CSRF’s Kate Davey met with Lenny from MANDALA HOUSE, a NYC-based non-profit that offers yoga trainings to trauma survivors in post-conflict regions, to discuss the origins of the organization and her current trip to both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda working with ex-child soldiers.

MANDALA HOUSE is working collaboratively with WAR CHILD UK in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of their three-year mission to protect and rehabilitate girls associated with armed conflict.  MANDALA HOUSE is training local in-country staff, offering a ‘toolkit for trauma’ focused on breathing exercises, somatic meditation and yoga poses.   This concise, encapsulated ‘toolkit’ is easily learned and taught to others.

Lenny is also teaching twice weekly yoga classes for beneficiaries – both girls & boys — at WAR CHILD UK facilities within Goma. Once trained, local WAR CHILD UK instructors will take over these classes.

How did MANDALA HOUSE get started?

That’s a big question. I wanted something to do with my yoga training that didn’t involve a yoga studio.  You know, I had worked at a studio and did some teaching in that environment and it just wasn’t for me.  Even when doing my yoga training I knew I wanted to do some type of volunteering instead — passing the gift of yoga along — that sort of thing.  So, I started to hook up with different projects and I did some trainings and minimal volunteering with organizations that do yoga with incarcerated youth.  You know that kind of stuff.   But there just wasn’t enough opportunity for it to be fulfilling.

So, MANDALA HOUSE evolved out of your need for an authentic volunteer experience?

Well, I really wanted a focal point in my life. To really be volunteering and giving back in some way. I started to reach out to different rape crisis centers here in NYC to see if there was a way to start using yoga with that population.  The response was underwhelming.

Why do you think that is?

I think people are just underpaid, but overworked. Organizations were receptive to the concept, but really saw it as a way for their staff to get  free yoga classes [rather than for the populations they were serving] and I just felt those guys could take a yoga class somewhere if they wanted to — go to the gym or something. I was looking for access to a crisis population and a space to teach, but I couldn’t find an organization that offered everything that I was looking for. So I thought, if I’m gonna create something from the beginning, I’m gonna create exactly what I want to do.  I had a lot of volunteer experience already and traveled extensively so I started looking into volunteering internationally.  I don’t know what it is, but the international aid community is just way more receptive to the idea of yoga for trauma than local/national organizations.  They’re more MacGyver about it. They’re used to having limited resources and working in crazy locations and being effective with so little.  You know?   They’re used to rubbing two sticks together and making stuff happen, so they were like “hell yeah, let’s do it!”

What was the progression to getting the project up and running?

I started by getting a fiscal sponsor.  I wrote to MADRE – they were my fantasy sponsor.  In fact, it’s the only organization I applied to — and I got it. That really started a fire under me because I anticipated it taking much much longer to secure a sponsor. So it became a snowball effect — this beautiful organic evolution where it all just sort of started to come together and everything that I had been doing my whole life started to make sense – all my parts just seemed to fit. It gives me chills thinking about it; I was just like okay here ‘it’ is – now go do it.

So, that’s kind of the evolution of it. I started to draw from my own process and my own journey and what’s worked for me.  I had done a ‘trauma-sensitive yoga training with David Emerson and Bessel Van der Kolk (awesome experience) and in talking with my friends from the UN and OCHA I got the idea to go into IDP (internally displaced persons) camps, which evolved into reaching out to organizations that already have a local structure in place working with rehabilitating specific groups.

What organizations did you approach about MANDALA HOUSE?

In Uganda, I reached out to St. Monica’s Girls School.  The head mistress, Sister Rosemary, she was a CNN Heroes winner a few years back.  So, she’s a big deal in Uganda.  Working with her was great.  She has a big personality.

Did you go to her school?

Yeah, I trained her staff.  Both the Sisters, who function like counselors and the academic teachers.

What was that like?

I didn’t have the resources to do a site visit first; so even though I had the program developed it was sort of the initial pilot. I got there and Sister Rosemary had led me to believe that they knew what yoga was, but no one had a clue!  So I was like okay, we start from scratch!

Initially, the counselors all resisted it – this happens no matter where I am, not just in Uganda.  It’s weird to them and they don’t exercise and they feel like they are being forced to do it by their superiors.  Slowly, though, they come around and see how these practices will be effective with the beneficiaries as they begin to see the difference in themselves.  The kids though, the kids love it from the very start – especially the boys — I can always woo them with a ‘rock star’ pose—some freaky arm balance or something.  They became super interested in it after that.

