Hala Khouri

Hala Khouri is a speaker, trainer, and educator whose work centers on trauma-informed care, embodied social justice, and collective resilience. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, she has dedicated her life to understanding trauma, justice, and the practices that help individuals and communities build resilience. For more than twenty-five years she has taught yoga and movement, and for over fifteen years she has led clinical work and professional trainings that support people in reconnecting with their bodies as part of healing and transformation.

Hala is the creator of the Collective Resilience Model, an approach she brings to organizations seeking to cultivate cultures that are both trauma-informed and equity-centered. She believes that wellbeing is not an individual project but something we build together through relationships, community, and shared care. Her work also bridges activism and embodied practice—she co-founded Off the Mat, Into the World, an organization that connects yoga with social justice work, and she is the author of Peace from Anxiety as well as a contributor and editor of Practicing Liberation.

Through the Acosta Institute Fellowship, Hala is excited to be in community with others who are deeply committed to meaningful change. She enters this space with curiosity and enthusiasm, eager to learn alongside fellow leaders who are also working to support healing and transformation in their communities. During the Fellowship, she hopes to deepen conversations around resilience, justice, and collective wellbeing while continuing to explore how embodied practices can support both personal and social transformation.