named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Group Medical Visit Integration
Integrates Mandela Yoga interventions into group medical visits at safety-net healthcare providers, pairing yoga with clinical care for chronic disease management
Mandela Yoga Peer Facilitator Training
Training program that prepares community members, particularly those with lived experience, to lead trauma-informed yoga sessions in healthcare and community settings
Mandela Yoga Studio at San Quentin Prison
Virtual yoga program providing curated video content featuring BIPOC teachers for incarcerated individuals, launched as a COVID-19 emergency response
activities · 6 groups
What they do
-
Trauma-Informed Yoga and Mindfulness Programs 4 activities
- Conduct community-based research on yoga as interventionConducts and publishes community case studies on post-incarceration reentry services for men of color in recovery using yoga as an intervention, including co-authoring a peer-reviewed study published in Frontiers in Public Health with Harvard Medical School faculty and research scientists.
- Deliver anti-racism somatic workshops for white-identified individualsOffers immersive body-focused workshops that teach about race-based stress and trauma, provide tools for self-regulation and somatic resilience, and support participants in developing personal anti-racist action plans to reduce harm in cross-racial interactions.
- Pilot yoga programs with reentry service organizationsLaunched a pilot implementation of Mandela Yoga in partnership with Legendary Legacies, a reentry services nonprofit in Worcester, Massachusetts, focused on addressing rising fatal overdoses among Black residents through trauma-responsive yoga practices.
- Provide virtual yoga programming for incarcerated individualsCollaborated with Mt. Tamalpais College to create and maintain a virtual Mandela Yoga Studio at San Quentin Prison, offering a curated library of high-quality yoga videos led by BIPOC teachers tailored to incarcerated individuals, including targeted content developed during the COVID-19 pandemic for those quarantining in cells.
-
-
Justice System Innovation & Inclusion Programs 1 activity
- Co-create criminal record remediation programsCo-created Clean State, a program that has assisted over 14,000 individuals in remedying their criminal records, reflecting deep engagement in systemic advocacy and community legal empowerment initiatives.
-
-
Community Wellness Movement Classes 1 activity
- Deliver peer-led yoga program to improve health outcomesProvides a standardized 45-minute peer-led yoga program called Sonya's Sequence, designed to improve blood glucose and blood pressure, accessible without props or special clothing. Piloted through a fee-for-service contract with Greater Lawrence Family Health Center serving a predominantly Spanish-speaking patient population.
-
-
Political Leadership Training for Underrepresented Groups 1 activity
- Design participatory action research for leadership developmentCo-designed a participatory action research project in 2011 that led to the creation of a training program for women of color aspiring to become elected officials, fostering political leadership and civic engagement.
-
-
Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
- Train peer facilitators in trauma-responsive yogaHosted a peer-facilitator training program in Lawrence, Massachusetts, preparing graduates to lead community-based, trauma-responsive 12-week Mandela Yoga series, building local capacity for sustained program delivery.
-
-
Uncategorized 3 activities
- Advocate for yoga-based solutions in public health forumsPresents the Mandela Yoga model as a public health solution at national forums, including presentations to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's S4A National Coordinating Center and The Integrated Center for Group Medical Visits in September 2025.
- Expand yoga programming internationallyShared Sonya's Sequence in Berwina, Rwanda and Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya in July 2023 as part of an international outreach effort to extend the reach of its evidence-informed yoga practice.
- Support social enterprise developmentDeveloped a business plan for Ploughshares Nursery, a nonprofit social enterprise operating since 2005 that provides employment training to people emerging from homelessness, contributing strategic capacity-building support.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$294K
Contributions & grants$235K80%
Program service revenue$59K20%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$281K
Program expenses100%
Admin / overhead0%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$30K
Cash$30K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$30K
Liquid reserves1.3 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 4
- ANDREA BRADFORD — SECRETARY
- CELINA BARRIOS-MILNER — DIRECTOR
- COLLIN LENZI — DIRECTOR
- JEFFREY THOMAS — PRESIDENT & TREASURER
relationships · 32
Who they work with
- Age Strong Commission - City of Boston Partner — Collaborates on the public health solution implementation in Boston.
- American Journal of Public Health Partner — Published research on the Mandela Yoga intervention in its journal.
- Berkeley Law School Partner — Collaborated with a poverty law clinic at Berkeley Law School to co-create the Clean State program for criminal record remediation.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Funder — Major funder supporting MYP's programs to address racial trauma and health disparities.