The really important thing about the way that I set the program up is that none of it can be perceived as religious.  I do bring in more culturally relevant rituals like the mandala or kollam for certain populations. But, the program is almost more clinical than spiritual.  I say this all the time, I’m not trying to be a guru or super-yogi.  I do think that it is a spiritual process, but it’s wholly individual and comes specifically from the doing — establishing your own practice.  For me, the spiritual comes in the self-awareness — it gives people confidence and emboldens them, makes them more courageous.

When was the first trip to Gulu?

End of 2009.

And when did you decide, first apply to MADRE?

November 2009.

Wow! So quick!

Yea, I was literally just like, ‘Okay, this is happening, now.’

It was about a six-week period between MADRE and the first trip. I didn’t really have a choice.  In reaching out to organizations, especially those working with schools, they only have certain time periods where they can accommodate you.  I was sort of at the mercy of everyone else’s timing.  Burundi, for instance, wasn’t even on the radar for that first trip.  But Heartland Alliance had this one particular two week slot open and asked if I could come after Uganda.  It was rapid fire. It all organically happened, but it was just let’s do it, let’s do it, let’s do it.  A happy accident that it all kind of came together with such momentum.

What are some of your most interesting experiences?

There have been a lot.  Truly.  It’s really interesting to see people be resistant to the experience, but then see them evolve and soften through the practice.  It’s always, always great to go into a place where they have absolutely no idea about yoga, and then connect to the end where they begin teaching practice yoga classes to the group — to see them get up and teach the class — teaching from their own experience is really cool.

The very first training, when the very first guy got up and did his group class, he compared a movement to a certain type of lizard they have in Uganda and it was just so great that he could bring cultural significance and make it local instead of me bringing it to them. They knew exactly what he was talking about – they totally got it.

With meditation, one of the guys compared it to flying a kite – which is big in Sri Lanka.  He has this great voice, ‘The kite is in the sky and let it go — let it be taken away.’    So things like that where there is this type of ownership of the process, is really joyful to witness.

How do you begin the training sessions?

In the beginning we start by doing gentle warm ups and getting reacquainted with breathing because a lot of trauma victims are disconnected from their breath.

That’s so interesting. Is there a reason for that?

What’s the first thing that happens when someone scares you? You stop breathing. And people who are in a chronically life-threatening situation – or a situation they perceive as life-threatening — their nervous system is jacked up all the time.   Trauma survivors have typically forgotten how to ‘belly breath’ as well.  They take these rapid, shallow breathes that are so ineffective.   Seeing people learn to breath properly again is pretty awesome.  The effects are instant.  I’m not kidding.  Teach breathing exercises to a group and the whole space goes mellow.  Instantly they are back in their bodies and calm and dreamy.

What are some of the challenges in teaching yoga to people that have no concept of it?

It was really wonderful in Sri Lanka – although yoga is part of their culture, most people aren’t doing it.  We did a training where different religions — Christians, Buddhist, Muslims — all were in the training together. There was one Muslim man who was so tough on me.  He was full of doubt about ‘this yoga’ and would quiz me about what ‘is’ yoga, where does it come from, what does it mean.  He just so totally wanted to hate it and discount the experience.  After the trainings we do a ‘graduation’ ceremony and they all came up to touch my feet – as reverence, a thank you.  But for me, I didn’t like this because in the end it really is all about them. They are the ones doing the work. That man – the doubter — came up and said, ‘Thank you for changing my life.  I cannot wait to go back and teach yoga in my community.’  It was completely humbling, but I told him, ‘It’s not me, it’s you!   You did the training, you did the work, you changed your life.’  For me, it’s really important for the participants to realize that they create the change, they do the work, they possess the wisdom.  The whole point of this ‘toolkit’ is to give people resources so they can take ownership of their own recovery and possibly share the techniques and help others as well.  I simply offer them the initial directions.

That’s wonderful.   So he will go on to teach other people?

Yes.  Initially, we train mental-health staff.  It’s a way to expose the organization and the community to the ‘language’ of yoga.  These are strange and intimidating concepts.   But, once experienced, people open to the possibilities.   In Sri Lanka, forty-five counselors were trained.  These guys will use this ‘toolkit’ to teach others – namely, during their group and one-on-one counseling sessions.   They also do outreach in remote locations and are trying to determine the best way to implement these ideas in that process.

What is the ‘toolkit’?

Yoga is the major component, but we also teach breathing techniques to deal with trauma, different forms of relaxation (somatic/loving kindness meditation) and non-violent communication.  The goal is once they have this ‘toolkit’, they can start to create space in between moments – slowing the reaction response and start to reprogram the brain.

That to me is amazing, that you can rewire your brain.

Yes, it’s neuroplasticity, and it’s awesome!

