The Yoga Mandala Project
As Ibiza Retreats is now into its 10th Anniversary year, we are celebrating by selecting some wonderful, unique and very important charities that we will be supporting for the next part of our journey as our business continues to grow.
The first of our chosen charities that we would like to tell you about is the Yoga Mandala Project. This wonderful charity is a non-profit organisation that provides psycho-social support and wellness through the physical and mental health benefits of Yoga and TRE (Trauma Release Exercise) to those displaced or affected by war and conflict. They do this by “helping to build emotional resilience, providing simple self-care through yoga to relieve trauma related conditions, such as stress, tension, anxiety and depression.”
Their purpose is of bringing yoga into the lives of people in desperate situations, refugees in war-torn countries, and also those that are known as ‘urban refugees’ who may not have been displaced but are living in catastrophic conditions in war zones or areas previously destroyed by war.
They do this by providing specialist Trauma Informed Yoga training to yoga teachers, to equip them with the very unique skills to approach from both a yogic perspective and from an understanding of trauma sensitive practice and trauma release exercise.
In their own words,
“Supporting people with trauma is a core benefit of the practice and wisdom of Yoga.
Dr Bessel van der Kolk, trauma and bodywork expert, says ”PTSD is a disease of not being able to be present”
This is very much on a physiological level- dissociation and inappropriate activation of fight or flight response. The body and its responses become ‘stuck’ in the past experience, even when the mind seems to have left that experience behind. Yoga can help people to relearn to inhabit their bodies. “befriending ones bodily sensations to overcome the imprints of trauma” (David Emerson- Trauma center Boston), as well as rooting us firmly in the physical experience of the present moment.”
Please read more about them on their inspiring website and follow them on Facebook to see their work in action.
