Group class every Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. live on Zoom
Traumasensitive yoga is a scientifically based form of bodywork developed by Bessel van der Kolk and his team at the Trauma Center in Boston. It was originally developed for people who, due to depression, burnout, trauma-related conditions, or similar issues, are unable or barely able to…
- to regulate oneself
- to perceive bodily sensations with curiosity and a benevolent attitude
- to have a (healthy) relationship with their body
- to anchor oneself in the here and now
- to perceive and respect their needs and boundaries.
Over the course of the course, you will learn through selected, simple postures and movements
- to feel your body again and find a home within it,
- to increase your self-regulation,
- to strengthen your ability to connect and build relationships.
In traumasensitive yoga, the primary goal is to bring a sense of calm to the present moment and minimize external stimuli. We shift our focus inward in a safe and peaceful way. You are free to decide how you wish to perform an exercise; you can adapt it to your needs, stop at any time, or skip it altogether.
We use selected poses and gentle sequences to tune into our bodies, exploring and experiencing each posture in our own unique way. Since we are all different and have different bodies, we experience yoga in very different ways, too. We take time between exercises to sense the effects, allowing you to calmly perceive the impact of a pose and find your bearings.
Perhaps, when starting out, you can stick to the physical level of practice—focusing, for instance, on sensing your muscles or noticing how your arm grows heavier when you hold it up for a long time. In this way, you first learn to approach your physical sensations with openness and neutrality.
Over time, you might discover that certain yoga poses have a specific effect on your emotions. Perhaps you feel more self-confident after the “Warrior” pose, your heart feels more open after the “Camel,” or “Child’s Pose” has a calming effect on you. Then again, these poses might affect you differently. Trauma-sensitive yoga offers you the opportunity to explore this in a “safe space,” allowing you to learn to respect and understand your body’s signals.
We also practice meditations, breathing techniques, and grounding exercises drawn from trauma work—practices you can easily incorporate into your daily life whenever you feel overwhelmed or caught in a whirlwind of emotions. At the beginning and end of the session, we set aside time for questions and sharing.