Traumatic memories are stored differently in the brain.  It’s part of our survival instinct.  When we are faced with a crisis we start taking in tons of sensory information and store it for future reference.  It sort of becomes a default setting.  The techniques that MH offers allow for ‘self-regulation’ by giving the practitioner ways to engage the frontal lobe in the process.

I know very little about yoga. I want to love yoga, I to be someone who does it and loves it. I’ve only done a little of yoga, mainly Bikram. Can you tell me more about how yoga changes your brain?

There’s a lot of research being done right now. Actually the Department of Defense has been doing a lot on yoga’s effectiveness on PTSD in returning combat vets.   There’s also a lot of research on meditation and breathing exercises. The Mandala House program is Vinyasa-based — each movement is connected to the breath — you get into this sort of meditative flow.

How long does it take for you to get into that meditated flow?

I don’t know, about fifteen minutes, tops.  All you have to do is do it! I think a lot of time people freak out and think it’s something too abstract or difficult and they aren’t going to be able to do it.  It’s more important that you just start trying rather than working towards a specific goal.   The ‘reprogramming’ is really essentially just about awareness.  So you just start focusing on your breath, don’t try to change anything.  Just notice your breath.  It’s shocking how tense people get when you ask the to watch their breath.  Slowly, slowly they soften. When you’re aware you are able to create space between moments,.  You start to become aware of what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling it.  What your impulses are and how you react. And that’s really what I want to achieve with our programming —  self regulation rather than reaction. You start to slow it down and be able to examine how you’re feeling and why.   Then, with an understanding of non-violent communication, you are able to express your needs/wants in a more effective way.

And a lot of the people you’re working with have a lot of guilt associated with their trauma — what they did, what happened to them. How can that be transformed through yoga?

Well, again, the breath is really important. Once you’re able to access your breath you have the keys to understanding yourself in the moment.  The breath is the most intimate teacher.  Instantly you know – once you have the awareness – what is going on emotionally & physically via your breath.   So teaching people to respect where they’re at is the first step. As far as guilt, I think guilt is one of those emotions that gets pushed into different places, so once you’re able to access your breath, you’re more able to release it. You’re not as overwhelmed by it because it’s like a pressure release valve, you’re able to have these measured releases, you can control your experience better.  You can slow it down.

How long are you going for during this trip?

Three to six months.  I leave late September for Congo, then Goma and Gulu in Uganda. I’ll be working with War Child UK in both Goma, DRC and Pader way up in northern Uganda.

CSRF and MH are working on a documentary together, can you tell me more about that.

CSRF has been wonderfully supportive.  It’s a great organization and I feel lucky to be connected to it.  When Christine first approached me I wasn’t sure what a film would look like.  I just knew I didn’t want to personally be the focus.  I think it’s way more interesting to focus on how yoga, in particular this program/experience, effects someone.   We both agreed it should be positive –  focused on what is being done for child soldiers, not what isn’t.  But as of right now we’re not sure what or who the story is.  And I won’t know until I’m over there. I don’t want it to be forced and right now I don’t know what stories are there to be told.   I do know people are attracted to the idea of yoga in this environment, so we shall see how it all evolves.  My biggest priority is protecting the beneficiaries and keeping them safe.  So, there is much logistically to consider.

Did you have a single moment that made you realize what you’re doing with MANDALA HOUSE is working?

It’s all a process.  So each part leads to the next.  There is always a moment though — in each class, each training – where I am reassured that I am on the right path.

In Burundi, the President happened to be doing a site visit of the Heartland Alliance facility our last day there.  We were in lockdown and the final classes kind of dragged on because we couldn’t leave.  One of the cooks for the facility came up to me, she wanted me to elaborate on the breathing exercises she had seen me teach the beneficiaries.

We went into this tiny, little room and we started to explore ‘belly breathing.’  It was really difficult for her, she was a total ‘chest-breather’ and her inhalations looked painful, jagged.

We did a few easy shoulder releases and then went back to the breath.  Then she just unloaded.   Tears.  I kept her just breathing through her experience, encouraging her not to hold her breath.  To not hold on the emotions.   Five minutes went by and then she had a deep exhale and just started laughing.  That was pretty cool.

And the same thing happens pretty consistently. I don’t know what her story is and typically I don’t find out peoples’ stories because, to be honest,  I don’t need to know.   I mean, it’s pretty much a given that everyone in these environments has a significant history.  But, I am just teaching people yoga, which is about being present and moving forward.  If they want to share with me, I will let them — to a certain point — but then it is important to bring it back to the breath so they can manage it themselves.

Lenny, thank you so much for all of your time.

Thank you.