We’re excited to share another winner of our International Day of Yoga grant contest with you. Congratulations to Caroline Jezierski of Lincoln, Nebraska!
Caroline works at the University of Nebraska as a Nebraska wind energy & wildlife Project coordinator and yoga teacher at the University of Nebraska. She plans to use her grant to establish a mobile yoga studio for the entire Lincoln community. She will outfit her mobile yoga studio with mats, blocks, blankets and bolsters to allow for restorative classes and accommodating students’ needs. Local yoga teachers will be able to rent out the studio to offer free yoga classes throughout the community.
To raise awareness of her mobile yoga studio, Caroline is building the Lincoln Yoga Cooperative website, where yoga teachers will be able to see studio availability and fill out teacher interest forms. Caroline will also provide a class request form for interested students. The website will feature a calendar of all free or donation-based yoga events in the area as well. Caroline will announce her grant, studio and website launch on the Lincoln Yogis Facebook group.
“My hope is that more members of the Lincoln community…will learn about the benefits of yoga and mindfulness and understand that they can practice yoga anytime, anywhere,” Caroline says. She notes that opening her mobile yoga studio is just the first step in her goals of benefiting the Lincoln yoga community.
Caroline has several goals for her mobile yoga studio. First, she hopes that it will help to support Lincoln’s community-based yoga culture. Second, she hopes the studio will become a comfortable space for all students, new and experienced. Third, she wishes that teachers using her studio will inspire their students’ off-the-mat practices. The role of yoga in Caroline’s life has evolved over the years. Caroline says her personal practice leaves her feeling rejuvenated and peaceful. As a yoga teacher, she treats her classes as an opportunity to learn from her students and expand her horizons. “I strive to broaden my student’s perspectives beyond the poses to how they can [apply] what they learn…to their lives outside of the class.”
"Many people who would benefit greatly from yoga cannot afford to attend classes or even purchase yoga mats," she says. This realization inspired her mobile yoga studio. Caroline finds relief from the stresses of work and life on her yoga mat, and she aspires to help everyone reap the benefits of yoga, regardless of their income level.
Beyond yoga, another of Caroline’s passions is protecting the environment. In her professional and personal lives, Caroline aims to lower human impact on the planet. Caroline has worked as a tour guide, a biologist and a university project coordinator during the past 20 years. These jobs took her to some of the U.S.'s most treasured landscapes, like the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan fjords. Wherever she is, Caroline strives to reduce her footprint and find a balance with the environment.
Congratulations, Caroline! We are excited to see your mobile yoga studio come together and wish you great success with your venture.
View Caroline's video about the studio, and check out our other articles about our four International Day of Yoga Grant contest winners. Be sure to check out any of the events near you and show support for your local yoga community if you live nearby!