The Art Of Yoga Project

Our mission is to bring mindfulness-based practices to system-involved and other marginalized youth for their healing and empowerment. The Art of Yoga Project recognizes that youth face the stress of inequity, injustice, and trauma - early and ongoing. We understand that youth require a predictable, safe, supportive environment to heal. Our model includes specially trained trauma-informed teachers who bring tools for self-awareness and self-regulation to move youth from vulnerability into resilience. We are leaders in the movement to ensure mindfulness-based practices are accessible to all creating innovation collaborations within systems that serve youth. Since 2005, The Art of Yoga Project has served over 10,000 marginalized youth across the San Francisco Bay area. Trauma-informed yoga and art educators deliver our mindfulness-based programming in short and long-term detention and rehabilitation centers; substance abuse recovery settings; agencies serving CSEC (commercially sexually exploited children); Level 14 facilities (for youth with high psychiatric needs), and schools. To promote systemic change and healing in our communities requires collaboration at all levels. We partner with county behavioral health, education, probation, judiciary, departments of children, youth and family services, and other community-based organizations. Organizations interested in implementing a yoga and creative arts curriculum to their population of marginalized youth are invited to apply to our National Affiliate Program.