MARCH 22, 2016, SUDBURY – On Sunday April 17 from 9:00am-3:00pm the cities’ first Yogathon for Mental Health will be held at the Caruso Club in Sudbury. This one-day Yogathon is geared to be gentle, enjoyable, and accessible for all ages and experience levels. Its organizer, Emily Zanini, welcomes the entire Sudbury community to attend this event fundraiser, created to bring people together around the amazing benefits of yoga for personal self-care, and greater mental health awareness across the Sudbury community.
The Sudbury Yogathon for Mental Health was born out of Emily’s own experience with depression and discovering the power of yoga for her own recovery. “The more I talked about my illness with those around me, the more other people opened up about their personal struggles and lived experience” says Zanini. “All of a sudden, I didn’t feel alone anymore. If I would have just spoken up a couple of years earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of suffering in silence and gotten the help I needed right away. I created the Sudbury Yogathon for Mental Health to bring the community together and keep the conversation going while doing something fun and active!”
The Sudbury Yogathon for Mental Health is a fundraiser, and all of the proceeds will be going to NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action, a peer-run mental health organization providing recovery-oriented services to people with lived experience of mental illness. “In researching the mental health services in Sudbury to give the fundraising dollars to, I quickly found a perfect fit with NISA” says Emily. “NISA focuses on the importance of support in recovery and mental health. They do so much for the community that people may not be aware of. The second I walked through the door to pitch my fundraising idea to the organization, I felt the community, safety and acceptance NISA brings to so many. Supporting hundreds of Sudburians a year, NISA is a vital community service that needs our support.”
Throughout the event, specialized instructors from numerous studios across the city, will be guiding attendees through styles including a great introduction to beginner poses, healing, restorative, Hatha, and laughing yoga as well as yoga for pain and headaches.
Local exhibitors will be on-site to offer healthy food options and natural health and wellness products, also well, mental health agencies throughout the community, will be available to provide information on local programs and resources. The exhibit portion will be free to the public, although donations to the event are greatly appreciated.
The local sponsorship and community support to date has been amazing. Partners include: Mediwell, MyYoga, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, ARC studio, Salute Coffee Company, @home Energy with Greater Sudbury Utilities, Nu North Masonry, North East Suicide Prevention Network, Health Coach Health Centre, Quinta Essentia, Tree Top Bath and Body, Laurentian University Health and Wellness Centre, Canadian Mental Health Association, Sudbury Credit Union, Sweetlegs, Our Crater, and Alive + Fit.
For more information on registering, sponsoring, volunteering or donating visit sudburyyogathon.com. If you require more details, you can contact Emily Zanini at sudburyyogathon@gmail.com. Follow us Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get the news on the Yogathon as soon as it is available!
NISA is a peer-run mental health organization located in downtown Sudbury which offers peer support along with active living, creative and occupational/vocational programming. It supports nearly 80 members daily. Its hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with evening support groups for families, mothers experiencing mood changes, and those bereaved by suicide.