What is Trauma Informed Yoga + What are its Benefits?

I wrote this article for STAR - Sexual Trauma Awareness + Response, a non-profit here in Baton Rouge dedicated to resourcing survivors with legal aid, counseling, + more after sexual assault.

Trauma-informed yoga (TIY) is intended to help students reconnect with their bodies after experiencing short- or long-term trauma. TIY approaches the practice of yoga with consideration of the effects that trauma has on a person’s brain, nervous system, body, spirit, and heart.

What is trauma?

You’ve likely experienced some degree of trauma at one point in your life. This may have been a “little t” trauma — a stressful move, career change, or financial worries; or maybe you’ve experienced “big T” traumas — sexual assault, physical abuse, or ongoing oppression.

If you were unable to dedicate time, space, and resources to heal from the trauma, you may notice its effects on your body, mind, heart, and spirit: tight muscles, disconnection, racing thoughts, hyper-vigilance, hopelessness, resentment, and more.

How trauma-informed yoga can help?

First, it should be noted that yoga, even TIY, is not intended to be used as a stand-alone tool for healing from trauma. It is always recommended that a survivor of trauma be under the care of a psychologist or other mental health professional.

TIY — also referred to as trauma-sensitive or trauma-conscious yoga — often includes: breath work, slow/ grounding postures, and intentional, inviting language rather than commands. Students are offered multiple options throughout the class so that they may feel safe both during and after class. An example of this may be, “explore what it may feel like to lift your arms overhead” versus “lift your arms overhead”. In providing an opportunity for a person to experience a body movement by choice can give a survivor of trauma more autonomy over their bodies during the practice. And over time, this can support a survivor in regaining a sense of control in their life.

Physical postures (called “asana” in yoga) and breath awareness allow students to learn how to stay in the present moment and can help survivors with centering and grounding.

Trauma-informed yoga may help you:

·       Connect deeply with your physical body

·       Learn to release tension from your body

·       Gain more awareness of your breath, thoughts, and movements

·       Reduce fear responses in your physical body

·       Empower yourself to heal holistically — body, mind, heart

·       Feel safe to experience any physical sensations that may arise in your body

Join STAR in honoring Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. I will be hosting a class at Electric Depot in Baton Rouge on April 12th at 6 PM.

Photograph by Hannah Sharriee.

All Are Welcome Here

You may have noticed that yoga in the west has been co-opted by thin, white, able-bodied cis white women … myself included.

And it ~should~ go without saying but …

If you are …
Trans
Black
Queer
Fat
Brown
In pain
Experiencing grief
“Too old”
Inflexible
Deaf
Shy
Brand new to yoga
English is your second language
Or any other reason you imagine you don’t belong in a yoga studio -

You are welcome in my spaces.

Whether that’s an in-person yoga class, a coaching session, or simply here on this platform. You are welcome in my spaces.

Whether it's day 1 of your yoga/ spiritual journey or year 10.

You are welcome in my spaces. I’m happy to have you here.

If you have a problem with any of the groups of people I listed above… well, you probably won’t enjoy being in my spaces. But you are still welcome to be here too.

I hope you learn to open your heart + put down your bigotry / fat phobia / racism / etc.

Ditching Vinyasa Yoga

A traditional vinyasa class just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I’m not sure if that’s due to my chronic pain or being an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person). But I often leave class feeling worse than when I started. Can you relate?

Most vinyasa classes start too quickly. There isn’t enough time to drop in to the body + the mind + the heart. (I won’t even get started on the choice of blaring pop music some teachers choose.)

Most people aren’t yet physically equipped to be flowing in + out of Adho Mukha Shvanasana (“down dog”) + Chaturanga Dandasana 20+ times per class. We lack the shoulder mobility due to sitting all day + having rounded shoulders.

I’m willing to bet I’m not the only person who spends too much time in my head. Therefore, I practice + teach a more grounding class. Sometimes, I may not even stand. I create time + freedom in each movement to really explore the body. The body as it is TODAY. Not in last week’s practice or where you hope to already be. But checking in RIGHT NOW.

Slow movements + connected intentional breath. That’s what yoga is to me. Not a 45-minute sweaty power flow. Is there a time + place for that kind of practice? Sure. But I enjoy challenging my body in others ways (swimming, cycling, resistance training). I practice yoga as a way to further connect back with myself. And often times, I leave a vinyasa class feeling more disconnected + anxious. Maybe I’m the only one, but if you haven’t yet connected with a “traditional” (for the West) yoga class, I encourage you to keep trying.

I’ll be drumming up some new classes for y’all soon + in the mean time, check out @au.yoga’s Monday Morning Mindfulness class. Angelina is a truly gifted teacher + I owe so much of my influence to her. Each class is intentional + well-planned + grounding + inspiring. 

Find Your Thing

I hope you find your thing. The thing that gets you out of bed each morning. The thing that brings joy into your heart. The thing that reminds you that you are not alone. The thing that just FEELS right. The thing that makes you feel beautiful and invincible. The thing that makes your skin tingle. The thing that makes you forget about your anxiety or depression or whatever shit - just for a little while. The thing that grounds and centers you - bringing you back home to yourself.  The thing that brings you so deep into the present moment that you have no choice but to be grateful.

Yoga is my main thing. But there isn’t just one. My “thing” is morning walks with Beaux; dancing to share my story; watching musicians perform; the community I’ve found within yoga; spending time out in nature; finding friends who love me for me; seeing someone SO confident in their element that it’s contagious.

 I hope you find your thing. And if you haven’t, or you have no idea where to start, that’s where I come in. To guide you one step closer to discovering the thing(s) that light you up.

Why Yoga?

When you hear the word “yoga”, what kind of image do you conjure up in your mind? Do you picture a pretty, young, flexible woman doing a handstand or contorting into some impossible shape? Maybe you envision a yogi “JUST sitting and breathing”- so boring, right?

Looking back at the other styles of exercise I’ve tried over the years, I always wonder what about yoga made me stick with it. Like most people, I got into yoga for physical reasons— to get lean, lose weight, and align with something similar to my dance background. Little did I know, yoga would become so much more than a physical workout.

As I practiced and taught more, I developed an awareness of the spiritual and emotional benefits yoga provided. Yes, my physical body was more at ease; but the chatter in my mind had hushed, and more importantly, I took several lessons off the mat and with me into my life. I truly looked forward to that hour on the mat with no phone, no work, no responsibilities. That feeling was like nothing I had experienced in going to the gym, where I wasn’t allotted the time, space, or silence to think about what my body was doing or where my mind wandered when things got challenging or boring.

Yoga is so much more than the asanas (physical postures). Yoga encompasses meditation- the act of sitting in silence and simply observing one’s thoughts in order to create a new narrative. Yoga means finding movement that feels natural and safe yet challenging in one’s body. Yoga is synonymous with being kind to one’s self both on and off the mat. Yoga also means learning to breathe. REALLY breathe. The kind of deep-felt breath that changes your mood or the tension in your body. The kind of breath that allows you to pause and think before reacting. Yoga teaches mindfulness— that acute awareness of what we do and say, how we move our bodies, learning to be intuitive and in touch with our true needs and desires, and everything else in between. Yoga joins body, breath, mind, heart, and soul in a way few things in this world can. Yoga invites a deeper connection to self so we can feel more connected to others as well.

Yoga taught me so much more than physical poses and that’s why I’m so passionate about practicing it and sharing it with others. Maybe your yoga journey starts like mine— focused on the physical. But I guarantee if you stick with it and stay open-minded, you have so much more to learn and grow from.

Namaste