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 to better accommodate your students when teaching a trauma-informed yoga class, private lesson, or workshop.
One of the most common symptoms of trauma in the system is difficulty sleeping, whether it’s insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep), sleep paralysis, nightmares, hypervigilance, anxiety, or comorbid sleep disorders getting in the way of a restful night.
In addition, some prescribed medications can interfere with sleep, along with self-medication like alcohol or drug use.
Whatever the root of disrupted sleep may be, lack of sleep tends to make symptoms of trauma worse.
Knowing this, you have the opportunity to ease worries in your trauma-informed yoga classes.
- I had a teacher that used to say, “if you can get people to breathe and relax, you’ve done your job.” Teach what you know to support full breathing and relaxation, including but not limited to gentle asana, restorative yoga, pranayama, or slow vinyasa.
- Burn out anxious energy with strong asana or shaking. If buzzy energy or running thoughts are what is getting in the way of sleep, use movement to shift it. Sun salutations, shaking, and strong yoga asana poses like warriors, balancing poses, and hip openers can help greet the anxious energy and burn through it.
- If you are trained to teach yoga nidra, teach it! This is one of the most accessible ways to connect with sleep during the day or at night. Offer your students a recording of your yoga nidra if possible.
- Let it be okay to fall asleep in class. The sweet sounds of snoring in a room full of PTSD survivors are the best. While ordinarily in yoga we would tell folks to remain aware during savasana, restorative yoga, or yoga nidra, if you know your group struggles with sleep, let them enjoy it. Tell them at the beginning of class that it’s okay if they fall asleep and have a protocol for gently waking people up if they sleep through your instructions (e.g. place a hand on their shoulder, have another student nudge them, etc. depending on the environment).
- Don’t be a pusher. The thing that helps one person sleep more easily isn’t necessarily the same thing that helps another person sleep easily. Offer suggestions as simply suggestions, not cure-alls. If your student has chronic issues with sleep, encourage them to talk to their doctor.