Most of us have a basic understanding of what a typical yoga class entails, but trauma–informed yoga (also known as trauma–sensitive) may raise a few questions. I welcome you to join me as we explore how this practice is different, if it’s supportive for your journey, and how to get started.
What is Trauma–Informed Care?
According to NVRSC, trauma-informed services provide support that incorporates safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural relevance.
Trauma-informed care is about respect and honoring the lived experiences of survivors. Care can come in various forms, including therapy, emergency services, holistic healing, support groups, law enforcement, and more.
The more effort organizations and services put into following trauma–informed care guidelines, the more supportive survivors can feel on their healing journey.
How Does Yoga Fit Into Trauma-Informed Care?
Any service can choose to be trauma-informed. Yoga is a perfect addition to any care plan, but traditional classes may include techniques, phrasing, props, or physical adjustments that may make students feel uncomfortable or even activated.
Non trauma-informed teachers are not inherently wrong or should be avoided. They can still be respectful, honest, and create amazing classes. The main difference is that trauma-informed teachers have extra training to understand what happens physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually after trauma, and ways to be the most supportive to these populations. When choosing a teacher, it is ultimately about the student’s preference.
An important note to consider is that trauma-informed doesn’t mean the teacher can support students with one-on-one therapy like a mental health professional or therapist. If they have those credentials, they should be clearly stated.
The main goal of a trauma-informed practice is to provide as much predictability, choice, and safety in a class so you can focus more on your experience and reconnecting with your body in your time and pace.
While it’s impossible to avoid all potential triggers for all students, teachers take extra care into creating a class that avoids practices that can make students feel unwelcome, uncomfortable, or like they’re not doing certain practices correctly. Here are a few examples of what non-trauma-informed classes may include:
- There is hidden pressure to keep up with the teacher or other students
- The teacher doesn’t offer adaptations or other options for poses
- The teacher gives a physical assist without asking for consent first
- The teacher insists students need to use a prop, do a pose a certain way, or that students must close their eyes and to avoid fidgeting
- Students are told how a pose should make them feel, leading to students wondering if there is something wrong with them if they can’t achieve this feeling.
This isn’t to say all classes that aren’t trauma-informed will include these elements. It’s about your choice of teacher and preferences, and this is to give a general idea of what trauma-informed classes actively aim to avoid.
The Research into how our bodies hold trauma, and how to find gentle release
Bessel van der Kolk, a leading researcher of traumatic stress since the 1970’s, and author of the best-selling book, Body Keeps the Score, explains how trauma lives in the body.
Dr. Van der Kolk’s research recognizes that to heal from trauma, it’s supportive to explore beyond talk therapy. Trauma can leave survivors at a loss for words to describe their experiences and body-based movements heal without survivors constantly retelling or reliving their trauma.
In a 2021 On Being interview conducted by Krista Tippett, Dr. van der Kolk mentions yoga can activate areas of the brain and mind. He mentions anything that engages the body and mind purposefully with special attention to breathing “resets some critical brain areas that get very disturbed by trauma.”
Yoga is different from other exercise programs because of the emphasis on breath. Mindfulness, body awareness, and a focus on the present are also fundamentals of a yoga practice. Van der Kolk’s research discovered that these components of yoga are supportive for trauma survivors and reconnecting with themselves.
Below is additional research that supports yoga’s positive effects on trauma:
This study discovered yoga helped women with complex trauma histories improve:
- Sense of ownership and control over their bodies
- Emotions
- Thoughts
- Experienced a greater sense of well-being, calmness, and wholeness in their bodies and minds.
It also lists research that supports yoga’s positive effects on:
- Chronic pain
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Insomnia
- Improving the body’s response to stress
- Improved quality of life
- Stress management
- Self-concept
- Body awareness and responsiveness
This review discovered that trauma–sensitive yoga was beneficial to women with PTSD experiencing PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms. It was helpful for those who did not respond to traditional talk therapy.
Another study found that yoga improved participant’s emotion regulation and skilled awareness, both of which have the potential to reduce PTSD symptoms in sexual assault survivors.
