Julia Handelman

Co-Founder and Director

Youth Yoga Project

Julia Handelman is the Co-Founder and Director of Youth Yoga Project (YYP), a Columbus-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to providing access to yoga and wellness programming for young people to improve their physical, social, and emotional well-being and increase their academic success. YYP has a particular mission to serve students in under-resourced communities that wouldn’t normally have access to yoga programming. In order to have the greatest impact on the most students, Julia teaches yoga programs that are integrated into the regular schedule of students providing yoga programming in schools, after-school programs and community settings.

Julia is an experienced teacher, curriculum writer, and coach in elementary schools. In this role, she works closely with school leaders and teachers to design and deliver professional development focused on incorporating mindfulness and yoga instruction in K-5 classrooms.. She received a Master of Education from Harvard School of Education in Language and Literacy, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College.