Kurdish Region, Iraq

Mindful Movement Resiliency Trainings

In September 2019 Legacy Motion, in collaboration with the American Rehabilitation Center, and the Ministry of Health, Kurdistan Region, began a comprehensive Mindful Movement Resiliency Training for the healthcare staff at Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Sulaymaniyah.  Our first training included 23 professionals (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and anesthesiologist) who will begin implementing breath awareness, yogic posture sessions and mindfulness into their patient care programs for both current cancer patients and cancer survivors at the hospital.

In 2020/2021 this program will expand to facilitate a second training for staff at Hiwa Hospital as well as trainings for staff at other regional hospitals and oncology units in the Kurdish cities of Erbil and Dohuk in order to provide accessible and sustainable somatic therapies for improved physical, mental and emotional health.

Professionals Resiliency Trainings

Healthcare professionals are often overlooked when it comes to programs promoting self care and wellbeing.  The patient always comes first, occasionally at the expense of the professionals physical, mental and emotional health.  In September 2019 Legacy Motion implemented our Professionals Resiliency Program for the staff at Hiwa Cancer Hospital to assist in identifying secondary traumatic stress symptoms and occupational burnout symptoms while encouraging self stewardship and self care.

In 2020 Legacy Motion provided our Professional Resiliency training to staff at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Sulaymaniyah. These trainings will continue to be provided at CRC as well as with staff at The Wchan Organization in 2020/2021.

LGBTQI+ Support in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA)

Legacy Motion, in collaboration with IraQueer, is actively creating an online learning and community building platform that aims to equip members of the LGBTQI+ community in MENA with knowledge and movement based self-agency resolutions and strategies. This online platform will promote mental and emotional health awareness and wellbeing, encourage self-regulation and agency, combat symptoms of trauma and ongoing stress that impact quality of life, facilitate the building of community, and facilitate a dialogue shift from victimization to empowerment within the LGBTQI+ community.

Mind/Body Strategies for Incarcerated Youth and Men

In 2020 Legacy Motion, in collaboration with The Wchan Organization, is providing curriculum that includes breath awareness, yogic posture sessions and mindfulness to be integrated into programs provided by mental healthcare professionals currently working with incarcerated youth and men in detention centers in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil.