Background
Nitesh Batra, the founder of The Mindful Initiative and Ashtanga Yoga Sadhna in Bangalore, has been practicing yoga since 2006. As India’s only certified CCT teacher through Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Research in Education (CCARE), he teaches mindfulness and compassion to NGOs, corporations, schools, and colleges.
Nitesh holds a dual bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Indian School of Business. He previously worked in the corporate world and produced two award-winning films.
About the Project
The project partnered with Dream a Dream Foundation to train facilitators teaching life skills through football and art to elementary and middle school students. This provided an opportunity to engage with individuals working closely with at-risk populations.
The People
• A 19-year-old Muslim college student who worked part-time and attended the training each week.
• A 43-year-old mother and facilitator who lived in a one-room house with five people and meditated on the bus during her commute.
The Impact
The program empowered facilitators to integrate compassion into their lives and supported their journey toward living compassionately.