Health

See more than 1,000 people practice yoga at Gillette

The event, hosted by Yoga Reaches Out, raised $300,000 (and counting) for Boston Children's Hospital this year.

First-time participant Sarah Hammond, of Essex, Massachusetts. J. Kiely Jr. of Lightchaser Photography & Consulting LLC

By Kristin Toussaint

2 minutes to read

Performing yoga is good for your body and mind, and through Yoga Reaches Out, the practice also benefits the Boston Children’s Hospital.

Yoga Reaches Out is a nonprofit that raises money for children’s organizations through yoga events, like the 2016 New England Yogathon this past Sunday. More than 1,000 people gathered at Gillette Stadium’s Empower Field House at 9 a.m. for the sixth annual full day of yoga and fundraising.

Sunday, May 1, 2016, Foxborough, MA, USA; Yogathon participants raise their arms in unison during the first of many 'sun salutations' on the turf field inside the Empower Fieldhouse Sunday Morning. For the sixth time Yoga Reaches Out held it's New England Yogathon 2015 inside the Empower Fieldhouse at Gillette Stadium on Sunday May 1, 2016. BACKGROUND - Yoga Reaches Out brings the yoga community together to raise funds for children’s charities. It was founded by personal trainer and yogi Sarah Gardner of Wayland, Massachusetts. This past Sunday Yoga Reaches Out held its sixth Yogathon at Gillette Stadium’s Field House in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Around 1,000 yogis practiced yoga in the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriot’s training facility. Over $300,000 was raised for Boston Children’s Hospital. Under one large roof, men and women of all levels enjoyed a day of yoga, music, and fundraising. One of the guiding principles of Yoga Reaches Out is "seva," the Sanskrit word for "selfless service." Through your support, we will use yoga to create seva and help children in need. It is Yoga Reaches Out's stated mission to bring the yoga community together to create seva (selfless service). Through the gift of yoga, Yoga Reaches Out focuses on raising funds for organizations that impact the health, education, and well-being of children. (background credit: YRO website) ( lightchaser photography © 2016 )

Yogathon participants raise their arms in unison during the first of many ‘sun salutations’ on the turf field inside the Empower Field House Sunday morning.

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In order to participate, the yoga enthusiasts had to commit to raising at least $250 to support the Yoga Reaches Out Wellness Center at the Children’s Hospital Hale Center for Families. The center provides programs like yoga, meditation, and massage to the parents and caregivers of children being treated at the hospital.

“Each year, the Yoga Reaches Out New England Yogathon gets bigger and better,” Yoga Reaches Out founder Sarah Gardner said in a statement. “This year’s beneficiary was especially meaningful—we’ve come full circle in a sense, bringing yoga and other supportive services to the families of those being cared for at Boston Children’s Hospital. Now, parents and caregivers will have a place to care for themselves as they care for their children.”

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20160501, Sunday, May 1, 2016, Foxborough, MA, USA; Yogathon lead presenter, teacher, writer and book author Kathryn Budig, of Los Angeles, holds the hand of a participant as she demonstrates a pose inside the Empower Fieldhouse Sunday afternoon. BACKGROUND - Yoga Reaches Out brings the yoga community together to raise funds for children’s charities. It was founded by personal trainer and yogi Sarah Gardner of Wayland, Massachusetts. This past Sunday Yoga Reaches Out held its sixth Yogathon at Gillette Stadium’s Field House in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Around 1,000 yogis practiced yoga in the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriot’s training facility. Over $300,000 was raised for Boston Children’s Hospital. Under one large roof, men and women of all levels enjoyed a day of yoga, music, and fundraising. One of the guiding principles of Yoga Reaches Out is "seva," the Sanskrit word for "selfless service." Through your support, we will use yoga to create seva and help children in need. It is Yoga Reaches Out's stated mission to bring the yoga community together to create seva (selfless service). Through the gift of yoga, Yoga Reaches Out focuses on raising funds for organizations that impact the health, education, and well-being of children. (background credit: YRO website) ( lightchaser photography © 2016 )

Yogathon lead presenter, teacher, writer, and book author Kathryn Budig holds the hand of a participant as she demonstrates a pose inside the Empower Field House Sunday afternoon.

Sunday’s event included more than 1,000 yogis and has raised more than $300,000 so far, and donations can still be made until June 1. Since Gardner started Yoga Reaches Out in 2010, the nonprofit has raised nearly $1 million for Boston Children’s Hospital and nearly $2 million for other organizations across the country.

And you thought your gym’s classes filled up.

20160501, Sunday, May 1, 2016, Foxborough, MA, USA; Yoga Reaches Out founder Sarah Gardner, center in white, of Wayland, holds a pose with the entire crowd and her daughter Emma, right, on the turf field inside the Empower Fieldhouse Sunday Morning. For the sixth time Yoga Reaches Out held it's New England Yogathon 2015 inside the Empower Fieldhouse at Gillette Stadium on Sunday May 1, 2016. BACKGROUND - Yoga Reaches Out brings the yoga community together to raise funds for children’s charities. It was founded by personal trainer and yogi Sarah Gardner of Wayland, Massachusetts. This past Sunday Yoga Reaches Out held its sixth Yogathon at Gillette Stadium’s Field House in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Around 1,000 yogis practiced yoga in the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriot’s training facility. Over $300,000 was raised for Boston Children’s Hospital. Under one large roof, men and women of all levels enjoyed a day of yoga, music, and fundraising. One of the guiding principles of Yoga Reaches Out is "seva," the Sanskrit word for "selfless service." Through your support, we will use yoga to create seva and help children in need. It is Yoga Reaches Out's stated mission to bring the yoga community together to create seva (selfless service). Through the gift of yoga, Yoga Reaches Out focuses on raising funds for organizations that impact the health, education, and well-being of children. (background credit: YRO website) ( lightchaser photography © 2016 )

Yoga Reaches Out founder Sarah Gardner, center in white, of Wayland, holds a pose with the entire crowd and her daughter Emma, right, on the turf field inside the Empower Field House Sunday morning.

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