Yoga with Miss Angela: August 13, 2025

By Liv Colavito/The Felix Organization

Warrior 2! Angela Rodriguez-Greaves with Camp Felix-A BroaderWay campers

The 20th season of Camp Felix was a whirlwind–three weeks up at Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut, with Felix kids flying high on the zipline, splashing around at the waterfront and running around the grounds. These high-octane activities found nestled between the mountains of the Litchfield Hills region are not commonplace in the terrain Felix kids call home in New York City…and neither is yoga.

Last camp season, we had the pleasure of working with Demetrius Napolitano from Fostering Meditation, who facilitated yoga classes during Alma & Bryan’s Camp Felix session. We wanted to keep the tradition going, but Fostering Meditation was not going to be able to make it up to camp this summer. Without missing a beat, I knew exactly who I could reach out to fill this yoga-shaped void to Alma & Bryan’s Camp Felix, as well as to our new program, Camp Felix-A BroaderWay…and that person was Miss Angela Rodriguez-Greaves.

One year ago, Miss Angela taught the first yoga class I ever took at the YMCA out on Long Island. She made an indelible impact on me and I have been practicing yoga ever since. All of my worries going into the class washed away as she reminded me, “Smile! It’s only yoga!” as we went through the poses. Not knowing that we were going to be in need of a yoga instructor for camp the following summer, I still took note that Miss Angela would make her way into the Felix Fam one way or another. 

Miss Angela is spunky, yet gentle. Firm, but incredibly kind. She is a Latina woman who grew up in New York City, participating in camps upstate during the summers, just like Felix kids. I knew they would be able to see themselves in her, and she them. Not to mention her experience working with youth in her former career as a school counselor–the value adds were piling up!

In the middle of the last week of the camp season, Angela made the trek up to Club Getaway to teach four sessions of yoga–two in the morning for Alma & Bryan’s campers and two in the afternoon for our ABW campers out on the basketball court, for yoga al fresco! Despite the age ranges, the mix of genders and varying degrees of willingness to try something new, Miss Angela’s flexibility (no pun intended!) to adjust her plans to make a meaningful experience for all of the campers was palpable. 

Miss Angela took the time to introduce herself, relate her experience to the youth and encouraged all of them to give the session a try. Even those who didn’t want to participate in the poses felt safe enough to close their eyes and enjoy a little snooze on their mats…we all considered that just as much of a win. 

Campers moved through individual and group asanas (poses) and guided through shivasana (you know the best part of yoga when you lay on your mat and fall asleep!) as Miss Angela provided them with affirmations while beating her drum. Some poses were trickier than others, leaving room for plenty of laughter and encouragement from one another. Even the teen campers who felt like they were too cool or too embarrassed to try yoga made their way on to their mats to join in on the fun of three legged dog or tree pose. One camper who was in need of a snack did the poses off to the side while eating his apple so as to not miss a beat! The counselors joined in on the fun which helped to create a safe, fun and almost competitive dynamic with the campers—while working out the twinges in their necks and backs!

Miss Angela was cultivating a new level of community among the campers that you could feel shifting from the time they met on their mats to the time they left for their next activity. It was truly a testament to her work when individual campers approached her with thank you’s and hugs at the end of the sessions. The sweet interchanges between Miss Angela and the campers were enough to bring about validation that this was in fact a good fit! 

The light in Felix kids honors the light in her. Namaste, Miss Angela! Camp Felix is grateful for you and your generosity!