Project Peaceful Warriors grows healing centered learning spaces in New Orleans through equitable access to the tools of trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness. Our vision is to counter the dominant narrative of trauma attached to the student population, imagining futures where the suffering of marginalized populations is no longer considered a norm. We are a team of educators, mental health professionals, social justice advocates, and community voices who propel our mission forward.

To enact our mission, we provide small group and one-on-one yoga and mindfulness classes that support students in navigating challenging emotions, cultivating an understanding of oppressive systems and their role within them, and enhancing self-confidence. In these classes, students learn and practice tools and strategies that extend far beyond the classroom. We hold professional development workshops for educators that emphasize Social Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Teaching, & Healing Centered Engagement. We also provide yoga classes for all educators to support their own emotional and physical well-being.

Our team believes our approach encompasses, supports, and equips all community members with valuable tools and experiences that they can use to address trauma and both reduce and prevent its negative impact. Yoga creates opportunities for young people to show up in a practice that can create a reprieve from the heaviness of the outside world and cultivate a safe space to reconnect with themselves. As they reconnect, students have the opportunity to explore the full range of human emotions that young people are so often not afforded to express and acknowledge all parts of their experience: loss, achievement, disappointment, joy, and many more. It gives young people permission to observe their personal growth and honor their evolving needs and the value they inherently bring to their communities. Yoga preserves their right to process, to be present, and to nurture the strengths they already possess.