San Diego office of City of Hope, one of the nation’s leading centers for cancer treatment and research, will host its inaugural 2011 Yoga for Hope on Saturday, March 5, from 8am-1pm, at Bayfront Park at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The event aims to have beginners and experts alike bring awareness to the benefits of yoga practice for patients with life-threatening illnesses. Proceeds will benefit research, treatment, and education programs at City of Hope, aiding the treatment and research center’s efforts to expand awareness of the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection when battling cancer, diabetes, or HIV/AIDS. “Yoga is an integral part City of Hope’s overriding mission to heal the whole person, including nurturing the emotional, spiritual, social, as well as physical well-being,” notes Robyn Hima, senior director of development for City of Hope’s San Diego regional development office. “Our program of providing gentle, restorative yoga classes has proven effective with a profound impact on symptom management and quality of life for many City of Hope patients.”
Five celebrity yoga experts were chosen to lead this “master yoga class” because they each come from a different yoga background and teach a variety of styles.
Tim Miller has been studying and teaching Ashtanga Yoga for over 30 years and was the first American certified to teach by Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. He currently teaches yoga around the world.
Claire Petretti is one of the top yoga instructors in San Diego and understands the benefits of yoga first-hand as a breast cancer survivor who practiced yoga to help focus mentally and physically during her treatment. Petretti was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2010. A long-time yoga instructor, she saw a unique opportunity to help people like herself, earning certification to teach yoga with a focus on patients recovering from cancer.
Stacy McCarthy is a founder of Yoga NamaStacy, whose goal is to help balance the mind, body, and soul while awakening the spirit. Her cutting-edge classes are unique as she uses a variety of techniques and tools for accessing and sustaining mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Michael Fukamura is an expert in Anusara Yoga and is known for his focus on clarity, insightfulness, and expansion of growth.
Bonnie Saldivar-Jones is a yoga teacher and consultant specializing in Ashtanga Yoga and teaches self-love and compassion throughout her private and group classes at studios and health resorts nationwide.
Advance registration fees for those 16 and up is $40; college students/instructors pay $30. Day-of registration fees are $50 for those 16 and up; college students/instructors pay $40. Online registration closes Thursday, March 3. All participants will receive a Yoga for Hope water bottle, and the first 500 participants receive a swag bag filled with wonderful giveaways. (858/452-6846, www.yogaforhope.org/sd)
