Maybe you’ve heard that yoga can help you heal from your trauma and PTSD, but you’re scared to try it out. Maybe you’ve tried it once, only to have the instructor bark orders at you, roam around the room, or even physically adjust you into the “right” position. Healing? Hardly.
Thankfully, there’s another option! Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) strips away the potential triggers to create a safe space, where you can begin to reconnect with your body in your own way, and at your own pace. Read more to learn how trauma sensitive yoga works.
You’re never told what to do
In TCTSY, you’ll always be invited to try different forms and movements, but never commanded to do so. For example, as a facilitator, I may invite you to try reaching your arm overhead and leaning to the side – but if you don’t want to do so, for any reason, you don’t have to. Or, if you try and find that it doesn’t feel right to you for any reason, you can stop. Period. As we practice in this way, you’re empowered to be in charge of your own body and your own experience.
It’s always your choice
Every movement, form, and breath is an opportunity for you to practice making choices, something that may feel foreign to you as a result of your trauma. As mentioned above, it’s your choice to practice any form or movement or to opt out at any time. I’ll also offer you a couple of different ways you might practice a form – for example, remaining still or adding some movement. You’re free to experiment with those options and see which one you’d like to choose or to choose your own way of moving. With no “right” way to practice, you can begin to find your own way and learn to trust yourself.
You’ll focus on physical sensations
As a trauma survivor, you may feel disconnected from your body. The emphasis in TCTSY is on noticing sensations inside your body in a way that’s tolerable for you. Using our earlier example, I might say, “If you reach your arm overhead and lean to the side, you may feel some sensation around your ribs.” The ability to notice sensation inside your body is called interoception, and research has shown that it can help strengthen the part of your brain that knows you are here now (the insula) and decrease activity in the part of your brain that retriggers past trauma (the amygdala). Noticing sensation can also support you in making choices – for example, by choosing to stay with a sensation or to move away from it.
You’re never coerced or abandoned
In a traditional yoga class, you may be encouraged to push your limits, face your fears, or explore your “edge.” Not so with TCTSY, where we realize that sometimes just showing up to be present in your body is challenging enough. We don’t attach any kind of meaning to any particular form, and we don’t try to lead you anywhere in particular. In addition, you’ll never be abandoned or ignored if you choose not to do a form or to take a break during a session.
We share the power
In traditional yoga classes, it can often feel like the instructor is the authority and your job is to do what they say. As a TCTSY facilitator, I practice with you. I don’t walk around, make adjustments, or tell you what you’re supposed to be doing or feeling. I don’t even leave my mat. You may choose to follow my rhythm or suggestions or to choose your own way. I’m open to your feedback and do my best to facilitate a practice that best serves your needs, all while being transparent about my decisions.
Being present and authentically you in each moment is the essence of trauma sensitive yoga. TCTSY classes create a safe space for you to reclaim your body by moving, breathing, and making choices, all within the context of a shared, and authentic experience.
Read more: My Mind Won’t Stop!
- Trauma Sensitive Yoga Can Help You Reclaim Your Body - November 2, 2018
