Yogathon for Global Peace 2026

This International Yoga Day

Join AZAHAR Foundation and yoga teachers and studios around the world for three days of donation-based classes celebrating International Yoga Day. From June 19–21, 2026, we're uniting a global community of practitioners in support of trauma-informed healing programs for communities affected by conflict, poverty, and displacement in Cambodia, Rwanda, Ukraine and beyond. Every class hosted. Every donation made. Every breath taken in solidarity - it creates space for someone else to heal.

For Yoga Teachers & Studios

Lead a Donation-Based Class

Invite your community to practice with purpose.

Register using our simple online form here
Host a class on June 19, 20, or 21, any style, any length, in your studio, a park, or online
Collect donations from your students and transfer proceeds to AZAHAR, or direct them to this page

We'll send you everything you need

a participation kit with a flyer,
social media captions, and
a step-by-step hosting guide.

REGISTER TO HOST.

For Practitioners

Join a Class or Donate

Find a donation-based class near you or online: [View the full class schedule -> Link coming soon!]

Can't make a class?

Donate directly and become part of the global movement.

DONATE NOW

Where Your Support Goes

Proceeds from Yogathon 2026 support AZAHAR Foundation's trauma-informed programs:

Cambodia - Center for Peace, Yoga & Arts A dedicated space where trained teachers deliver yoga, meditation, and healing workshops to communities affected by conflict and systemic exclusion. For many, it is the only safe space where healing is possible.
Rwanda - Healing and Empowerment Through Yoga A free community hub in Kigali offering trauma-informed yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to communities deeply affected by conflict and poverty.
Rwanda - Community Wellness Facilitators Training equipping young community members to lead trauma-informed movement, breathwork, and mindfulness sessions in their own communities.
Resident Teacher Training Each year, AZAHAR sponsors a local teacher to attend the 300-hour Jivamukti™ Yoga Teacher Training in India, investing in local leadership and community-rooted wellness.
Supporting Ukrainian Yoga Teachers In partnership with Bright Seeds and Fundación Rādika, AZAHAR co-organizes trauma-sensitive retreats for teachers supporting communities affected by war.

A Message from Yogeswari

“In these turbulent times, it is more important than ever to come together across borders and backgrounds to cultivate peace.”

Dear friends,

I invite you to take part in International Yoga Month in support of AZAHAR Foundation’s mission: to expand access to healing through yoga and the arts. Whether you host a class, attend one, or simply donate, you become part of a global chain of connection.

Let’s move together, breathe together, and raise our collective intention for a more peaceful world.

With deep gratitude,
Yogeswari
Founder, AZAHAR Foundation

TAKE ACTION

Three ways to join:

Host a class
- Register as a studio or teacher and host a
- donation-based class June 19–21.
- → Register to Host
Join a class
- Find a class near you or online.
- → [View Class Schedule -> Link coming soon!]
Donate directly
- Support AZAHAR's programs from anywhere in the world.
- → Donate Now

Share this campaign: #PracticeForPeace

WHY IT MATTERS

War, displacement, and poverty don't end when the violence stops. The trauma lives in the body, in disrupted sleep, chronic pain, hypervigilance, and an inability to feel safe. For millions of survivors in post-conflict communities, this is daily life.

The scale is staggering:

Over 50% of Rwandan genocide survivors experience long-term PTSD and psychological disorders
In post-conflict zones, women face significantly elevated risk of heart disease, cancer, and depression, often more severe than combatants
Less than 6% of people affected by conflict have access to any formal mental health support
Children exposed to conflict show lasting changes in brain development, stress response, and emotional regulation

This is where yoga changes everything.

HOW YOGA HELPS

Trauma is not just a memory, it is stored in the nervous system. Talk therapy alone often cannot reach it. But movement, breath, and body-based practices can. Research shows that trauma-informed yoga:

Reduces PTSD symptoms by regulating the autonomic nervous system, shifting survivors out of chronic fight-or-flight states (van der Kolk et al., Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2014)
Lowers cortisol and inflammation markers in conflict-affected populations, reducing the physical toll of chronic stress (Riley et al., Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 2017)
Improves emotional regulation, self-awareness, and sense of safety in the body, foundational for rebuilding trust and community after violence - Builds peer connection and collective resilience when practiced in community, critical in post-conflict settings where social bonds have been fractured
Creates measurable improvements in depression, anxiety, and quality of life for survivors of sexual violence, forced displacement, and intergenerational trauma

Participants in AZAHAR's programs regularly report reduced anger, greater physical mobility, improved sleep, and most importantly, a renewed sense of dignity and connection within their communities.

One breath at a time, healing becomes possible.

THE PATH FORWARD

AZAHAR Foundation has spent over a decade bringing trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness, and healing arts to communities in Cambodia, Rwanda, Ukraine, and beyond, not as charity, but as tools for self-determination and peace.

Your participation in Yogathon 2026 funds this work directly. Every class hosted. Every dollar donated. Every student who shows up, creates space for someone else to begin their own path to healing. We believe healing is a human right.

Yogathon is how we make it possible.

Impacts of conflict on the health of women and children

Read more about the intergenerational impact of trauma

Non-communicable disease risk post-emergency: heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer

Canva custom creation

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Canva custom creation

To know more: Read our 2024 Annual Report

Yogathon for Global Peace 2026!

Host a class. Join one. Donate. June 19–21, 2026.