Behind The Screens: Nicole Cardoza

 
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WHAT IS YOGA FOSTER? 

Yoga Foster makes wellness elementary by giving school teachers resources to practice yoga and mindfulness in the classroom with their students.

 

WHY TEACH KIDS TO BE SILENT? 

Silence isn't the answer – awareness is. As grownups, we often tell kids to pay attention without teaching them how. By giving kids these tools, they can choose how to show up in the classroom and in everyday life.

 

HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN MEDITATION?

I started practicing in college, and found it helpful for mitigating the anxiety and stress I experienced moving to a new city and trying to make ends meet.

 

WHY SHOULD PEOPLE TRY MEDI- TATION? 

It's such a warm and welcoming way to become better friends with yourself. We all deserve to be our own best friends, after all.

 

YOU'VE CREATED TWO COMPANIES, YOGA FOSTER AND NOW DAHLA. WHAT DRIVES YOU TO KEEP JUMPING INTO NEW WATERS?

I believe that wellness can't be truly accessible for all if we don't focus on the factors that keep us unwell. For Yoga Foster, it's shifting access in the schools. For dahla, it's having honest conversations about how money makes us feel. I'm working on a couple new ideas, too! Ideally, there's always a resource for us to go to when we're trying to get better.

 

WHY DO YOU THINK WE'RE ALL SO RUSHED AND STRESSED OUT?

Because we're living in a digital world in analog bodies. Our systems weren't designed for FOMO and crazy inboxes, and we're just trying to keep up. I think if we were more patient with that dissonance, we'd feel a bit better.

 

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU HELPED? 

My goal is to give one million children access to mindfulness before I turn 30, and I don't even think I'm halfway there! So not enough.

 

IS THERE AN END GOAL? 

For Yoga Foster, it's to make yoga accessible in every public school in the U.S. For me, it's to see the world.

 

A QUOTE THAT HELPED YOU BECOME WHO YOU ARE TODAY:

“You are the sky. Everything else – it's just the weather.” ― Pema Chödrön

 

 

Background, Context & Reference

 

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