Idea
The Bristol Yoga Roots Project offers socially inclusive, trauma-informed yoga to communities in Bristol. We aim to share the practice of yoga out in the community to those who are often less likely to access studios, but in many ways would benefit the most from the mental, physical and social benefits of yoga.
Evidence shows that yoga brings a range of benefits including improved physical health, mental wellbeing and social connection. We are particularly excited about the potential for yoga to allow people to have fun and build community.
To further support this aim, we are dedicated to promoting conversations in the wider Bristol yoga community around accessibility, diversity and related topics. Bristol Yoga Roots Project offers regular reflective practice, CPD events and training for yoga teachers and students.
People
Lead entrepreneur: Hazel Bugler, Megan Cowles and Leonie Harvery-Rolfe
Bristol Yoga Roots Project has 3 directors working part-time to help build the project:
- Hazel Bugler is a yoga teacher and chiropractor and is responsible for the business side of the project. Hazel has an MBA and has run her own company for the past 10 years. She is excited to apply these business skills to a social good.
- Megan Cowles is a yoga teacher and clinical psychologist specialising in complex trauma and research. She is passionate about working with yoga as force for social change. Megan runs the learning spaces and shares responsibility for the operational side of the project and teacher supervision.
- Leonie Harvery-Rolfe is a yoga teacher, anthropologist and community worker. She is a driven social justice advocate and is committed to increasing access to the transformational practices of yoga. Leonie works alongside Megan in operations and also runs the reflective spaces.
They also have a team of incredible yoga teachers delivering their classes.
Impact
Bristol Yoga Roots Project believes that yoga is for everyone. They envision a world where the benefits of yoga are available to all. Most yoga spaces are largely inaccessible to some of the most under-resourced communities, who are paradoxically often those most likely to benefit from yoga practices. Their contribution to addressing this is to partner with local organisations (eg drug and alcohol support, domestic abuse charities, refugee and asylum seeker support and secondary mental health services) to offer tailored, trauma-informed yoga to under-represented populations in Bristol.
Alongside this they are committed to:
- creating a network of yoga practitioners
- providing a reflective space
- providing logistical support in setting up, delivering and sustaining classes
- raising the profile of issues such as inclusivity and diversity in the wider Bristol yoga community, including yoga students, teachers, studios, teacher trainers and organisations
Get in touch
Bristol Yoga Roots Project would love to hear from government groups, community organisations and charities in the Bristol area that may want our support in delivering yoga to their communities.
We are actively looking to fundraise so we can help more students and offer more classes.