Vanessa Van Noy Email and Phone Number

We used to give Dharma talks in front of the yoga room .. then began the era of social media..I began using my writing skills to connect with my community ..

HEADSTANDS FOR HUNGER MISSIONTo unify local yoga teachers and their communities to aid in the feeding of hungry people and homeless pets nationwide.Almost seven years ago, the Monmouth County NJ yoga community seemed to be at a crossroads. In a few years time, the number of studios and teachers exploded, the yogis began to bump elbows. Local instructor, Vanessa Van Noy was concerned about the path they seemed to be on. The community was turning competitive, namaste was getting nasty. It was not an environment becoming of yogis. Something good needed to happen to bring them back together. Vanessa had a light-bulb moment, a community based event to feed the hungry right in their backyards. “Headstands For Hunger “was born.Being a local teacher for almost two decades, she made lots of friends, and invited them all to be involved. She wanted to have all the studios in the county represented in some capacity to encourage a deeper sense of connection within the community.Karma, after all means service in action. It is an integral part of our daily teachings and a core part of the practice. Intentions are good, but ultimately actions matter more. They needed to come together to serve the larger good, they needed a place to check their egos at the door.The experiment with this event was nothing short of overwhelming success. Six teachers from different studios taught together, dozens of others came to offer their assistance. The participants were grateful for the practice and were incredibly generous in their donations. Food for everyone was donated, human food went to the Monmouth & Ocean County Food Bank and pet food went to the local SPCA pet pantry.Year one collected 1500 lbs. of food in year two and over 3000 lbs., third year even more. In year three Headstands found its forever home at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. In year four we attained our 5013c Non For Profit status. Every year has been a smashing success, we look forward to H4H 2021!