Trauma-sensitive Yoga: The how to

There are different schools of yoga and, while using a modified version of hatha yoga, trauma-sensitive yoga can be seen as its own school. It means that trauma-sensitive yoga is not automatically what you get when you take a class in a yoga center. You need to ask about it specifically. If you can’t find a class for trauma-sensitive yoga it is better to try it at home, than to take part in a regular yoga class.

 

Before you start

Please talk to your doctor first, especially if you have physical problems. They might tell you what kind of poses or movements to avoid based on your condition.

Talk to your T about it. You might want to share your yoga experiences in therapy.

Take some time to ask yourself what about yoga might be difficult for you. Body work is challenging. It takes a lot to overcome those fears and it is ok to decide that it might still be overwhelming.

Please be aware that in trauma-sensitive yoga the question is not if you get triggered, but when. Working with the body will bring up emotions and memories. It can be an important part of the healing, but only if you have some skills for self-regulation. Go through your coping skills and make sure that you have everything you need to soothe yourself in case something comes up. Yoga doesn’t show instant results, it is a matter of practice, of showing up regularly to face your body and yourself. Eventually it will help you to regulate yourself when you get triggered.

 

Characteristics of trauma-sensitive yoga

When you are looking for a class or a video to follow, there are distinct characteristics to look for that mark trauma-sensitive yoga and sets it apart from other yoga practices. Make sure that these are implemented or at least always keep them in mind while you practice, at home or with a class.

 

• Body-focussed and sober: trauma-sensitive yoga does not have a spiritual aspect, it stays with the body using mindfulness without engaging in ideas like chakras, energy flow or becoming one with a spiritual world. It doesn’t deny the connection of body and emotion and that feelings might come up, but it doesn’t aim for it.
• Self-care: Self-care and self-love have the highest priority. If a pose feels unbearable or causes you pain, you don’t have to endure that. You are always more important than doing a perfect pose. Learn to be gentle with yourself.
• Self-reflection: you are guided to listen to your body in mindful awareness throughout the session.
• Status of the teacher: trauma-sensitive yoga doesn’t follow a guru, you are your own guru. It’s good to follow the instructions on how to properly do a pose to avoid injury, but apart from that it is more important to listen to yourself, your inner teacher, than the yoga teacher. You alone can hear what your body is communicating and when it tells you to stop or go easy on yourself. A trauma-sensitive yoga teacher will always lead you to listen to yourself.
• Guidance: Whatever the teacher says is phrased as a suggestion or invitation, not a command. If you don’t want to do something, you can take a break or do something else that feels better. You are doing the right thing for yourself, which doesn’t have to be what the teacher suggested. The teacher will not be upset with you but rather proud.
• Choices: you are given suggestions of poses and possible modifications of the same pose eg different difficulty levels. It is up to you to explore these to find out which feels right that day. While the teacher will give you a basic structure to follow, there is a lot of room to make your own choices
• Exploration: you are encouraged to explore your own sensation and adapt, modify and experiment within the poses.
• No evaluation: you do things the best way you can. The teacher might correct your posture, if it could cause injuries, but usually they will just let you experiment and not judge the way you are taking care of yourself. They might also not praise you to avoid triggering shame in you or others in the group.
• Agency: You are encouraged to change things in the room to create a better experience for yourself. That includes the possibility to grab a blanket, yoga blocks or other helpful items as well as making suggestions about lighting or opening windows.
• Touch: your yoga teacher won’t touch you unless you specifically ask for this support. They will instead show you how to do things through their own example or explain it with words. They will also stay in one place and not move around in the room.
• Countdown: the teacher helps you to develop a sense of time during the session and with every pose, counting down the time left in a pose to help you know that even uncomfortable poses have an end.
• Room: ideally the room is quiet, well lit, doesn’t have windows that make it possible for people from the outside to watch you and its trigger-free (no yoga straps) with moderate temperature.
• Pace: the pace is very slow compared to normal yoga classes. The teacher says things like „when you are ready“ and „take your time“ to guide you through poses without rushing you. There is enough time to be aware of the body, explore and reflect on it.

 

Trauma-sensitive yoga is not offered everywhere. You can ask your local yoga center, if they would be willing to look into it. I can recommend David Emersons books.

 

For some people it is overwhelming to join a group or be ready to do yoga when the schedule says so. Doing trauma-sensitive yoga at home, either with a list of poses you chose or with the support of a video is an option. Please make sure that someone who is familiar with yoga teaches you how to do poses properly. You cannot learn that from a picture you found on the internet. It won’t tell you how to tilt your hips, where to shift your weight and how to avoid injuries.

YouTube is full of yoga videos. Listen to a couple of them and compare their style with the characteristics of trauma-sensitive yoga listed above. The more a teacher is already using, the less difficult it will be to follow while having to remember it all.

 

 

I am personally doing yoga at home, using YouTube videos by Adriene Mishler. You can find her at Yoga with Adriene. She does invite to think about spiritual aspects, but without pressure to follow that path and the pace can sometimes be too fast for absolute beginners, but she meets all the other criteria (and she has an adorable dog). If you want to give that a try, I would recommend to start with her 30-day yoga revolution series (which you don’t have to do in 30 days!) as it offers a good introduction to the concept of mindfulness yoga and different poses.

 

I am not a yoga teacher. I can only share with you how trauma-sensitive yoga is different from other yoga to help you to adapt things for yourself. You can find my own trauma-sensitive yoga journey, including experiences with different poses and the problem of dissociation over here.

 

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