Trauma-informed yoga is an essential piece of a well-rounded yoga practice. Whether it’s power flow, or restorative, there is bound to be another student in your class with trauma. It does only good to meet your class at their needs, rather than your own.

I always thought that trauma-informed yoga was for somebody other than me.

“I haven’t suffered any major adverse experiences, and I’m fine with the way I teach yoga now,” I would think. That was before my trauma-informed yoga teacher training, when I learned that it wasn’t just the way I would prefer to be taught, but also that I would evolve my teaching to include a trauma-informed mindset.

In my trauma-informed teacher training (TIYT), I learned the difference between ‘Trauma’ and ‘trauma’ and how each influenced my life and the lives of my students.

The experiences of invalidation and neglect that I went through as a child did affect the way that cues and recognition landed in my body during a yoga class. Being the only person of color, or the only male student in the class also had an impact.

Beyond that, learning that trauma could take a physical toll on my body was the most enlightening takeaway from my training.

Trauma is too much happening too soon which causes the body to enter a stress state that influences future behavior.

Trauma-Informed Yoga is for EVERYONE

The first dive into TIY showed me that everybody was living with a certain trauma of their own: my students, other teachers, even my family and friends. The basic defining term for trauma is too much happening too soon which causes the body to enter a stress state that influences future behavior. When trauma is brought up in a yoga class, it’s like walking down the stairs in the dark, and as you miss your footing, your heart leaps a moment ad all you can think about is survival.

To prevent this heart skip from happening, that’s where TIY comes in. An understanding of who is in the room, the sensitivity to how you have set your space, and the words that are used to cue each posture. All of these are factors that trauma-informed yoga can help to make more inviting and inclusive. It’s like turning the lights on to illuminate where you or your students might be sensitive.

Yoga can support a sense of grounding and connection to self, which support the post-traumatic growth process.

The applications of TIY are endless, and can create an entirely different atmosphere in a yoga class. Whether you are a student or a teacher, the teachings can have an impact on your relationship with Yoga. Practicing yoga to recover from trauma is a gift to be able to give to your students, and your peers. Yoga can support a sense of grounding and connection to self, which support the post-traumatic growth process.

Find out what trauma-informed yoga can provide for you with the 40 Hour Yogamour Trauma-Informed Yoga, Social Justice & Leadership Training.