The Yoga Mandala Project Team

Molly Nixon (she/her)

YMP Director & Trainer (she/her)

Molly resettled in the US after more than a decade of international travel, humanitarian service, and yogic exploration. She had been traveling around the world when the violence of the Middle East landed on her doorstep, ultimately taking the life of her dear friend, which brought a deeply rooted desire to share the healing tools of yoga with those impacted by war and violence as well as to those serving within these communities.

Molly spent the next nine months studying yoga and meditation before heading to the Greek island of Lesvos, where refugees were arriving in overfilled rubber dinghies.These short months in Greece brought deep personal transformation and ignited a life path of service.

Molly has been serving in the refugee aid community since 2016, developing sustainable projects in Greece, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq. Molly continues to fuze together her various passion projects with love and a heart-felt desire to make the world a better place.

Elizabeth Bourdon(she/her)

Advisor, Trainer. Yoga Therapist & Mindfulness Facilitator

Elizabeth has been teaching yoga since 2009. Initially training with The British Wheel of Yoga, she continued her studies with The Minded Institute in London, becoming a yoga therapist specialising in mental health. To complement her therapy skills, Elizabeth is also a mindfulness facilitator, having trained with Bangor University, Centre for Mindfulness Research & Practise. She teaches the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, as well as other mindfulness based interventions. Working with a trauma informed lens, she has a special interest in making these practices available to the refugee population.

Elizabeth has taught in a variety of settings from studios to schools, and has volunteered with Mind, ReThink, and the NHS. For several years she was also part of the faculty at The Minded Institute where she was a Senior Supervisor/Mentor for the teacher training in London.

Manuela (she/her)

Volunteer Coordinator

Bio coming soon!

Susan Bainter Baghdadi (she/her)

TRE Trainer and Trauma Advisor

Life Coach, Process Host, TRE/ Trauma Specialist.

Based Amman, Jordan & Arizona, Susan is a Martha Beck trained Master Life Coach.

She invites individuals and groups to explore “what they already know,” using body-centered, nature-inspired coaching, trauma release and participatory processes in individual sessions, workshops and international learning journeys - weaving ancient wisdom, modern science, love and physical presence into a joyfully created future.

Saraswati Hancock(she/her)

Yoga Therapy Advisor and Trainer. YMP Grandmother & co-founder

Yoga elder with the Independent Yoga Network and teaching director of Heart Ways Yoga, Saraswati has been teaching and practising Yoga for more than 20 years. She was a founding member of the Yoga Mandala Project and continues to advise and teach on trainings. She runs regular 300 hr Yoga teacher trainings, Yoga therapy trainings and continues to offer classes, retreats and one to one support worldwide. She believes that Yoga is for everybody, that if you can breathe you can practise Yoga and that Yoga is a path of healing and love accessible for all.

Saraswati’s teaching is infused with classical Tantra Yoga understanding and has at its heart a devotion to life.