Maryam Ovissi taught her first yoga class at the YMCA of Reston. She now has Beloved Yoga studios in Reston and Great Falls. Ovissi founded the annual yoga festival that will take place this Sunday in Reston. Photo courtesy of Love Your Body Yoga Festival
Beloved Yoga founder Maryam Ovissi gave a message to more than 700 people who attended the Best of Reston event on Thursday, April 7 that raised more than $483,000 for Cornerstones programs.
“When you connect to yourself, you connect to each other,” said Ovissi, who received the Best of Reston’s Small Business Award.
“May all the honorees I stand with tonight be an inspiration to all of us, especially all the young people. May we inspire you to live a life of service first and foremost,” she said.
Ovissi, of Reston, is also the founder of the annual Love Your Body Yoga Festival that will take place in Reston Town Center this Sunday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event attracts thousands of people and “brings together yoga studios and wellness centers from all over Northern Virginia to share information on the proper care and nourishment of you, your body and your family.”
“The day will be filled with activities for the whole family, including live music, complimentary massages, energy healing demonstrations, healthy food and drink samples,” according the event’s website at www.loveyourbodyyogafestival.com.
Participation at the yoga festival is free for classes and services, and donations given to the Beloved Yoga Mind Body Fund will benefit Cornerstones.
THE YMCA OF RESTON gave Ovissi her first opportunity to teach yoga. She is now the owner of Beloved Yoga with locations in Reston and Great Falls.
She provides free classes to the Reston community, including clients at the Embry Rucker Community Shelter and other Cornerstones clients, Southgate Community Center and the Herndon Resource Center.
“I am grateful to Bob Simon for his vision and I am grateful to call Reston my home,” she said.
She founded her studios in Reston and Great Falls to “provide a welcoming place where people of all levels can come explore, grow and laugh together,” according to her website. “One intention that you will find in all our classes is the philosophy of flow, integrating breath with movement creating a meditative space for the mind, body and spirit.”
“Namaste,” Ovissi told people at the Best of Reston event in April. “Receive my gratitude that I send to each of you.”