This is a supportive trauma informed yoga and somatic healing foundation if you’d like to explore body based healing and nervous system support after sexual trauma. We’ll move through gentle movement, grounding, rest, and somatic awareness to tend to your nervous system, release stored tension, deepen embodiment, and honor your unique time and pace.
Classes range from 20-30 minutes and there are no props required. All levels are welcome, including complete beginners. I welcome you to learn more about this trauma informed yoga series below.
How to explore this series
Each day is a gentle practice you can return to as many times as you choose. I welcome you to take as long as you need to complete the series, knowing that even if you feel called to do only a few classes, that is completely welcome.
Each day includes an optional worksheet that is catered to each day’s theme. This includes a daily intention and questions to explore before and after each class. This can allow for deeper insights and even let you know how your practice evolves over time if you ever choose to revisit the series.
Begin Here
Day 1 – Creating Safety In Your Nervous System
We begin by allowing your body to simply arrive and establish a stable, supportive place to return to.
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Day 2 – Ground & Settle
Day 2 continues to tend to your nervous system with an additional focus on grounding and settling into the support holding you.
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Day 3 – Soften & Release
We’ll explore gentle movement to soften any tense areas that feel ready to let go.
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Day 4 – Tend To Your Heart
We’ll open our heart space, gently soften chest tightness, and send awareness and compassion to this area.
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Day 5 – Gentle Embodiment
This class understands embodiment takes time to explore after feeling disconnected. We’ll move slowly and gently, with an option to follow along with me at any time.
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Day 6 – Self Compassion
This class is a simple way to tend to yourself, sending kindness, and tending to our nervous systems. You are so worthy of your own compassion.
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Day 7 – Rest & Honor Your Journey
For the final day, we’re taking a moment of rest and honoring our journeys. All that you have been through to get here, the steps you’ve taken to heal, the moments that might have gone unnoticed by yourself. Your presence is all that’s needed today.
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Supportive reminders for this trauma informed yoga series
While this is an organized series with specific themes on each day, I offer a few gentle reminders.
Support is always welcome outside of yoga. Any practice that honors trauma survivors is best supported with additional resources. This series may be a gentle stepping stone to additional support or a gentle companion to existing support, but yoga on its own isn’t an entire care plan. I welcome you to explore options on my Survivor Support Page.
You don’t need to feel anything specific for this series to be meaningful. How you feel will be unique to you. In this practice, it’s more supportive to focus on how we truly feel instead of how we wish to feel. Presence is the start of any practice, and you don’t have to stay present if it ever feels uncomfortable. This series is more focused on gentleness, compassion, and moving at our own pace – never about pressure.
Listening to your own needs is the best way to explore this series. I’m here just as a guide, with classes that create a structure if you choose to explore it in this way. That doesn’t mean there is only one correct way to explore this series. If you find one or two classes that speak to you most, then I invite you to honor this. This is you honoring your needs, which is the whole focus of the practices. How you choose to be here is the best guidance to follow.
Additional information before beginning
You don’t need to follow this series perfectly or in order. I welcome you to move at your own pace, skip days, or return whenever you like.
A few important mentions before you begin:
This is a trauma-informed series
This means I’m simply here as a guide, but you are always in charge of your experience. You don’t have to do a pose just because I offered it, and you never have to move on in class just because I do. You’re always welcome to move within your own limits or to pause or end early.
If at any time in this series you notice yourself feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or like you’re pushing past your comfort, that might be a gentle sign to take a moment, maybe connecting with the ground beneath you, or taking a sip of water, and returning when and if you feel ready.
Trauma-informed yoga is not a replacement for formal mental health support. This can be a supportive addition or a stepping stone, but it’s not meant to be a care plan on its own. I invite you to explore my Survivor Support Page for additional support.
I’ve catered this series to support sexual trauma survivors
I don’t believe every trauma is the same, and certain practices can be unsupportive to this gentle population. Here are a few key shifts I’ve made to make this a more supportive practice.
There are no forgiveness practices. You will never be asked to forgive or send love to anyone involving your trauma.
There are no exposing or vulnerable poses. Poses like happy baby, deep squats, or full frog are not included. You can include these on your own if you like. If I ever offer a pose that doesn’t support you, you’re more than welcome to choose another. That’s part of listening to your needs and is always welcome.
No trauma memory work. You won’t be asked to revisit specific events or sit with difficult emotions on purpose. If emotions arise naturally, you’re welcome to feel them as much or as little as you choose.
Grounding practices. I include plenty of grounding practices that you can return to at any time.
No breathwork practices. Many people find that these practices are more activating than soothing. To support this, I’ve left out any focused breathwork practices. I also mention other grounding strategies if I mention to bring awareness to your breath.
Stillness is not required. You can still receive the benefits of this series if you feel more comfortable fidgeting or moving during poses.
A gentle space to practice
While these classes are entirely free on YouTube, you’re also welcome to explore this series on my private platform. The classes are entirely free, no trial attached. You’ll have access to all the practices at once and the worksheets are directly linked in each practice.
I find a practice like this deserves its own quiet, distraction-free environment, and my platform provides all the same classes but with a calmer atmosphere. If you’d like to join, I welcome you to learn more below.
