Neelam Akhand
At the age of 45 with kids, ages 16 and 13, I took the challenge with the support of my family to do the One Year Yoga 200-hour level certification. In 2010, I completed the Pilates certification. Since then I have been teaching yoga to kids, adults, and senior citizens. I worked with The Girl's Brownies group to help them achieve their Yoga Patch. Also, I am the past owner and manager of a beauty salon for 3 years.
In 2017 I finished another CoreX certification from Edge Yoga School in Naperville, IL. Currently I am teaching yoga, yolates, and Pilates at the Naperville YMCA, and yoga with meditation at the Discover Montessori School. I finished multiple yoga sessions for adults and children at Studio Nafisa in Aurora, IL. My biggest goal in 2018 is to reach people in the comfort of their homes to achieve their goals without any judgement and pressure. I receive many testimonies from parents who see results in their children and themselves after one month of personal training sessions. Additionally, I taught yoga, water aerobics, and Pilates at LA Fitness and XSport in Naperville.
I have always been a strong advocate in giving back to my community. As a volunteer, I have a big responsibility. I am the Indian Community outreach coordinator for the nonprofit organization, Science of Spirituality Meditation Center in Lisle, IL. My goal is to talk or reach out to libraries, temples, and senior homes to share our knowledge of meditation and yoga. For the last 3 years, the outreach team and I have been teaching meditation at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in Lemont, IL, for which we have always received positive feedback. I like to think out of the box. My creativity also inspired me to lead a volunteer project during the Hindu holiday, Diwali. With the help of my friends, I collected over 40 pounds of Indian sweets and dessert items to donate to the homeless shelter in Wheaton, IL.