After spending the day volunteering at Simpson Housing Services, MÖV Hot Yoga instructor Sonya’s 10-year-old son asked a question she wasn’t expecting, “If you don’t have money, do you still shine?”
“I know when I’m hungry or tired,” he told her, “I can’t find my gifts. I don’t shine.”
As they talked, they discussed how if people are focused on finding food, a safe place to sleep, or simply getting through the day, it’s difficult to think about anything else. It’s hard to dream. It’s hard to thrive.
For Sonya, the conversation revealed something profound about why she keeps supporting Simpson Housing Services.
“I think the reason I continue to do this,” she says. “Is that I can have a really small part in taking people out of survival mode. When someone has a full belly, they can take a deep breath. Even if it’s just for a little while, they can say, ‘I’m okay right now.'”
That simple realization has become part of the heart behind MÖV Hot Yoga’s long-standing partnership with Simpson Housing Services—a partnership built not just on serving meals, but on creating connection, compassion, and opportunities for others to discover the joy of giving back.
Yoga Doesn’t End When Class Is Over
For many people, yoga is about movement and mindfulness.
For MÖV Hot Yoga, it’s also about community.
The Minneapolis studio has partnered with Simpson for more than a decade, regularly preparing and serving meals for shelter guests. When the studio changed ownership several years ago, continuing that relationship was never in question.
Sonya had already been volunteering with Simpson as both a student and later as an instructor. When the opportunity came to take over the partnership, she immediately raised her hand.
“I wanted to keep the community connection going,” she says.
Why? Because community service reflects what MÖV Hot Yoga wants its studio to be.
“In a world where yoga has become a very large business,” Sonya says, “we wanted to keep our core values alive. We’re trying to take the work students are doing on their mats and help them carry it into the world.”
Turning Compassion Into Action
That philosophy inspired one of MÖV Hot Yoga ‘s newest initiatives: the Karma Program.
As part of the studio’s teacher training, graduates have the opportunity to teach donation-based Karma Classes. The classes provide affordable yoga for the community while giving new instructors valuable teaching experience. The donation help support meals served at Simpson Housing Services.
But before new teachers step into the studio to lead a Karma Class, Sonya believes they first need to understand why those classes matter.
“If you’re raising money for a community connection, you should know how to speak to that,” she says. “You should know the people, understand the mission, and experience it yourself.”
The volunteer experience transforms the fundraising from an abstract assignment into something deeply personal.
The studio plans to expand the program next year, making community service and fundraising a formal part of every teacher’s training. The goal is simple: giving back should become part of the DNA of every instructor who teaches at MÖV Hot Yoga.
Finding Ourselves in Each Other
For the MÖV Hot Yoga team, serving at Simpson has reinforced an important truth: community is built through connection.
“We have a really strong community,” says co-owner Steph. “Simpson has a really strong community. When we join those two communities together, kindness happens, compassion happens, and you realize we’re all the same.”
Many people come to MÖV Hot Yoga during difficult seasons in their lives. While their circumstances may differ from those of Simpson guests, Steph believes vulnerability creates a powerful point of connection.
“We’ve all experienced something that’s brought us to our knees,” she says. “That allows us to really look people in the eyes.”
Serving at Simpson has also opened their eyes to the depth of the organization’s work.
Like many people, they’ve realized that Simpson is so much more than shelter serving meals. They see the larger picture: housing support, advocacy, mentoring, tutoring, and countless services working together to help individuals and families build lasting stability.
What Other Businesses Can Learn
MÖV Hot Yoga’s partnership with Simpson isn’t built on writing the biggest check.
It’s built on creating opportunities.
The studio has found a way to weave community service directly into its business model. Students become volunteers. Affordable yoga classes become fundraisers. Teacher training becomes leadership development rooted in service.
In return, employees and members gain something equally valuable: purpose, connection, and a deeper understanding of their community.
That’s a model any business can embrace.
Whether it’s organizing volunteer days, inviting customers to participate in fundraising efforts, sponsoring programs, or making community engagement part of company culture, every business has something meaningful to offer.
As Sonya’s son reminded her, it’s difficult to shine when you’re focused on surviving.
By partnering with Simpson Housing Services, businesses can play a small but significant role in helping neighbors move beyond survival—and create workplaces where employees and customers discover that giving back changes them, too.
When asked to describe MÖV Hot Yoga’s relationship with Simpson in a single word, Sonya didn’t hesitate.
“Connection.”
It’s a fitting description—not just of a partnership between two organizations, but of the countless connections that begin when people choose to show up for one another.