Our Story

The Yoga Mandala Project began in 2014 during a volunteer visit with Collateral Repair Project, a grassroots organization supporting urban refugees in Amman, Jordan.

Over several weeks, we offered yoga and dance classes to women, men, and children—and were deeply moved by how quickly participants embraced yoga as a self-care tool for managing the stress of displacement.

Class attendees shared that they felt physically, emotionally, and mentally better: reporting improved sleep, reduced anxiety, increased relaxation and resilience, and even relief from certain health issues.

Participants described feeling a sense of comfort, safety, and peace—and expressed a strong desire to continue the practice.

This inspired us to expand our efforts by bringing more teachers into the project and creating sustainable, long-term programs in collaboration with partner organizations. We began to explore how to design offerings that were truly responsive to the needs of the communities we served.

Through trial and error, we realized the most impactful and ethical path forward was to work alongside local yoga teachers—inviting them into the project and offering training in trauma-informed teaching, practice, and protocol.

From this vision, a sustainable Mandala was born. Today, we offer ongoing programs, annual trainings for humanitarians and yoga teachers, and dedicated self-care support for those working on the frontlines.

These trainings are made possible through generous donations and are subsidized by the Yoga Mandala Project to ensure accessibility and impact.

We are eternally grateful for the generosity of all our donors.