Classes were offered with an option to donate to the Fauna Foundation
The Concordia Animal Rights Association (CARA) welcomed all community members in Montreal to participate in two free yoga sessions on Feb. 27 led by Josephine Vittoria, a yoga instructor and the founder of NDG Yoga.
During the event, CARA accepted donations to the Fauna Foundation, a non-profit sanctuary in Québec, which offers a safe environment for neglected and abused animals and former biomedical research chimpanzees.
The yoga sessions were hosted on the third floor of the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) building, which housed an inviting space for those interested in donating or participating in a class. The first yoga session started at 1:30 p.m., and 11 participants were present. A second class was offered at 3:15 p.m.
“We do a lot of tabling events, so we wanted to attract people in a different way and we know that the chimps actually do yoga sometimes, in their own ways,” said Lara Mackenzie, the event organizer and president of CARA. Mackenzie was referring to the way chimpanzees play flexibly—CARA has photos of the chimpanzees doing this on their Facebook page.
This is the second time CARA has held a Fauna Foundation yoga fundraiser. “We did it last year. It was pretty successful—we got about 20 people to come,” Mackenzie said. “This year, we’re trying to do two classes, hopefully to attract more because the space is small.”
Katherine Millington, vice president of CARA, said instructor Vittoria tailored the session towards students. Millington said Vittoria offered positions that would aid those that study for long hours or work at a computer for a long period of time.
The Gourmet Barn, which offers a healthy alternative to gourmet desserts, provided treats such as brownies and cookies for yoga participants to eat.
Mackenzie said CARA works with a lot of animal rights foundations, but they were drawn to the Fauna Foundation because she had volunteered there.
“I have worked around the chimps before, so knowing I can give back in a little way through Concordia and creating awareness for them is exactly what I hope to do,” Mackenzie said.
This is CARA’s last fundraiser for the school year, but there will be more tabling events held this semester. “We have four more events planned focusing on encouraging people to adopt a vegan diet,” Mackenzie said. Some of these events will be themed around Easter and St. Patrick’s Day, she added.
For those looking to get involved with CARA, the team is looking to fill its incoming executive positions. Anyone who is interested can send their CV and reason of interest for application to [email protected].
More information on future events held by CARA can be found on the CARA Facebook page.
