What is the Lotus project?
The lotus is a symbol in India, which is the region for yoga. Lotuses root themselves in the mud, their lengthy stems reaching upward to find the top of the water and the sun. For Indians this is a metaphor for life. From mud and darkness we are heading to a more conscious way of living.
This project is designed to increase awareness, mental health and new skills in immigrants and refugees through the transformative practices of yoga and poetry.
Our objective is to enhance awareness, mental health, and skills in immigrants and refugees through yoga, tales, and poetry. We provide artists and youth workers with new methods to engage these groups, promote economic inclusion and employability, and offer innovative learning opportunities. We aim to publish and promote this approach across partner countries and Europe.
Our target groups are migrants and refugees who are hosted by the partner organizations in the 3 associated countries (France, Greece, Germany). Beside them, the project wishes to inspire youthworkers and migrants-refugees working with them in European organizations involved in migrants-refugees care.
For our tools, we will combine the techniques of yoga, storytelling (stories and poetry) for lifelong learning in immigrants and refugees, and the provision of self-fulfilment.
The idea is to develop a method which is addressed to immigrants and refugees and will provide them the opportunity of learning new knowledge and skills through yoga, tales and poetry. Through this training they will have the opportunity to develop mental health and self-awareness.
During the project, immigrants and refugees will discover good practices for their daily lives and new skills for their professional/educational background.Lotus offers a “gentle” approach to yoga, with easy postures (asanas), adapted breathing techniques and a quest for serenity (mindfulness).
The aim is that if young people and adults are trained in a way that increases their awareness, they are more likely
to act as responsible citizens. By sharing their good practices with others, it will be helpful for more people to act in a conscious way. These actions could lead to an exchange of knowledge with others.
