So, What Exactly is Trauma-Sensitive Yoga?
Hi folks! As you may have seen, I just launched an upcoming Trauma-Sensitive Yoga class series starting next month with Prana Centers. This class series is near and dear to my heart, and yet I also believe it's a teaching style that is maybe not fully understood. If you've meandered around this site a bit, you may have come across some information regarding overcoming trauma through yoga. For my second blog post, I thought I'd share a little bit more about what makes this type of yoga unique and why I love teaching it so much! I want to break it down here in a way that's easily digestible and makes sense, so here we go!
More and more research is demonstrating that trauma has deep and long-lasting effects on the entire organism, including changes in the brain, the physical body, and the subjective experience of the individual (in other words, how an individual perceives things). Since it's now well-known that trauma impacts an individual on many different layers, it makes sense that treatment for trauma must also address the same layers that were impacted by the trauma. For many survivors, the body has become a place that may no longer feel safe. Our body quite literally stores memories, which is why it is said that when we experience trauma, both our mind and our body are hijacked. In order to heal from trauma, we must go deeper than talking. We must find a way to befriend our bodies and reclaim them as our own.
So what makes Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY) unique? There's a few key themes of TSY.
1. Experiencing the present moment. One could certainly say that this element is, or should be, a part of every yoga class. However, in TSY, the pace of the class is intentionally much slower in order to allow more time and space for personal investigation into present moment experiences. When someone experiences trauma, it can become easy for the survivor to experience flashbacks of the traumatic experience. When this happens they are no longer in the present moment, but instead are physiologically and emotionally somewhere else. Learning to live in the present moment can actually be quite an unfamiliar experience for trauma survivors, and can require a great deal of vulnerability. In TSY we spend a lot of time exploring and investigating the somatic (or physical) experience in the here and now. Whereas other vinyasa yoga classes match one movement to one breath, we move at a slower pace in TSY in order to allow time to experiment with how it feels to be present in the moment. For example, in Tadasana or Mountain Pose, we might spend a bit of time exploring what the relationship feels like to the floor underneath your feet, and you will hear cues to encourage this type of investigation, such as "Maybe there are some things you can do to help you feel your feet on the ground, like move your toes or gently tap your heels." The more that survivors practice being in their body in the here and now on the mat, the more they will be able to connect to this experiment off the mat and in their day-to-day lives.
2. Another element of TSY is making choices. Trauma itself is the experience of not having a choice. This profound lack of choice can have a great impact on a survivor's life, including a deep sense of fear or helplessness. In TSY, practicing the ability to make a choice helps survivors to regain a sense of agency and a felt sense of control over their lives. This relates to another distinction that sets trauma-informed practices apart from other classes- language of the instructor. In order to strengthen agency through making choices, everything is posed as an offering rather than a directive. For example, "If you like, you could experiment with sitting in a cross legged position, or perhaps sitting back on your heels." Additionally, throughout class there are plenty of reminders that each person has control over what they chose to do with their bodies, "If it is painful, you can always stop," or "perhaps you may like to experiment with making the movements smaller and see if that allows you to keep moving but without pain or discomfort." Whereas other yoga classes may really emphasize alignment or "finding your edge," in TSY everything is an experiment. The student is reminded many times throughout class of the different choices they have available and where they have control. Learning to listen to your body and make healthy choices in relation to signals from your body is a valuable skill both on and off the mat.
3. Taking effective action. In traumatic situations energy is directed towards trying to escape the threat. When our body manufactures adrenaline to get us to move, but we are then not able to essentially our body's natural protective response cannot be completed. Therefore, even long after the traumatic event itself has passed, survivors often remain stuck in a frozen state in which they are unable to engage their bodies and minds to confront threatening or stressful situations. In TSY students are encouraged to notice their experience, and to see if there is anything they can do or any movements they can make to help themselves feel better. It is a goal of TSY to honor and cultivate as many opportunities as possible to actively do things to help students feel better, safer, more comfortable, or in control. For example, "Take a moment to notice some of the characteristics of your current experience. If you notice an area of discomfort- temperature, sensation in your lower back, too much noise- see if there is one thing you can do to make yourself feel better." Following this I may offer different suggestions for changes a student might make, and then encourage observation of how they feel after having made the change.
4. The last key element of TSY is creating rhythms. After experiencing trauma, many survivors may feel out of sync with other people, and sometimes even with themselves. For example, dissociation can create a sense of disconnection with our own internal rhythms and the world around us. One might not even be aware of the muscular tension they constantly carry, or how frequently they are holding their breath. Eating, sleeping, and energy can be thrown off entirely when an individual is stuck in a "frozen" state following a traumatic event. This disconnection makes it much more difficult to self-regulate. The idea of creating rhythm can take place in a lot of different ways through TSY. One example might be using breath and movement to explore a sense of flow and timing, within ourselves and in relation to others. In TSY, many opportunities are presented to experience the element of time as well as beginnings and endings- all different aspects needed to create rhythm. Countdowns are used quite a bit in TSY, "If you like, experiment with breathing in this posture for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and then release." There is a clear sense of duration, and a very clear end point. For survivors of trauma, flashbacks and dissociation can cause a challenging relationship with time. Through these techniques, students experience a sense of duration and a feeling that things end, including challenging yoga postures.
In my journey to connect the world of yoga with mental health, it's been an eye-opening experience to realize how so many popular teachers are uninformed on trauma-sensitive practices. Several years ago, I had an experience during an in-person class where the instructor began telling a story about a traumatic event that occurred recently, and in detail! This was my first class following a trauma I too had just experienced, and just going to class and being around others felt like a big challenge for me at that time. When the instructor began to share his trauma- in detail- I couldn't even believe what was happening. I left class feeling totally exposed and needless to say it was a while before I felt comfortable taking a class with this instructor again.
I love this practice for so many reasons. Learning more about how to teach through a trauma-informed lens has helped me feel more capable to support individuals where they are at. I've found that the subtle language changes in a trauma-informed class really do cultivate a more sensitive, aware, and empathetic environment for exploration. As upsetting as the previous example made me feel, I'm also appreciative of that experience as it helped me gain a deeper understanding of how many folks must feel when stepping into a class that doesn't teach through a trauma-informed lens, and how for some, just showing up to class at all is an act of courage and bravery.
My goal through teaching Trauma-Sensitive Yoga is for folks to leave feeling empowered to have more control over their lives and a deeper connection to their body and mind in the present moment. If any of this sounds intriguing to you, I'd love for you to join me in my upcoming virtual class series Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, starting next month!
Til next time!
xO Amy Williams