Slow Trauma Informed Yoga to Return to Your Body (15 Min Practice)

Many survivors of trauma feel disconnected from their bodies. When our nervous systems don’t feel safe, it can leads us to live in our heads, numb or detach, or distant ourselves from presence and physical sensations. 

This isn’t a fault, and it’s actually a very smart survival strategy where your nervous system has done what is in its capacity to ensure survival. This slow, trauma informed yoga class allows you to return you to your body so you experience embodied awareness through grounding, somatic exploration, and poses that support your nervous system. 

There is no pressure to feel, explore, or experience this class in any way that you’re not comfortable with. I offer grounding poses throughout so you can return to a neutral state or rediscover your center. 

What to Expect in This Practice

This is a low to the ground class with no standing postures and no props required. This is also a trauma informed practice, so I welcome you to make any adjustments that would bring you more comfort, even if that means ending the class early. 

We begin with constructive rest pose, which is deeply supportive for grounding and tending to your nervous system. Then, we’ll explore stretches and movements that embrace your body as a whole instead of a sum of parts. 

We’ll explore:

• Constructive Rest (0:15): Grounding into the support beneath you to orient to the present moment
• Windshield Wiper Legs (1:30): Gentle hip and low-back stretches and movements to release stored tension
• Arm Stretch & Self-Hug Practice (2:20): Somatic self-touch to cultivate safety and comfort
• Leg Stretch (4:15): Releasing tension and focusing on how our entire body moves as a whole.
• Supine Twists & Hold (6:45): Support spinal mobility and soothe your nervous system
• Stretch & Contract (10:00): Exploring gentle expansion and contraction to rebuild body awareness through movement
• Knees to Chest (11:00): Tune into grounding 
• Neck & Shoulder Rolls (12:00): Releases tension from stress or held trauma
• Closing (13:00)

Who This Class Is For

This practice is supportive if you:

• Feel disconnected from your body
• Experience overwhelm or shutdown
• Want to explore somatic healing gently
• Prefer slow movement over stillness 
• Have a sensitive nervous system or chronic tension

This class allows you to tune into your body as much as you feel comfortable. There isn’t any pressure to explore feelings or sensations you don’t wish to, and I offer options for breathwork or grounding if breathwork is not supportive for your practice.

If you’d like to explore more in this class, you could also try: 

• Scanning the room around you and observing any objects that bring you joy, make you feel whole, or capture your attention. This is also supportive for grounding and orienting. 
• Bring textured objects to class with you. If you wish to ground with sensation, you might feel the softness of a blanket, plushness of your yoga mat, or smoothness of a water bottle or the floor. 
• Allow yawing, sighs, or humming. Our voices are calming to our nervous systems, and allowing these natural vibrations can signal safety to our bodies. 

These are additional options you can explore if you feel comfortable. If you start to feel overwhelmed trying all these techniques, maybe explore one this class and a different one another time. What feels supportive and natural to you is always the best choice.

Slow Trauma-Informed Yoga Class to Return to Your Body

If you’re ready, I invite you to join me in this slow, grounding trauma-informed yoga class designed to return to your body in your own time and pace.

This practice is supportive for all experience levels, requires no props, and I welcome you to explore this class in a way that honors your nervous system, body, and energy levels. However you choose to arrive to this class is perfect.