- Bureau of Substance Addiction Services of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Funder — Major funder supporting MYP's public health interventions.
- CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion Partner — Implements the RWJF-funded Mandela Yoga Systems Alignment Research Project in partnership with CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, a Harvard Medical School Safety Net Teaching Hospital.
- Down Under School of Yoga Partner — Hosted a donations-based Mandela Yoga class in partnership with MYP, led by MYP Thought Partner Emily Peterson.
- Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation Funder — Founding institutional supporter of MYP.
- Fidelity Charitable Partner — Lists Fidelity Charitable as a platform for giving via Donor Advised Funds.
- Foundation for a Mindful Society Funder — Founding institutional supporter of MYP.
- Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Partner — First intervention partner, a federally-qualified health center in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where MYP piloted its health intervention.
- Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Partner — Implementation site for the Mandela Yoga Project in Greater Lawrence.
- Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Partner — Partnered with MYP to pilot Mandela Yoga as a fee-for-service program within a clinical setting serving a majority Spanish-speaking patient population.
- Guidestar Partner — Lists Guidestar as a platform for giving via Donor Advised Funds.
- Harvard Medical School Partner — Collaborates with Harvard Medical School faculty and research scientists on the Mandela Yoga Systems Alignment Research Project and co-authored research publications.
- Institute for Health Equity, Research, Policy and Evaluation Partner — Collaborates on research and evaluation of the Mandela Yoga public health model.
- Integrated Center for Group Medical Visits Partner — Presented the Mandela Yoga Project at the center in September 2025.
- Legendary Legacies Partner — Collaborating with MYP on a pilot implementation of Mandela Yoga for reentry populations in Worcester, Massachusetts, addressing racial disparities in overdose deaths.
- Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Network — Participates in statewide conferences and collaboratives with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to share research and implementation findings.
- Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Partner — Partnership to deliver Mandela Yoga through community health centers in Massachusetts.
- Mt. Tamalpais College Partner — Collaborated with MYP to create the Mandela Yoga Studio at San Quentin Prison, including developing a virtual library of yoga videos for incarcerated individuals.
- Mt. Tamalpais College Partner — Collaborated with MYP to create the Mandela Yoga Studio at San Quentin Prison, providing virtual yoga programming for incarcerated individuals.
- Mt. Tamalpais College Partner — Collaborates with MYP to create a virtual yoga studio at San Quentin Prison through a library of yoga videos.
- New Commonwealth Racial Equity & Social Justice Fund Funder — Funder supporting MYP’s work in racial equity and community healing.
- PayPal Partner — Uses PayPal as a payment platform for donations.
- Reliant Foundation Funder — Institutional supporter of MYP’s programs.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funder — Funds the Mandela Yoga Systems Alignment Research Project through its Systems for Action initiative.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funder — Major funder supporting MYP's efforts to expand access to trauma-responsive, peer-led yoga.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funder — Presentation of the Mandela Yoga solution to its S4A National Coordinating Center in 2024.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Government — Collaborated with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at a Systems for Action national program office meeting to engage white allies in confronting systemic racism.
+ 2 more
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Culturally Grounded Healing for Systemic Traumamethodology: culturally_ground_healingBy centering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color as healers and co-designers of yoga systems, the organization addresses root causes of chronic disease and racialized stress, because culturally grounded, trauma-informed practices restore agency and produce more effective health and wellness outcomes in communities impacted by systemic racism.
- Peer-Led, Community-Healed Modelmethodology: peer_led_community_healthBy training residents of low-income communities of color as peer facilitators of yoga, the organization increases cultural resonance and accessibility while promoting self-healing and community agency, because lived experience combined with somatic practice strengthens engagement and sustainability in trauma-affected populations.
- Reentry Healing Through Yogamethodology: yoga_based_reentryBy using yoga as a therapeutic intervention during post-incarceration reentry, the organization supports recovery and reduces recidivism among men of color, because body-based healing restores self-regulation, dignity, and emotional resilience after systemic trauma.
- Somatic Anti-Racism Praxismethodology: somatic_self_inquiryBy guiding white individuals through inward-facing, body-based inquiry into how systemic white supremacy is embodied, the organization cultivates emotional resilience and sustained anti-racist action, because somatic awareness disrupts unconscious enactment and builds long-term capacity to engage racial discomfort.