This study on women veterans with a history of MST (military sexual trauma) showed that trauma-informed yoga benefited an array of behavioral health conditions and showed more self compassion and ease toward themselves.
This theory explores how yoga can be a non-invasive approach to explore the body’s stress response and regulatory systems.
The six pillars of trauma-informed yoga
These classes take extra precautions so you can practice yoga in a gentle space that aims to avoid worsening trauma symptoms. While every student has different triggers, trauma-informed yoga eliminates common ones.
Classes also follow the trauma informed care guidelines mentioned previously.
Safety
Teachers cultivate a safe environment.
This includes:
- Bright lights (lights stay on during savasana, no candles)
- The teacher announces if they leave the mat during class
- Honoring students wishes (leaving the door to class open, hosting class in a room without mirrors, or other requests)
- An exit. Students are welcome to leave class early without judgment.
- List of resources. Teachers should have crisis numbers on hand if you’re curious about support options. They may also carry a list of other resources.
- Disclosure of their scope of practice. Yoga teachers must clarify their certifications and licenses for trauma care—if any outside of yoga.
Securing a safe environment excludes:
- Music
- Physical assists
- Triggering language (ex. knife edge of foot, booty, demanding language)
- Triggering props and poses (no straps or poses that might feel vulnerable, or offering other options during these poses)
Trustworthiness
Rules of consent between student and teacher are paramount. There are no physical assists in trauma-informed yoga, but verbal cues may be given. Cues will be given if you risk injury with improper form. Even if a teacher corrects your form, you still have the final say in your practice.
Choice
Freedom of choice makes trauma-informed yoga unique from traditional classes. It celebrates that your needs and body are unique to you. You have the choice:
- Where to place your mat in the room
- Whether to follow the teacher or complete your own poses
- If you follow breathing techniques, meditations, Savasana
- Whether to have your camera on or off (online classes)
- How long you stay in class
- How much you wish to pay for class (many trauma–informed yoga teachers offer pay-what-you-choose, sliding-scale payment options, or even free content.)
Collaboration
You’re welcome to voice your thoughts about yoga classes and play an active role in how teachers shape future classes. You’re welcome to:
- Provide feedback for the teacher
- Voice ideas about future classes
Empowerment
You’re not only encouraged–but empowered–during class. Because there are no physical assists and many options for poses, you have a space to practice agency over your body. Empowering, invitational based language allows this freedom. Examples of this are:
- You can choose the version of the pose that best resonates with you.
- You can skip, adjust, or remain in any poses at any time.
- Feel free to add any props to this pose that bring you more comfort.
- I welcome you to explore intuitive movement here and see what feels best for your body.
Cultural Relevance
We cannot talk about sexual trauma without talking about culture. According to RAINN’s statistics:
American Indians are twice as likely to experience a rape/sexual assault compared to all races.
Transgender Students Are at Higher Risk for Sexual Violence
Sexual Violence in the Military Often Goes Unreported
Nine out of every ten victims of rape are female
While anyone can be a victim of sexual violence, it’s important to recognize how minorities are affected, and why so many survivors remain silent. To understand how culture is involved and to bring these statistics to light is the first step to creating change. The bottom line: Yoga teachers must create classes that are accessible, available, and inclusive.
How to determine if trauma-informed yoga is right for you
Teachers never assume you have experienced trauma. If you resonate with any of the following, trauma-informed yoga may be a supportive avenue to explore:
- You want to learn grounding and mindfulness techniques to use in and outside of class
- You want an inclusive environment without pressure to follow the teacher
- You want to compliment traditional talk therapy and your care team advises you to try it
- You want to be part of a community who understands your healing
- You want to learn more on behalf of a person in your life who experienced trauma
- You want more freedom of choice in your yoga practice
- You want to feel safe in your body
Who shouldn’t take part?
While trauma-informed yoga is a great avenue for many, these classes may not be suitable for all. Just because it’s not suitable for you right now doesn’t mean it can’t be something for you in the future. Here are some things to consider:
- Your trauma was very recent (within the past 3 months). Immediate support is typically best for recent traumas. I welcome you to explore support options for your best care.
