Meet Howie Shareff | Founder & Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Howie Shareff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Howie, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
You Call This Yoga has bridged the limited access to wellness practices that many people struggle with. From our inception in 2010, we have provided free yoga classes for people who do not readily have access to a yoga class in person. With the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2019, we cancelled all in-person classes and events and continued to offer 8-10 free weekly online classes. Over the past two years, we have evolved to a hybrid weekly structure of 75% in-person (9) and 25% online (3) classes. This included a major expansion from the Raleigh/Wake County area in 2023 through the center of North Carolina that has provided hundreds people in the Durham, Greensboro and Charlotte areas an oasis of supportive community and experiences for people of all sizes, backgrounds and orientations.
The gentle mat and chair yoga classes have provided individuals and families a means to build capacity for managing life and rebuilding the joyful art of social engagement. We also have partnered with Meals On Wheels of Wake County at four locations to help seniors breathe, move and enjoy a shared positive experience. Our organization has been committed to reaching the Spanish speaking community for 12 years, primarily through classes at the Alliance Medical Ministry in Raleigh, NC and now with weekly Spanish spoken classes online and publicly in Durham twice monthly.
We also provide a supportive community and stipends (50% of our budget) for yoga teachers, who have lost many opportunities to teach in public. Some of our team have closed their businesses and this is their new home. Some have managed to sustain and work with us to advance our mission to contribute to community well-being with accessible yoga practices.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

What sets me apart: willingness to get coaching, fluidity of thinking in problem solving, willingness to act definitively and be involved where necessary

What I am proud of/ excited about: the committed effort of dozens of people over a dozen years to share the benefits of yoga with those less able to access classes, the evolution of the nonprofit from primarily Raleigh to across NC with an engaged, capable and inspired network of teachers, advisers and Board of Directors

How I got here/easy or not: It‘s uphill everyday in leading a small nonprofit which requires unending focus on establishing goals, engaging people, thinking, learning from successes and errors, raising money and having fun in helping people enjoy the benefits of accessible yoga practices.

How I overcome challenges: Breathe, Think, Measure before Cutting

Lessons learned: Relationships are key to our success. They require a lot of fostering, patience and acceptance. And are also transient/temporary.

Message to world about brand: People enjoy being with other people and yoga provides a common experience to focus inward, develop a health enriching practice and engage outward. We contribute to community well-being with accessible yoga practices.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Cedar Hills Rotary Park for disc golf Shelley Lake and Sertoma Arts Center for walking, free yoga at the big field, programs
Sola Coffee
NC Museum of Art
Alamo Draft House
Benchwarmers Bagels/Boulted Bread
Plates Kitchen
Lincoln Theater
NC Arboretum

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Over our 13 years as a non profit organization, I have been blessed with friends, yoga practitioners, people with an appreciation of the physical/social/mental benefits of yoga, and several coaches who have tried to shape this/my bold and often chaotic looking initiative to bring free accessible yoga to the world. Kiesha Battles guides our Board as President, Amy Bush models what leadership looks like, Will Barfield amplifies our message on LinkedIn.

Website: https://youcallthisyoga.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youcallthisyoga/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/youcallthisyoga/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YouCallThisYoga

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Z94CfoSZUUpgUiTHG9reQ