Photograph by Jessica Watford, ShareLove.Fund RYT 200 2021 Graduate and Documentarian; Subject: Annie Tanenbaum at 16 years old leads a group of teacher trainees as part of her RYT 200 coursework.
In the rapidly advancing world, opportunities for women in varied professional fields are increasing, manifold.
From a period when women were prompted to protest for their voting rights to the 21st century when women lead in business, politics, education, and several other fields, there has been considerable progress for women. ShareLove.Fund, a non-profit organization has taken a significant stride in empowering women. They have provided women with a galore of opportunities to attain certifications for yoga programs. This has enabled them to take a step forward and contribute towards a positive change in society. By engineering three generations of leaders, Ashley Share, Esq., RYT 500, RPYT, RCYT, the founder of ShareLove.Fund, has assisted young women to empower themselves through the attainment of the yoga certification.
Yoga has been renowned worldwide for its profound and powerful impact upon one’s physical and psychological well-being. Through the process of learning yoga, one liberates the self and enables others to gain a positive insight into life. Jessica Watford is among the adult women who have been inducted into the yoga certification program by Ashley. It has given her a platform to become self-reliant and work independently.
Hailing from a penurious environment in Alabama, Jessica was the only student from her high school to attend college. Her love of learning and determination to build a life for herself propelled her to overcome funding challenges by obtaining a full merit scholarship to Purchase College in New York and graduate with a degree in Journalism. Then, she decided on pursuing photography as a career to help support herself. But as the Covid pandemic spread viciously, continuing with photography became an uphill task. Jessica had to sell her car to survive during the lack of job security, and her dreams of pursuing a career in photography were mired. Her association with Ashley shone upon as the light at the end of a tunnel. Jessica was acquainted with a yoga certification program which she immediately decided to engage in. Jessica says she grabbed the opportunity- “I tried it as I had nothing to lose.” Situated in Rye, New York, ShareLove.Fund has enabled Jessica to take charge of her career as a yoga photographer. She has attained a Yoga Alliance accredited RYT 200 degree. It allows her to combine the meditative art of yoga and her passion for photography, as she is now ShareLove.Fund’s documentarian.
In a world already affected by the pandemic, job security and job losses are alarming. ShareLove.fund has successfully aided over 20 youth and women to secure a RYT 200 yoga teaching degree, which will enable them to spearhead in their careers. The organization’s internships have enabled one teenager, Katelin Ulmer, to demonstrate her “sophistication and excellent corporate judgment” as it is “all hands on deck with full intensity as a start-up,” according to Ashley. In addition, ShareLove.Fund nurtures even the youngest leaders as 10-year old Melitta Ofori gained experience in pursuing entrepreneurship as a youth leader who generated awareness about the impact of yoga in her community and was one of the top 10 most impactful fundraisers for ShareLove.Fund.
Furthermore, as part of ShareLove.Fund’s mission to help all youth and women through the principles and teachings of yoga, Ashley successfully launched a program to help incarcerated women at Rosie’s, the women’s ward at Rikers Island jail. Ashley’s experience as an attorney has helped her fathom the environment in which women are subjected in prisons. According to the Justice Quarterly, about 58% of women released from prison are rearrested. Thus, to reduce the recidivism rate among females, Ashley aims to turn her program into a field where women can empower themselves and others. A woman standing up for herself is also empowering other women to follow the trail and create a powerful impact on society. By incorporating a certification program in yoga and assisting women in all sectors of life to retain their sense of self, Ashley is creating a path for all women to spread the image of positivity and well-being.
