Laura and Jennie are the co-founders of Boston Yoga Collaborative. They have spent their careers in the service of education and health, and they believe that everyone has a role to play in building stronger, healthier communities. They met when they were serving as volunteer yoga instructors with Hands to Heart Center (HTHC), and they connected over their shared commitment to expanding access to yoga and its many benefits. When HTHC closed its doors in June 2024, they decided to launch the Boston Yoga Collaborative (BYC) to continue the mission of providing free yoga classes in partnership with nonprofits across the Boston area.

Laura has practiced and taught many forms of movement over the years, but yoga has remained a constant in her life since 1998. She earned her 200-hour certification through Down Under Yoga in Brookline. Laura’s personal practice is dedicated to Iyengar Yoga, and she is immensely grateful for her mentor teacher Claire Carroll. Outside of yoga, Laura has spent her professional career in higher education, first at Harvard University and now at Boston University. When she is not at work or on her mat, Laura loves spending time with family, preferably near the ocean.

Jennie is a 20+ year yoga practitioner who loves sharing yoga with others. She trained at the 200-hour level at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, CA, in 2006, studying with Natasha Rizopoulos. In the years since, she has continued to practice regularly and teach part-time at schools, hospitals, and other community organizations. She runs her own public health communications consulting business, where she promotes the benefits of yoga any chance she gets. When she’s not working or doing/teaching yoga, she is most often with her husband, two teenage children, or their dog, Lola.