Rutu Chaudhari
Civic Innovation Fellow 2016-2017 // Civic Innovation Resident 2018
The Dharma Project
Mission
The Dharma Project’s mission is to bring self-care in the form of mindfulness and yoga to communities and organizations that experience high levels of stress and/or trauma.
Summary
The Dharma Project was founded in 2016 with the goal of diversifying the cohort of those who teach and benefit from the practices of yoga and mindfulness. The Project’s signature Practice on Purpose program partners with organizations and communities that experience high levels of stress and/or trauma to provide tools and practices for improving mental and physical health, self-awareness, and body image. The Project also offers an accessible teacher training program that can be paid for through offering yoga services to communities with less access to the lifestyle. This unique combination of yoga practice and training, healthy lifestyle education, and employment opportunity hs helped empower over 150 diverse community members and leaders.
Experience
Rutu has been teaching yoga since 2004. She began her yoga studies in 1999, received her first teaching certification in 2003, and now holds a 2,000-hour certification in Purna Yoga. Along with her extensive certification and teaching experience, Rutu has many additional hours of training in yoga therapeutics and meditation. Rutu offers an abounding knowledge of alignment and anatomy, meditation, practical application of yogic philosophy, and nutrition and lifestyle guidance from Ayurveda, Chinese, and Western traditions. For over thirteen years, she has supported students in creating healthier habits and sustainable self-care regimens. Rutu is the owner of a thriving yoga studio in Atlanta called All Life is Yoga. She is the Director of the Atlanta College of Purna Yoga and offers a variety of yoga teacher certification programs. Rutu holds a BA in English Literature from Georgia State University. Her other interests include writing, music, and escaping to the woods.