Our Mission
Yoga Day Foundation exists to provide yoga and mindfulness training to families in San Antonio through schools, hospitals, and community partnerships. We believe access to these tools improves physical, mental, and emotional health and empowers families to navigate their communities and lives in a more positive way.
Our Vision
We envision a world where all families have access to yoga and mindfulness tools and are emboldened to use these tools to respond to life's challenges, to control one’s reactions, and to make better choices. We envision a San Antonio where families are empowered to create lives brimming with positive meaning and creative compassion for all.
How We Got Started
Carlos Gomez, founder of Yoga Day, grew up in Acapulco, Mexico. After pursuing a career in Marine Science, Carlos discovered yoga in 2008 when Bikram Yoga College of India (BYCI) hosted it's teacher training in Acapulco. Carlos quickly recognized Yoga as way to a fuller and healthier life. BYCI sponsored Carlos with a full scholarship to become a teacher. Without this aid, Carlos would not have had access to Yoga. His goal now is to share Yoga with those who may otherwise never have had access.
The idea for Yoga Day Foundation began in 2011 when Carlos Gomez was approached by Univision to teach weekly, free, public yoga classes at Woodlawn Lake Park.
This experience opened Carlos’ eyes to the reality of many San Antonians: poor diet and high stress, combined with little to no exercise that results in declining health. This awareness led him to strive to bring the benefits of yoga to underserved people of all ages in San Antonio.
Carlos believes that yoga is truly a universal and safe path towards regaining health. Yoga is accessible to anyone and can be practiced almost anywhere. Yoga can also be very effective in reducing and sometimes eliminating chronic pain as well as the most common health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, asthma, migraines, and arthritis. It is a proven stress reducer, requires mental discipline, and can be a useful tool for children and adults alike that deal with stress-related problems or, inability to focus or manage emotions.