Join us on October October 18th for this Trauma Sensitive Yoga class to benefit the Ompowerment, where we will explore a movement based class paired with opportunities to do breath awareness and mindfulness exercises through the lens of curiosity and compassion.
The OMPowerment project empowers individuals in at-risk and marginalized communities across the world to build safer space and promote healing through the practices of trauma informed yoga. In training communities, we co-create a sustainable wellbeing culture, which is transformative in relieving anxiety and restoring confidence and self-esteem.
Our mission is to bring awareness of the healing practices of trauma informed yoga to communities with little to no other psychosocial support. We provide week-long trainings that equip men and women with the skills to create safer space in their communities, free of labels and judgement, in which they and members of their communities can relieve anxiety and build confidence and self-esteem. Our trainings focus on tools for self-regulation – grounding, centering, orienting, and breath – through movement, breathwork, and voicework. After training, individuals are equipped with the tools to share these practices with others, creating a ripple effect of awareness in communities that otherwise do not have access.
With the help and support of several of our friends and teachers, we have developed a training program and written a manual that has been translated and delivered in English, Arabic, Farsi, Swahili, Spanish, Portuguese, Luganda, and Burmese. Embodiment is prioritized over intellectual understanding; by the end of the training, each participant has been guided to embody, integrate, and engage through action, each of the primary self-regulation tools. Yoga asana is one of the vehicles used to offer movement-based resourcing. We focus on basic, core poses and teach a set of go to sequences that participants can have ready at hand. Our training is trauma informed and all participants receive a bilingual manual and a mat to keep as a way to continue their practice.
OMPowerment’s signature programming is implemented in close collaboration with the community and a dedicated team of volunteers. Volunteers receive training beforehand, led by OMPowerment staff. Curriculum includes basic physiology of stress and trauma; yoga for healing; the self-regulation toolkit; self care; and best practices for working with refugee, marginalized and at-risk populations.
Since 2017, we have delivered 11 trainings in 7 countries across 3 continents, empowering over 100 individuals, predominately refugees and survivors of human trafficking. Reported impact includes reduced stress and anxiety, improved sleep, decreased feelings of social isolation, and reduced physical pain.
Facilitator: Julie Johnson
Location: Main Studio & Online (Follow the link below to receive the ZOOM password)
Cost: FREE or donation
Can’t make it? Sign up for the livestream to receive the ZOOM recording with 72hr access.