Stay Engaged Yoga and Peacebuilding Institute is dedicated to strengthening your capacity to identify common ground, practice transformative listening and connect with your deepest desire for peace and justice drawing insight and inspiration from your yoga practice. We opened 2016 with a vision that WE CAN DO BETTER. From the masses of refugees fleeing war in Syria amidst discrimination and Islamo
phobia backlash to the injustices faced and lives lost in the African American community that the Black Lives Matter movement worked tirelessly to bring critical national attention to, we saw that our country needs more wide spread civic engagement to effectively communicate at the crossroads of culture, race and religion. We also saw the need to articulate that these crossroads are not stumbling blocks that must necessarily lead to violence but building blocks that bring us closer to recognizing our shared humanity. The actions of standing up, speaking out and truly listening are vital tools to building societies where diverse cultures can coexist peacefully. As we clear the slate and begin a new year, how can our yoga practice help us to break down enemy imaging and promote peaceful societies through engaged intercultural dialogue? The journey begins with you - building peace one breath at a time! The founder, Gabby Yates, holds undergraduate degrees in Political Science and French and, after serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, she earned a Master's degree in Conflict Resolution. While working in Kosovo and Afghanistan for INTERSOS and Consultants for Collective Response as an Intercultural Dialogue Consultant reintegrating returned refugees, she facilitated reconciliation and dialogue workshops with local leaders that integrated yoga as a healing tool. She believes in the power of mindful, engaged dialogue to prevent violent conflict and she also believes in the power of yogis uniting their hearts and minds to build peace in their communities and beyond. Gabby now lives in San Francisco and teaches both in the Bay Area and internationally.
