Yoga for Mental Wellness (YMW) provided free therapeutic yoga classes in New York City for adults of any age or fitness level living with emotional distress or mental illness.  YMW began in 2004 as a small pilot program to explore how consistent yoga practice might enhance the lives of people living with mental illness.  When YMW closed in April 2022, yoga’s effectiveness as a complementary treatment for people living with mental illness was clear, both empirically and in the experience of hundreds of YMW students.

During its 18 year tenure, YMW offered twice-weekly community classes in a beautiful sunlit studio in the Flatiron section of Manhattan year round. Students came the studio classes from all over the NYC metro area and all five boroughs. YMW also offered weekly programs in various NYC hospitals and community mental health centers.  YMW operated under the non-profit umbrellas of the Breathing Project (2004-2017) and the Developmental Movement Program/Babies Project (2017-2022).

Yoga for Mental Wellness was supported by generous grants from the Evelyn E. and Richard J. Gunst Foundation, and other community and private donations.   Our funding allowed us provide yoga classes in the community and in hospitals at no charge. Katie Linn, former Program Director of NAMI-NYC Metro, described YMW’s impact: ‘Yoga for Mental Wellness has transformed lives, built a sense of community driven by love and acceptance, and removed the stigma often associated with mental illness.  [The teachers] . . . value the person first and challenge those who participate in their classes to change their own lives and discover a holistic understanding of wellness.”

MISSION
The mission of Yoga for Mental Wellness was to help individuals, their families, and the mental health community discover the vast resources of the body and mind available through the consistent practice of yoga. YMW teachers designed yoga programs in mental health facilities and advised, mentored and trained yoga teachers and mental health professionals interested in exploring yoga’s complementary role in mental health and wellness.  Principal YMW teachers and administrators were Elizabeth Plapinger (2004-2022), Bess Abrahams, founder (2004-2006), and Ruth Kalvert (2006-2009).

YMW PROGRAMS
From 2004-2022, YMW offered free twice-weekly yoga classes at the Breathing Project and Developmental Movement Project studios in Manhattan, and offered yoga programs at a host of NYC hospitals and community mental health centers in Brooklyn and the Bronx. YMW teachers also designed yoga programs in NYC, nationally and internationally, and advised yoga teachers, policy makers and mental health workers.  The teachers also designed and participated in yoga research.

YMW Community Classes at The Breathing Project and Developmental Movement Project 2004-2022:  YMW’s community classes were held twice-weekly throughout the year at the beautiful sun-filled studio in the Flatiron section of Manhattan.  The classes were free and open to anyone who believed the classes mighty be helpful.  Family members, caretakers, and mental health workers were also welcomed to register and attend free. YMW’s work indicated that yoga can be a powerful tool for addressing emotional and mental illness. For many of us participating in YMW, the regular practice of yoga was seen to lift the mood, reduce stress, enhance problem-solving, improve strength and flexibility, lessen fatigue and increase energy.

A typical YMW class involved the slow, careful movement of yoga postures, focused breathing coordinated with movement, attention to the present moment, embodied exploration of the body and its resources, compassionate self-care and deep relaxation.  

YMW community classes at were generally limited to 8 students to allow for individualized teaching, the growth of connections between student, teacher and classmates, and the development of healing communities.  Post-Pandemic classes were enlarged to 14 students to meet demand. From September 2021 through April 2022, YMW had a waiting list for interested students dents as our classes were full.

In the Words of Our Students

The yoga class has helped me in all aspects of my life, including physically, spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

This class is an oasis that keeps me going
through the week.

As a survivor of physical and sexual abuse, I am very sensitive regarding my body. Therapy is great and helps but does not encompass the physical aspects of my being. In the yoga class, the teachers reached my soul through my body.

I feel more grounded, alert, energized and more like myself. I feel very comfortable with myself
and free of tension.

The efforts of all the people in the class…create a harmony that promotes a sense of healing.

This class saved my life.

Yoga is the one space where I learn to find safety in my own body and am encouraged to come out of my mind and mental plane.

The first couple of times I attended I cried because in my 47 years of life I had never been treated so respectfully and holistically.

Yoga has helped me to rest more deeply, [and] to get to sleep more quickly without any artificial sleep aids.

I wish the class was offered more often and that such classes were made available to all survivors of trauma.

I hope in my heart that [this kind of yoga class will become more and more available and spread throughout the mental health world.

The class made me feel physically and emotionally strong for the first time in my life.