Bringing Big & Little Sisters to the Mat

Big Sister Association of Greater Boston is one of our Connect & Contribute partners. Over the summer our VP of Sales (and certified yoga instructor), Caitriona Taylor, taught yoga classes to big and little sisters at the Big SIster yearly picnic. The blog post below is from guest blogger, Maren Juliano, VP of Marketing at Big Sister about our involvement at the picnic and the benefit of yoga to girls of all ages.

Building strong, lasting mentoring relationships is integral to achieving positive outcomes for girls. And, the key to fostering those relationships is to have the space to explore shared interests together. Thanks to our partnerships with local organizations, institutions, affinity groups, and businesses, Big Sister Boston is able to provide enrichment activities for our Big and Little Sister matches—at no cost—that nurture girls’ healthy development, while also creating safe spaces for the match to strengthen their bond through new shared experiences. 

We were first introduced to Crane & Lion in 2014 through co-founder and former Big Sister, Caitriona Taylor. This past July, Caitriona taught yoga classes throughout the day at our Annual Summer Picnic, held at Dana Hall in Wellesley and attended by more than 100 Big and Little Sisters matches. Activities at the picnic ranged from swimming to basketball, and dancing to art projects, and the undeniable Sister favorite of the day was Caitriona’s yoga class! The class created a fun and safe environment that allowed Big and Little Sisters to engage in something unfamiliar, exercise their concentration, and incorporate their playful sides into reimagined yoga poses.

During the four years that Caitriona was matched with her Little Sister, Helen Fullerton, the Senior Match Support Specialist at Big Sister Boston who supported the Sister relationship, remembers Caitriona’s consistency and patience with her Little Sister—qualities integral to a healthy mentoring relationship and a healthy yoga practice. The benefits of yoga for men and women of any age are clear, but they are particularly helpful in building resiliency in adolescent girls by promoting improved body awareness, self-esteem, and confidence. Yoga teaches those who practice to experiment, test their boundaries, and create their own routine. It’s a non-judgmental practice that evolves differently with each individual and can create a lasting positive impact—not unlike mentoring!

In addition to continuing their partnership with Big Sister Boston and providing more opportunities for Big and Little Sisters, Caitriona and the Crane & Lion team are excited to have launched their brand ambassadors program. We are excited about the program as well, since the role of the brand ambassadors is directly in line with the work we do at Big Sister Boston: to inspire women (and girls!) to feel good about themselves every day by cultivating a healthy, resilient mind-set that includes fitness and self-care. Click here to view more photos from Big Sister Boston’s Summer Sister Picnic.

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Written by: Guest Blogger // Maren Juliano // VP of Marketing at Big Sister Association of Great Boston