Yoga Under the Palms’ owners, Summer and Corey Rothwell, are parents to two boys on the Autism Spectrum: Kai, age 9, and Keala, age 7. “Our journey, like so many other families with kids on the spectrum, has been challenging and frustrating. Awareness is great, but what we really need are options – things to do outside of our home and places to go as a family. Most families like ours receive after-school services in their homes due to lack of accessible spaces in the community. After years of talking about doing something about the lack of resources, especially after school options, we made the decision to create our own space for kids with autism.”
Open Mind Yoga Hawai‘i, a 501c3 non-profit yoga based after school program will open at Yoga Under the Palms Kaka’ako later this month @openmindyogahawaii. Our mission is simple – to create a space for autistic kids to play, learn and grow, through aerial yoga, sensory play and social activities.
We are starting small with 2 afternoons/week of activities and hope to grow to offer daily and weekend programs as well. We hope to evolve to suit the unique needs of the kids enrolled in the program.
As special needs parents, our hearts go out to everyone on the spectrum, anyone that loves someone on the spectrum, and those that have dedicated their careers to making this world more accessible to those who feel it differently. May we all do our part to make the world a more inclusive space for all.”
You can support this mission by attending one of our donation classes where ALL proceeds will fund equipment for the program. Currently scheduled classes will be held:
Kakaako 4/7 – 6:30pm
Kaimukī 4/21 – 6:30pm
Kailua 4/28 – 6:30pm
Or attend our 4 Course Vegan Dinner on 4/19 at Plant Based Paradise Kaka’ako.
We also have a gofundme to raise funds for basic equipment for the program. If you have items that you would like to donate to our program or to our silent auction, please contact us.
