Trauma-informed yoga is a mindfulness-based approach that recognizes the individuality and specific needs of a student who has experienced trauma in their life. Trauma-informed yoga is a safe and effective way for individuals living with trauma to develop a mindful awareness of their bodies, which can lead to deeper healing and resilience. As a yoga teacher, trauma-informed yoga principles are vital for sustainable and ethical teaching.
You care deeply about teaching yoga effectively and ethically. This is why you notice when your students may check out in class or when the sequence you offered didn’t land.
This doesn’t mean you’re a bad teacher. It means you care! It means you understand the responsibility that comes with teaching and you want to make sure you get it right for your students.
Our nonprofit organization, Vikara Village®, bridges social work and yoga to provide clear, practical and accurate wellness information in the trauma-informed yoga space. Our model brings together over a decade of learning and application into a unique approach to working with those with a trauma history.
We’ve created a clear trauma-informed yoga framework. The Vikara Way™ exists to raise the standard of trauma-informed yoga — cultivating teachers who lead with integrity, grounded discernment, and steady presence. Our Trauma-Informed Yoga Checklist gives you tools you can use immediately to make your classes more trauma-informed.
The Purpose of Trauma-Informed Yoga
Trauma, or toxic stress (we use them interchangeably), is something that happens to everyone. It is part of the human experience. Because you are a yoga teacher, working with students, it’s important to remember that we all have trauma histories. Whether a student identifies as a trauma survivor or not, they have encountered (or will) an experience that overwhelms their capacity to cope.
Trauma-informed yoga is a way of teaching that honors the student’s experience. The modality is focused on creating a safe and empowering environment that promotes healing, relaxation, and personal growth. It ensures the yoga teacher and the students are aware of the potential triggers that could arise during the yoga class.
The practice is designed to be gentle, non-threatening, and prioritize the student’s comfort and choice. Trauma-informed yoga is helping students develop agency on their mat. Agency is a feeling of control over one’s actions and consequences. Teaching in a trauma-informed way focuses on creating a supportive space where people can begin to connect with their bodies in a new way, develop a sense of safety in their own skin, and begin to feel more grounded in their day-to-day lives.
Benefits of Practicing Trauma-Informed Yoga
When teaching in a trauma-informed way, our students are able to truly be seen as a whole person. Threatening experiences cause real physiological reactions in our body and brain. Our hearts start to race, blood rushes to our larger muscles, and our appetite disappears. These very real physical responses originating in the brain, are designed to keep us safe and help us prepare for whatever we need to do next – like run away or fight.
When practicing yoga, our students are able to experience so many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Here’s just a few:
- Improved mental health: Trauma-informed yoga has been found to help alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD by providing a calming and grounding practice.
- Increased self-awareness: Trauma can disconnect us from our body and limit our ability to be present in the moment. Trauma-informed yoga can help individuals begin to connect with their bodies again, gain a sense of self-awareness and agency, and cultivate greater self-compassion.
- Stress reduction: Trauma can leave us feeling stressed, anxious, and on edge all the time. Trauma-informed yoga can help individuals take control of their stress levels through deep breathing, movement, and relaxation techniques.
- Improved overall well-being: Trauma-informed yoga can also improve overall physical well-being, including reducing blood pressure, improving flexibility, and releasing tension in the body.
Trauma-Informed Yoga Principles Are Not Optional
Trauma-informed yoga principles are not optional. They are the foundation for responsible teaching. Because trauma is part of the human experience, it’s important for all yoga teachers to be prepared for all of the students who show up in your classes.
Your students are showing up to class with their stories and histories. These physiological stress response reactions may be patterns showing up in their bodies. They may not be able to name it. And for many of us, when we get on our yoga mat, it might be the first time we start to feel and notice it.
As a responsible and ethical yoga teacher, you need to be prepared for when these instances occur with your students. Trauma-informed yoga is a safe and gentle way to begin to reconnect with the body, develop self-awareness, and cultivate a sense of calm.
Are you interested in learning about how to incorporate trauma-informed yoga principles into your teaching? Our Trauma-Informed Yoga Checklist will give you small ways to make big changes before your next class!