Meet Mélanie Elbaz: from photo studio to holistic retreats
Before Mandala Project, there were photo sets. For ten years, Mélanie Elbaz worked as a fashion photographer between Paris and London. The lights, the rhythm of shoots, the fast trips — all of it shaped her eye and sense of detail. Yet behind the polished images, a question grew: how to create a space where beauty is not only aesthetic but also vibrational? This inquiry became the thread that led her to yoga, Ayurveda, and the creation of Mandala Project retreats.
An inner turning point in India
In 2016, Mélanie made a radical decision: set her camera aside for a few months and travel to India. Destination: Rishikesh, the birthplace of yoga. There she completed an intensive Hatha Yoga training, immersed herself in pranayama, and discovered Ayurvedic care. “I understood that the body is not an accessory but a temple. I understood that breath is a free medicine,” she shares. Mornings began at five with mantras, continued with asanas, and ended with philosophical discussions. Each day, an inner puzzle reassembled.
This journey was not just a parenthesis; it acted like a portal. Back in Europe, Mélanie felt the call of a new project. She wanted to create spaces where people feel seen, heard, nourished. Mandala Project was born from this vision: a circle in which each participant becomes a petal, and the whole draws a collective work of art.
An alchemy between Ibiza and Kerala
Mélanie has known Ibiza since childhood. The island is her second home: she finds a particular light there, a feminine and wild energy. “Ibiza is my muse. She teaches me joy, letting go, and the magic of sunrise,” she explains. Kerala, for its part, embodies depth and grounding. By marrying these two destinations, Mandala Project offers a complete journey: Indian structure to recenter, Ibizan creativity to radiate.
In each retreat, Mélanie carefully chooses the locations, guest teachers, sound‑bath musicians, and chefs for holistic cuisine. Nothing is left to chance. She brings special attention to visual details: flower‑decorated altars, notebooks gifted to participants, playlists that accompany the rituals. “My past as a photographer helps me create atmospheres. I want people to feel in a cocoon where everything is beautiful, because beauty opens the heart.”
A pedagogy rooted in lived experience
Mélanie doesn’t only teach postures. She shares a way of life shaped by personal experience. Each morning, she co‑facilitates breathwork, encourages intuitive writing, and proposes discussions on the sacred feminine. She likes to say Mandala Project is a “school of sensations.” Participants learn to feel the wind on their skin, taste a fruit slowly, and listen to their emotions without judging them. Mélanie often shares anecdotes to illustrate her teachings: the first time she dared to chant a mantra, the fear of slowing down in a world that values speed, the joy of listening to silence.
Creating a living community
Beyond retreats, Mélanie cultivates a lasting bond with the Mandala community. She hosts virtual circles, shares yoga routines, and sends inspiration letters. “Retreats are catalysts, but transformation happens in daily life. I want each person to leave with a toolbox usable in real life.” Her Instagram presence reflects this intention: not perfect poses, but real moments, behind‑the‑scenes, reflections on doubt and trust.
What stands out is her listening. Mélanie memorizes names, stories, and aspirations. She creates a space where you feel immediately welcomed. “I’m not a guru, I’m a facilitator. Mandala Project doesn’t belong to Mélanie; it belongs to all who come and leave a trace.”
The future of Mandala Project
Asked about her dreams, Mélanie mentions creating hybrid programs combining in‑person retreats and online support, publishing a book of rituals, and inviting more artists, therapists, and women healers. “I’d like Mandala Project to keep growing without losing its soul. We remain a human‑scale structure, close to people.”
If you cross paths with Mélanie on retreat, you’ll often see her at dawn, notebook in hand, writing her intentions for the day. That’s where everything begins, in that suspended moment where one chooses the quality of one’s gaze. Mandala Project is the reflection of this attention: an invitation to open, transform, and celebrate life.