Touch is controversial in the yoga world. Is it necessary for safe alignment? Is it healing in our touch-deprived world? Is it triggering and traumatising? The answer is, it depends. When I surveyed yoga students about how their experience of yoga had supported or detracted from their mental health, one common theme was being touched […]
Holding the Seat of the Teacher in the Face of Seemingly Endless Tragedy
As I pulled up to teach a children’s yoga class to first graders in Silver Spring, MD on May 24, I learned about the mass murder that occurred at an elementary school hundreds of miles away in Uvalde, Texas. Like most of us, I became a vessel of complex emotions including fear, sadness and yes, […]
Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Concentration
The standard run-of-the-mill yoga class is structured in a way that is not always comfortable or accessible for people with trauma in their systems. To better understand this, let’s look at some of the most common symptoms of trauma, how they can show up in a yoga class, and how you can make simple adjustments […]
Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Disrupted Sleep
The standard run-of-the-mill yoga class is structured in a way that is not always comfortable or accessible for people with trauma in their systems. To better understand this, let’s look at some of the most common symptoms of trauma, how they can show up in a yoga class, and how you can make simple adjustments […]
Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Avoidance and Isolation
The standard run-of-the-mill yoga class is structured in a way that is not always comfortable or accessible for people with trauma in their systems. To better understand this, let’s look at some of the most common symptoms of trauma, how they can show up in a yoga class, and how you can make simple adjustments […]
Understanding Trauma in the Yoga Studio: Triggers
Your standard run-of-the-mill yoga class is structured in a way that is not always comfortable or accessible for people with trauma in their systems. To better understand this, let’s look at some of the most common symptoms of trauma, how they can show up in a yoga class, and how you can make simple adjustments […]
Understanding Trauma in the Yoga Studio: Hyperarousal
The standard run-of-the-mill yoga class is structured in a way that is not always comfortable or accessible for people with trauma in their systems. To better understand this, let’s look at some of the most common symptoms of trauma, how they can show up in a yoga class, and how you can make simple adjustments […]
Understanding Trauma in the Yoga Studio: Hypervigilance
The standard run-of-the-mill yoga class is structured in a way that is not always comfortable or accessible for people with trauma in their systems. To better understand this, let’s look at some of the most common symptoms of trauma, how they can show up in a yoga class, and how you can make simple adjustments […]
How Do I Become a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher?
You know what trauma-informed yoga is and what makes a class or teacher good. Now, let’s look at what it takes to become a trauma-informed yoga teacher. I’m already a yoga teacher – how do I become a trauma-informed yoga teacher? If you haven’t already, get your 500-hour certification! More training means a better understanding […]
How Do I Know a Trauma-Informed Yoga Class is… Good?
Now that you know what trauma-informed yoga is, let’s look at what to look out for in classes and teachers. But first, huge kudos to you for seeking out trauma-informed yoga! Whether you are a practitioner looking to support the trauma in your system or a yoga teacher with experience working with trauma, it’s important […]
What is Trauma-Informed Yoga?
I’m often suspicious of clinical or academic terminology that becomes popularized. Pop psychology usually starts rooted in science, then as it makes its rounds through celebrities, talk shows, and wellness communities, it loses focus and becomes a ghost of its clinical self. Take narcissism, for example. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a diagnosable disorder, outlined in […]