Urban Yoga Foundation

Urban Yoga Foundation's founder Ghylian Bell believes "communities will change when the people in them change." Through yoga and her organization's outreach efforts, she hopes to inspire that transformation in her community in Harlem, uniting its residents and motivating them to achieve mind-body wellness and awareness.

Nestled within an 1893 brownstone on historic Strivers Row, students bend and stretch through classes facing a grand mahogany fireplace ablaze with candlelight. Certified in kids' yoga, Bell also leads wee ones and teens in laying the foundation for a lifetime of wellness and nutrition. She also lent her expertise on a documentary about yoga in the public-school system, in which she bends all the rules. More than just a place to hone downward-facing dogs, Ghylian reaches out to her community via organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA, the "I Love Africa" AIDS awareness movement, and various afterschool programs.