You might be wondering if the yoga that we offer at Union Yoga is for you. What makes it special? I thought we could spend some time talking about trauma-sensitive yoga since this is a big part of who we are as a studio.

After taking the Trauma-Informed training at our studio last year, I knew this was the yoga I wanted to teach forever. I’ll give you the basics today, but as I dive deeper into the subject, I’ll keep you in the loop.

Disclaimer

I’m not a therapist. I am a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) with additional training in Yin Yoga and Trauma-Informed Yoga. What I have to say is based on conversations with teachers, the training I’ve taken, and the homework I’ve done as well as my own experiences.

What is trauma-sensitive yoga?

There are a few terms that people use when they talk about the connection between trauma and yoga. There’s trauma-sensitive yoga, trauma-aware yoga, and trauma-informed yoga to name a few. There may be slight nuances in these depending on whom you ask, but their purposes are consistent. These are yoga classes that are cognizant of the fact that students may be in recovery after trauma.

Who can be affected by trauma?

That’d be any of us. Not everyone who experiences traumatic events develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but they may still bear the effects of trauma. There are so many types of trauma that it’d take a whole book to discuss them in-depth, but at the very least, we can say that trauma is anything that overwhelms our capacity to cope and leaves us feeling helpless or hopeless.

How is trauma-sensitive yoga different?

Choose your own adventure.
When I took my 200-hour training, we were taught to give cues like these: “Plant your right hand under your right shoulder.” “Bring your knees to the wide edges of the mat.” We were to condense all information into direct instructions so that students could get into poses ASAP.

A class full of imperatives can make it feel like there’s only one correct way to do things. A person does not have a choice about which traumatic events they experience. Now they’re not getting any choices with their yoga. You can see why that might be problematic.

In trauma-sensitive yoga, you’ll hear options. The teacher might give you a few breaths to play on your own in Freedom Pose. They could give you three different variations on how to get to the top of the mat. As a rule, even if options aren’t given for every asana, we hope students at Union Yoga will feel welcome to move in a way that feels safe and grounded for them.

We ask for permission.
I was shocked when, during savasana in my first in-person studio class, the teacher massaged my neck and shoulders with essential oils. Some of you might be thinking, “That sounds awesome!” My brain didn’t think so. I didn’t even know the teacher touched people in yoga class, and suddenly this was happening when I was already feeling vulnerable while sprawled out on the floor with strangers with my eyes closed. The teacher didn’t do anything wrong, but it wasn’t trauma-informed.

Hands-on adjustments can be a helpful tool for assisting students in practice or helping us feel grounded. (I think that’s what the teacher was going for, and if I’d just had some warning, it would have been okay for me.) In a trauma-sensitive practice, the teacher should always receive consent before giving a hands-on adjustment. As a student, you have every right to say, “No.” I once read a teacher who said, “If it’s not a ‘hell yes’, it’s a ‘no’,” and that stuck with me.

Some teachers prefer not to offer hands-on adjustments at all because sometimes it is difficult for someone to say, “No” even if they really want to.

There are differences in language.
The part of yoga that relates to fitness culture contains many violent words. Cues like, “Shoot your leg back,” and “Feel the burn,” are ubiquitous in the broader yoga world.

In trauma-sensitive yoga, we think about the meaning of what we’re saying. We do our best to remove such aggressive words from our language. This is something that I know I (and I’m sure other teachers) have to actively work on within our practice because we learned in a different way.

Trauma-sensitive yoga gives students resources.
Before my training, I thought the purpose of trauma-sensitive yoga was to avoid triggering students. That’s not true. No teacher wants to trigger students, but because anything can be a trigger, we simply can’t have class and rule out the possibility of triggering somebody. Our job in this setting is to help (within our scope of practice) students develop the tools necessary to work through whatever comes up.

I think every student can benefit from being empowered through this sort of yoga. To me, trauma-informed yoga teaching is good yoga teaching.

That’s the minimum

The level of trauma sensitivity varies by teacher and class format. For example, I subbed a class that stated in its description that there would be no music, hands-on adjustments, and essential oils. Considering how most yoga classes looked at the time, this was radical. (As it turns out, I’m fond of practicing and teaching this way.)

Some trauma-sensitive classes exclude certain poses, which may feel too vulnerable for a person in recovery. Others are specifically for veterans or sexual assault survivors for example. We don’t have any formats that specific on our schedule at the moment, but these classes do exist.

Who can practice trauma-sensitive yoga?

Here’s what I love the most about this practice: it’s for anybody who is interested. Come as you are.

In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk defines three avenues for helping someone heal from trauma. First, we can address trauma by talking and reconnecting with others. Second, there’s medication to assist with the physiological effects of trauma. Third, we can “Allow the body to have experiences that contradict helplessness, rage, or collapse from trauma.”

In a yoga studio, we are not all therapists (some of our teachers hold this title), but we can forge meaningful connections. Connections can help us heal, and we may be unknowingly helping others heal when we connect with them in a positive way. How cool is that? We also do a lot of the third thing. We create opportunities for new experiences that contradict the traumatic experience. Everyone can be part of that. Please don’t think trauma-informed yoga is only for survivors or people with a specific diagnosis.

Are you curious?

Understanding trauma-sensitive yoga changed the way I practice and teach. It made me think more critically about the environment I create and the words I use. It made me have more compassion for the people in class with me. What are your thoughts? Do you want to know more?

Remember, my friends, I write these for you. If you’re curious, let me know what you want to know! I don’t know everything, but I’ve been known to track down a thing or two.

May you be healthy, happy, and free from suffering.