ABOUT
OG YOGA
Through diversity-informed yoga, we empower all people to become their own greatest healer.
Did you know that in the United States there are over 37 million Americans practicing yoga? Looking at the demographics of those practicing, it is encouraging to see that diversity is growing, but yoga in its mainstream format is still highly unattainable to the populations who likely need it the most.
At OG Yoga we aim to change that!
Our Mission
At OG Yoga our mission is “Transforming lives holistically through the physical and mindfulness aspects of Yoga so that vulnerable members of our community reclaim their bodies and minds from the trauma of their past and thrive.”
OG Yoga teaches participants to focus their attention, calm their minds, reduce stress and think before reacting – tools necessary to live in today’s fast-paced world. We help people become active participants in the health and wellness of their schools and communities and be empowered to lead healthy, happy and productive lives.
Our Vision
Create a universal understanding of how yoga can be a particularly effective tool for trauma survivors on their long and complex path to recovery.
Our Model
OG Yoga sends Yoga Alliance® certified instructors with at least 200 hours of trauma-informed teaching experience out to need-based communities for youth, seniors and adults facing homelessness, poverty, abuse, addiction, PTSD, incarceration and/or reentry. To fund these endeavors, we offer the OG Yoga Studio and Yoga Teacher Training, which provides yoga and mindfulness classes to the public at an affordable price. We also rely on sponsorships and donations from generous people like you.
Meet OG Yoga’s Founder
OG Yoga was founded by JoAnn Jaffe in 2015 to provide the many healing benefits of the 5,000 year-old science and art of yoga to San Diego’s most vulnerable communities.
OG Yoga has worked with over 50 organizations across San Diego County to deliver our services to 6,000+ individuals through over 10,000+ class visits.
OG Yoga is a non-profit project fiscally sponsored by Mission Edge (Tax ID#27-2938491). OG Yoga chose to be fiscally sponsored to keep its overhead low and ensure that 90% of its resources go directly to its programs for at-risk populations. OG Yoga’s annual operating budget must be raised each and every year. OG Yoga’s annual operating budget must be raised each and every year.
OUR TEAM
OG Yoga Instructors
Leadership
JoAnn Jaffe
Founder/Project Director, MBA
JoAnn came from the corporate financial banking sector before making her way into the nonprofit world as Development Director for Second Chance and School Advancement Director for the San Diego Jewish Academy. JoAnn is a registered E-500RYT yoga teacher with advanced training in best practices and accessible yoga for youth, disabled, the criminal justice system, the juvenile justice system, veterans, and seniors. JoAnn is also adjunct faculty at the Pacific College of Health and Science where she teaches Yoga for Specialty Communities in the college’s two-year AAS Yoga Teacher program.
Katie Walter
Marketing & Communications Manager, School Faculty, E-500RYT
Katie discovered yoga while she was a collegiate athlete struggling with over-training and overwhelming changes in her body. The practice spoke to her in a language she could understand, movement. Through her practice, Katie learned to work with her body instead of against it, while also finding emotional peace and spiritual connection. Katie’s study of yoga naturally progressed from a 200-hour certification in vinyasa yoga to a 500-hour certification in yoga for the subtle body. Later she studied in specialized trainings for trauma-informed yoga and yoga therapy. Katie has taught in Ohio, California, Hawaii, Florida, and abroad.
Nancine Dechard
School Faculty, E-500RYT
Nancine has been teaching a variety of yoga classes throughout the San Diego area since completing her first 200-hour teacher training at La Jolla Yoga Center in 2010. Since then, she has continued to deepen her practice and expand her understanding by learning from students and fellow teachers, attending workshops, and completing a 300-hour advanced training in Hawaii. As a result, she is now an E-RYT 500 instructor through Yoga Alliance. In addition to teaching studio classes, Nancine also serves as a faculty member in OG Yoga’s trauma-informed teacher training program.