- You have a current substance abuse disorder
- Your care team advises against it
- You cannot maintain a safe environment for other participating students
- You are not willing to take trauma-informed yoga seriously or honor those around you
If you are unsure, I encourage you to speak with your support team.
Before taking your first class, I welcome you to discover the style that resonates with you
Before practicing trauma-informed yoga, I welcome you to discover your preferred style to begin with clarity and confidence. Trauma-informed yoga isn’t a style of yoga, but a way of teaching a certain style. I welcome you to explore common styles below to see which would be a supportive fit for you.
- Vinyasa
- Breath to movement to create a flowing, usually strengthening or flexibility sequence.
- Hatha
- Best for yoga beginners. Students hold a series of yoga poses for a few breaths.
- Iyengar
- Great for injuries. Students hold poses in concentration and make minor adjustments.
- Hot Yoga
- Yoga in a sauna-type room (at least 104 degrees and 40% humidity). Some also call this Bikram Yoga, but there has been some controversy involving the founder, Bikram Choudhury.
- Ashtanga
- Physically demanding. Vinyasa was born out of this practice, and you are in constant motion from beginning to end.
- Yin Yoga
- Increase flexibility in body and mind. Students hold postures for 2-5 minutes to allow a meditative state and stretching of the connective tissue (instead of muscle, like other classes.)
- Kundalini
- Spiritual meets physical. It’s about releasing kundalini energy in the body that is trapped in the lower spine.
- Restorative
- Complete body and mind relaxation. Many props and only a few poses per class.
- Prenatal
- Yoga for all trimesters of pregnancy. Learn techniques for labor and delivery, bond with your baby, and lots of adaptations.
Most trauma-informed classes are Hatha, Restorative, Yin, or a combination. There are also a few that are Vinyasa, but those are less common.
The reason for this is because more physically demanding classes can activate your fight or flight response (sympathetic nervous system) and many survivors are already in this state. Slower styles activate your parasympathetic nervous system, or rest and digest nervous system, so you feel calmer and more at peace. It’s still your preference, and I personally started with Vinyasa so this shows that everyone is different and there’s no right or wrong way to begin.
Many of these classes also include props, which are optional, but can create more comfort in your practice. If you’re interested in learning more about the purpose of props and which ones would best support you, I welcome you to read this blog post:
Related Post: 6 Best Yoga Props For Beginners: Ultimate Guide
Overview
Trauma-informed yoga is paving the way to respect and honor trauma survivors. It aligns yoga with trauma-informed care principles and follows practices that may not be included in a typical yoga setting. There is a growing body of evidence linking the effects of a regular yoga practice and the effects of trauma, giving survivors another avenue to healing.
Trauma-informed yoga is not meant to be an entire care plan, but an optional, supportive addition. Whether you are a survivor or know someone affected, it is important to spread the word about this amazing opportunity for those who would benefit from this practice.
Words for Survivors
Yoga does not require you to talk about your trauma. It does not ask you to do anything except be where you are right now.
Your body is not a separate entity used to hurt you, but a resilient, intelligent, beautiful part of you. Your body did what it needed to survive, and the more you come back to your mat and your body, the closer you become to discovering this truth. The journey is not a smooth walk up a hillside surrounded by wildflowers. It’s a dark tunnel with dead ends and minor victories.
But you are not alone.
We show up day after day and before we know it, we’re out of the tunnel–everything is clear. The light overtakes the darkness, and we can do what yoga taught us all along–breathe.
I hope to join you on this journey.
Take Care.
How to begin trauma-informed classes from home
Many students find that practicing from home allows for more expressive, intuitive movement without holding back emotions because they’re in a safe, comfortable environment. If you like, I welcome you to explore trauma-informed yoga classes catered to common symptoms experienced by sexual trauma survivors in my free, private library the Cozy Corner. You’ll also have access to the private in-studio chat with no social media required for connection and discussions. I invite you to join me!
