The physical practice of yoga, combined with breath awareness, meditation and mindful movement, has long been known to benefit people struggling with trauma informed yoga training. But not all yoga teachers are trauma informed, and even those who have undergone trauma informed training may not have the skills to support students with trauma in class.
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Trauma informed yoga instructors are aware that the pathways that connect in the brain can disconnect during trauma and that people who have experienced trauma may have difficulty verbally talking about what happened to them. They are trained to notice when a pose is triggering for someone in their class and to offer alternative options. This can be as simple as allowing the person to choose where they want to set up in class so they don’t have their back to the door or other people behind them, or it can be as nuanced as demonstrating several variations of a pose and giving people the option to skip certain poses entirely.
One graduate of the trauma informed yoga training from Three and a Half Acres says her teacher training “changed everything.” She now uses inclusive language to create a safe, supportive environment in her classes and instructs students on how to modify postures or leave a class if they start to feel unsafe or triggered. She also helps them learn to connect with their body, rather than push themselves past their limits. She also explains that, while everyone is different, trauma can be experienced in a variety of ways.
