Trauma sensitive Yoga

Trauma Sensitive Yoga offers a safe and invitational space for individuals who have experienced trauma to help you become more aware of your body, release stress and tension that encourages empowerment through choice and agency.

It invites you to practice yoga in a supportive environment that understands the potential difficulties that may arise and offers a space for you to reconnect safely.

How it differs from Trauma Informed Yoga

For ease, we'll abbriveate 'Trauma Informed Yoga' to 'TIY' and Trauma Sensitive Yoga to 'TSY'

Approach

TSY offers an invitational space that is aware of the environment and use of props. A TSY class is focused on grounding and settling the nervous system that modifies the practice of yoga to be inclusive for trauma survivors, providing you with agency and choice to help towards feeling less vulnerable. TIY co-creates practices within a Trauma Informed Framework, to integrate stability and process the somatic responses that may have been interrupted to keep us safe.

Safety and Empowerment

TIY emphasizes not only physical safety but also emotional and psychological safety. Teachers are trained to recognize signs of trauma and to create a space that promotes healing and trust-building, offering students the power to choose how they participate. TSY focuses more directly on ensuring the physical safety of participants, offering more options for variations of poses and encouraging students to honor their own physical limits, often with less emphasis on the emotional or psychological components.

Language and Instruction

TSY and TIY both use invitational language, TSY uses clear language to help you make informed choices and encourage agency with your practice. Tone of voice is considered to create safety and teachers understand how language and vocal cues can impact trauma survivors. TIY builds further on this using inclusive, non-judgmental, and invitational language to empower participants. Focusing on encouraging autonomy and agency, allowing students to have control over their bodies and experience.

Training and Awareness

TIY teachers are trained to understand trauma and its effects on the body and mind, incorporating strategies to foster trust, connection, and healing in a holistic manner. Training involves broader skills for creating a trauma-sensitive space, including emotional and relational skills. TSY teacher training focuses specifically on modifying physical yoga postures and sequences to be more accessible and appropriate for people who have experienced trauma. This training often emphasizes the physical aspects of the practice.

What might a session include ?

Grounding

Mostly, trauma sensitive classes focus on grounding and adapt yoga to ensure there is a safe space to allow your nervous system to find stability.

There are lots of ways we can adapt yoga to focus on grounding, through our senses or connection to rythmn and even connection to our breath

Slowing down

Trauma sensitive classes take a little more of a slower approach compared to yoga classes we may have experienced in studios or gyms. They recognise that slowing down can be difficult for those who have experienced trauma and emphasize on bringing in a focused awareness to help connect and anchor you to the present.

Choice

These classes offer a range of choices so you can practice in a way that honours where you are on each day. Some options may include extra props to help promote a sense of safety or give you options to find extra support, helping you to take an informed choice towards movement and fostering agency.

options

As well as options with your class for postural support, comfort and safety; trauma sensitive yoga also understands that options to close your practice when you need to may be needed. Understanding that triggers may arise or that capacity may be reached during the class. Trauma Sensitive Teachers understand and encourage students to close their practice and can offer markers to help those decisions come a little easier.

Trauma sensitive classes

tuesday

8pm

Trauma Sensitive Yoga (Online)(Ran Fortnightly)

I offer a fortnightly Trauma Sensitive Yoga class online on Tuesdays at 8pm.

Following a short online intake, you'll be given access to the booking page at Growth and Gratitude Wellbeing Studio where you can book each class individually.

I offer these classes on a sliding scale to help you find a more accessible way towards nervous system stability.

You can try a short practice with me on the video below.

"Katie is a very compassionate and intuitive teacher. It was an absolute pleasure to take her classes."

- Trauma Informed Yoga Student

I feel very grateful for this experience. Some sessions are heavier than others, but Katie is so kind and welcoming, making sure everyone feels safe and offering markers throughout the session to check in. These evenings have felt like a treat, a chance to properly take time for myself, thank you.

- Trauma Informed Yoga Student

Booking a class

If you would like to join our Online Trauma Sensitive Yoga Class, I invite you to complete an online form for access. If you prefer to speak with me beforehand to ask any questions or to see if these classes are suitable for you, I invite you to book a discovery call.

Complete Form

Book a Call