A yoga program for women living along Israel’s border with Gaza

For several years NATAL has proudly been offering women living in Israel’s south with yoga lessons as a vehicle for coping with ongoing anxiety due to the constant threat of rocket attacks and military engagement. Primarily in the cities and towns in close proximity to Gaza, groups of women meet on a weekly basis to practice together. These women are of all ages and stages in life, including single mothers who must care for children also psychologically impacted by the ongoing conflict. The program enables them to have a greater sense of general wellbeing, acceptance of themselves and their surroundings and to build upon a sense of internal serenity through the yoga practice. The groups are accompanied by a mental health professional from NATAL which improves the connection between yoga teacher and participants who are enabled and encouraged to express their fears, anxieties and frustrations.