Trauma-informed yoga keeps the nervous system in mind, excluding poses and breathing techniques that might provoke a sense of vulnerability or overstimulation. Trained teachers adhere to non-touch assistance methods and often opt for well-lit studios to avoid a possible triggering atmosphere. A trauma-informed yoga teacher knows the inner workings of the nervous system,” explains Mandy Eubanks, a trauma-trained yoga educator and certified yoga instructor in Tulsa. “We have respect for the variety of responses that our clients have to yoga, meditation and breathwork practices. For example, we understand deep breathing will be calming to one person and agitating to another. We normalize clients’ responses and work with them to find an effective technique for that individual.” Teachers with specialized training and access to props can also support people on a yoga journey that are limited physically. Eubanks emphasizes, “Yoga truly is for everyone and every body.”
The Power of Choice and Individuality
Lisa Danylchuk, the Oakland-based author of Yoga for Trauma Recovery: Theory, Philosophy, and Practice, underscores that in a trauma-informed environment, everything a teacher instructs is an offering or invitation. “This is important because people who have endured trauma have often not had a say over what happens to their bodies. A good trauma-informed class cultivates somatic and psychological resources, and focuses, above all, on cultivating a sense of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual safety.” The founder of The Center for Yoga and Trauma Recovery believes it’s important to be responsive to individual needs. “Trauma affects so many different individuals and groups of people and in such a variety of ways that it is impossible to give one prescription. Some people might benefit from a weekly, 60- to 90-minute vinyasa-style class. Others might benefit from a short, five-minute daily restorative practice.” Shaw also stresses a tailored approach. “How one wishes to practice is up to the individual, but I suggest a combination of both one-on-one instruction and class format. If someone is in the throes of trauma, they will need a private session to start.” Eubanks adds the importance of consistency. “In my experience, it is about finding which yoga practices work best for the client and then encouraging them to find time to practice every day. Yoga for PTSD is not a one-and-done deal. It takes time, effort and belief in oneself.” Marlaina Donato is a body-mind-spirit author and recording artist. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.
Trauma Informed Yoga (TIY) Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY), and Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) What’s the Difference? by Dallas Adam
TIY and TSY are often used interchangeably in the literature about psychological wellness or treatment. They are methods of facilitating yoga that assume everyone in the room has experienced trauma of some type in their life. This can be single event trauma such as train wrecks or include those who are suffering from complex or interpersonal trauma. The focus for TIY and TSY classes is on yoga and how it is delivered. This means it could be Vinyasa or any of variety of types, but delivered in a way that is sensitive to or informed by the probability persons in the room have experienced trauma. This approach adjusts some or all of the five dimensions of a yoga class to respond to the probable presence of persons with trauma in the class. These dimensions are forms, language, environment, teacher characteristics, assists, and pacing exercises and breathing. While TCTSY includes all of above dimensions, it includes concepts of choice, predictability, and safety among others that are specifically aimed at treating persons with interpersonal complex trauma. I have taught TCTSY at the Menninger Clinic in Houston since 2015. I received my training through the 300-hour course at Center for Embodiment and Trauma. Dave Emerson, YACEP and Jenn Turner LMHC developed TCTSY. Emerson described TCTSY in a 2014 issue of Social Work Today as “…a serious research based clinical intervention and adjunctive aspect of broader psychodynamic therapy. The focus of TCTSY is on helping survivors calm their minds, regulate their responses to physical sensations, and thus increase the sense of physical safety in their bodies. Facilitators invite class members in each form to express that form if they wish, to notice sensation in their body, to tolerate it as they are able, and to make choices as to what they wish to do with their body in response to those sensations. The practice uses yoga forms and philosophy such as not doing harm (ahimsa) and living in harmony with self and others (aparigraha). Examples of results include, a participant noted after 7 or 8 sessions they noticed pleasant and unpleasant physical sensations more intensely. A participant noticed each sensation was not indication that something was wrong physically with them but rather information, which they could use as they wished. Dallas Adams, LCSW-S, TCTSY-F. is a senior social worker at The Menninger Clinic in Houston. Since February 2015, he has taught Trauma-Sensitive Yoga at Menninger.
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AUGUST 2021
HOUSTON METRO EDITION
