What Does Trauma Informed Yoga Mean? (For Yoga Teachers)

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What does trauma informed mean? In my experience there is a lot of misperception about what it is, and why it is important for all yoga teachers. It's probably pretty obvious that it means teaching classes for people who have experienced a trauma. Of course that’s true but it only tells part of the story. The common perception is that relaxation and stress relief are the same as trauma informed yoga. This is true, some of the time!

Everywhere I turn I see webinars and events talking about polyvagal theory, fight & flight, and how yoga is incredibly helpful for nervous system regulation. But in the west, yoga is many things and it is taught in many ways. Is all yoga good for nervous system regulation? A big misperception is that the best practices for mental health are the ones that are slow and relaxation based (yin, restorative, meditation). Again, these are great for reducing stress but not always good for trauma, definitely challenging for anxiety, potentially aggravating for depression, and certainly not the only styles that can be trauma informed. Almost all styles of yoga can be trauma informed provided they are focused on the students not yoga dogma. Dogma is a whole other thing I will get into another day.

What types of yoga and which practices should we be using to down-regulate, up-regulate or bring balance? Is nervous system regulation the same as reducing stress? What if the person’s nervous system tends towards a freeze response? What the heck is the freeze response anyway?

Yoga that is focused on exercise or a stretch class with reminders to breathe may be very helpful for the average person who is stressed out but how does this help the person in your class with a history of childhood maltreatment and sexual assault? Or the person in your class who grew up exposed to violence? Or the person who is struggling with addiction after a traumatic event? Or those who suffer from SADS? Or the one who’s spouse just died suddenly? And why does that even matter in a regular group yoga class?

I’ve thrown a lot of questions at you without actually answering the question “what does trauma informed yoga mean.” Bare with me.

If you want to elevate yoga to a helping profession - beyond body based wellness - then these are the questions that you need to be asking. Not just for teaching specialty classes but EVERY group class you teach.

Trauma and mental illness are not the same as stress, and they are pervasive.

If you're teaching a group yoga class then it is not just likely but probable that there are people there who are living with the effects of trauma and/or a mental health disorder.

  • 1 in 5 Americans was sexually assaulted (both men and women)

  • 1 in 4 Americans was beaten by a parent to the point of a mark being left

  • 1 in 3 Couple engage in physical violence (van der Kolk, 2014)

  • According the Mood Disorders Society of Canada about 1 in 10 people in Canada have PTSD

  • In 2013, 11.6% of Canadians aged 18 years or older reported that they had a mood and/or anxiety disorder. (Public Health Canada)

  • Anxiety and depression are more than twice common in women (12%) than men (5%). (CAMH Fast Facts)

  • Depression is almost twice as common as generalized anxiety disorder.

  • More than 50% of people with generalized anxiety disorder also met the criteria for depression.

And the brutal reality is that they're probably living with a deep shame about it. That means they may not be putting it on their intake form. 

Trauma informed is getting a lot of attention and there are many related books and trainings. I believe we need to change the way we think about yoga, trauma and mental health. In order to be trauma informed we must look at the intersection between trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, systems of oppression, consumerism and more.

Yoga that supports mental health is more than just practices - it's a way of thinking that allows teachers to ask the right question as they plan a class and cultivate a way of approaching their teaching so, to the best of their ability, their classes are supporting everyone who walks through the door. 

It’s about recognizing who might be showing up to your class, what dis-regulation looks like, what to do and say if someone is being activated, how to use authentic inclusive language. As a YOGA teacher it is also about understanding the deep history of Yoga philosophy and mental health.

What does Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha mean and how does it inform how we teach? It is the foundation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and it is central to Yoga’s connection to the mind and emotions. If you’re not familiar with it I encourage you to read more about it. If you know the answer leave a comment and let me know how it guides your teaching?

If you’d like to learn more about trauma informed yoga teaching visit by Yoga for Mental Health teacher training course page.

Sources: (1) www.domesticshelters.org, (2) www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces