Connected Movement: How Trauma Sensitive Yoga Changes Lives
Last week, Tom and I started at a new yoga studio.
We’ve been looking for one since we moved to this location seven years ago. In our old town, we could walk to our yoga studio. What a delight! Then we moved to the middle of nowhere- which we love, as a place to raise chickens and wander in the woods and kayak on the river across the street. But we don’t have a local yoga studio, and we hadn’t found any yet that are worth the 30+ minute drive to.
Hopefully, that changed this week.
Our new yoga studio is trauma sensitive. Perhaps not officially- they don’t advertise themselves as such, anyways- but in practice, they absolutely are.
Every instructor we’ve had so far uses options-based language. They invite, they give choices, and they give you all the cozy blankets, bolsters, and other props so you can make your body safe and comfy and even hide under big blankets if you want to. They don’t touch you unless you give permission. In fact, they use a system that I learned in Trauma Sensitive Yoga training but have never seen anywhere in the years since- they pass out cards, and you can place them either face up or face down to indicate if you are comfortable being touched. As a trauma survivor, that makes such a big difference. I’ve been resting in child’s pose in deep relaxation only to have the teacher sneak up behind me and grab me by the hips too many times to not know what a big deal it is.
There’s a lot more to it, but suffice it to say I’ve really been enjoying the classes, and hope that we’ve finally found our new yoga studio home.
I believe in the power of trauma sensitive yoga so strongly that it’s the one group I still run and will always run. It truly changes lives- mine included. In the groups, we use trauma sensitive yoga to check in with our bodies and our parts. It’s a beautiful way to stay connected to both ourselves and each other. In this age of AI and disconnection, connected movement– movement that connects you to yourself, your parts, your nervous system, and other humans– is truly irreplacable.
Soon we’ll be forming a new Trauma Sensitive Yoga group. We run weekly on zoom in six week cycles during the fall, winter, and spring. If you’d like to join one of our groups, reach out today! Or if you’re a therapist looking to get trained in Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Charity has one of those coming up too. Fill out this interest form to help choose the training location…and make sure you’re signed up for Charity’s quarterly newsletter so you can get all the updates!
