OUR PAST
Yogathon Arkansas™ started in 2012 as a weekend event that allowed yoga lovers, new and old, to visit studios in the Central Arkansas area and take a class — or several. Studios and instructors opened their doors to the community and offered free classes to anyone who had the desire to learn more about the practice of yoga.
Yogathon Arkansas™ started in 2012 as a weekend event that allowed yoga lovers, new and old, to visit studios in the Central Arkansas area and take a class — or several. Studios and instructors opened their doors to the community and offered free classes to anyone who had the desire to learn more about the practice of yoga.
OUR PRESENT
In 2015, Sarah Thomas, founder of 365 Yoga Dream, stepped up and took on the role of CEO. Having been a student of yoga since childhood, and later becoming an instructor herself, working to continue the mission of Yogathon was only a natural progression for Sarah. Sarah has, arguably, practiced yoga for longer than she has been alive. Her first classes were in utero when her mother took prenatal yoga. When Sarah was old enough her mother became her first teacher, guiding her through the practice of yoga and meditation and starting her lifelong journey to grow and share the art. Her first professional teachers in yoga were Matt and Holly Krepps. Sarah learned the finer points of yoga and further developed her technique and understanding. After practicing as a student for several years, she became a teacher herself and taught classes in and around Little Rock, Arkansas. She has held classes at Zen Studio, Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, and Arkansas Yoga Collective. Sarah has not limited her teaching to studios alone. She has worked tirelessly to spread yoga throughout her community by volunteering her time. With a heart to serve, she has worked with multiple organizations to provide yoga classes to members of her community. Sarah has partnered with Our House, Dunbar Community Center, Ballet Arkansas, MidSouth Black Expo, Yoga for Tennis, Timmons Art Foundation, Rock Town Yoga, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Sidney Moncrief One team to name only a few. She is also the owner and operator of Yogathon Arkansas™. |
In 2020, Sarah became a Lululemon Ambassador. In this role, she works within the community to not only promote the company and its brand, but to also help facilitate the mission of investing in people to help them live their best life. As an ambassador, Sarah is an integral part of Lululemon’s efforts to build and maintain a genuine connection and relationship with the community – both inside and outside of the store. By joining with Lululemon, Sarah is able to use their platform to further expand her goal of teaching and encouraging fitness, health, and wellness.
Sarah is an avid tennis player, placing third in the USTA Nationals in 2017 and winning her section at the USTA State Championship. She has served as a member of the USTA Southern Tennis Committee and the USTA Arkansas Junior State Tournament. Additionally, Sarah serves her community at large through her support of local nonprofit organizations through donations, volunteering, and public speaking.
Sarah is an avid tennis player, placing third in the USTA Nationals in 2017 and winning her section at the USTA State Championship. She has served as a member of the USTA Southern Tennis Committee and the USTA Arkansas Junior State Tournament. Additionally, Sarah serves her community at large through her support of local nonprofit organizations through donations, volunteering, and public speaking.
In 2019, Nilah Smith joined the Yogathon Arkansas™ team as Chief Operations Officer to help grow the organization and continue the mission of making the practice of yoga available across the state. She and Sarah have been friends since childhood and have collaborated on a number of projects. Nilah has volunteered and worked for and with nonprofit organizations for almost 20 years — from scouting, church, and fundraisers to after-school programs, sponsorship organizations, and community healthcare. Her passion and drive is rooted in a desire to create avenues of access to the most marginalized segments of the population.
Professionally, Nilah is an experienced program manager and project leader. She focuses on policy, process, and procedure to help refine or improve an organization or program to help it operate more efficiently and effectively. Currently, she is the manager of community health clinics in Little Rock that focus on providing medical care to individuals with limited to no access to healthcare and insurance coverage.
She has also worked as a fitness instructor — teaching high-intensity interval, dance, and aqua fitness classes. In 2016, Nilah gained her certification from Zumba®. In addition to the dance fitness format, she also taught the Aqua Zumba® and STRONG NATION™ (formally STRONG by Zumba®) specialty formats. To expand upon her fitness journey, Nilah joined an all female training group. It was this introduction to weight training that sparked her love of powerlifting. In 2018, Nilah participated in her first powerlifting challenge. Combining that experience with her passion for service and outreach, becoming a part of the YA family was an easy transition for Nilah. She is now preparing to branch out yet again in pursuit of her 200 hour yoga teacher certification.
In addition to her work in healthcare and Yogathon Arkansas, Nilah is also an artist and illustrator. As the owner and operator of NSmith Art & Design, she has created several commissioned original works for clients in Arkansas and California. She has also created original artwork as a licensed hobbyist with the United States Marine Corp that was sold as a limited edition reprint. Currently, Nilah is partnering with Central Arkansas yoga instructor and business owner Wesley Pilcher to create illustrations for his series of yoga instructional books and meditation guides.
Professionally, Nilah is an experienced program manager and project leader. She focuses on policy, process, and procedure to help refine or improve an organization or program to help it operate more efficiently and effectively. Currently, she is the manager of community health clinics in Little Rock that focus on providing medical care to individuals with limited to no access to healthcare and insurance coverage.
She has also worked as a fitness instructor — teaching high-intensity interval, dance, and aqua fitness classes. In 2016, Nilah gained her certification from Zumba®. In addition to the dance fitness format, she also taught the Aqua Zumba® and STRONG NATION™ (formally STRONG by Zumba®) specialty formats. To expand upon her fitness journey, Nilah joined an all female training group. It was this introduction to weight training that sparked her love of powerlifting. In 2018, Nilah participated in her first powerlifting challenge. Combining that experience with her passion for service and outreach, becoming a part of the YA family was an easy transition for Nilah. She is now preparing to branch out yet again in pursuit of her 200 hour yoga teacher certification.
In addition to her work in healthcare and Yogathon Arkansas, Nilah is also an artist and illustrator. As the owner and operator of NSmith Art & Design, she has created several commissioned original works for clients in Arkansas and California. She has also created original artwork as a licensed hobbyist with the United States Marine Corp that was sold as a limited edition reprint. Currently, Nilah is partnering with Central Arkansas yoga instructor and business owner Wesley Pilcher to create illustrations for his series of yoga instructional books and meditation guides.
OUR FUTURE
There are so many ways that Yogathon Arkansas can grow. With new and continued partnerships and sponsors, we hope to expand this event to more sites across the state.
There are so many ways that Yogathon Arkansas can grow. With new and continued partnerships and sponsors, we hope to expand this event to more sites across the state.
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Yogathon AR™
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