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Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Trauma Sensitive Yoga employs yoga as a tool for healing and empowerment of people who have
experienced trauma. Such yoga is taught by specially trained individuals - who are generally yoga teachers
and/or yoga therapists. Trauma Sensitive Yoga is used differently on different survivors of trauma keeping
the clinical context in mind. Trauma Sensitive Yoga is adjunctive treatment to clinical treatment.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga - Precautions to Keep in Mind When Teaching

Yoga practice in it’s simplest form provides an opportunity to be physically in sync with the breath,
bringing the mind, body and the breath in unison. Trauma sensitive yoga can bring the same unison
adapting to the needs of the individual using modi ed yoga or adaptive yoga, while working on asanas,
pranayama and meditation. Given below are some of the important precautions that need to be kept in
mind while using asanas, pranayama and meditation practices while dealing with trauma survivors:

1. The trauma sensitive yoga rstly should not enforce a particular form of breathing or should not
enforce the practitioner to change the breathing. The ow of breath should be natural no matter what
the nature is and this natural breathing should encourage one to be aware. Hence the rst step is to be
aware of the breath no matter how it is.

2. The yoga poses under trauma sensitive yoga should not create memories of the traumatic experience
the practitioner had, on the other hand it should be aimed at relaxing them and disconnecting them
from the surroundings.
3. The trauma sensitive yoga should not create more pain in the physical body leading to the memories
related to the traumatic experience. The asanas should be adaptive and also sensitive to the
practitioner’s thoughts, feelings and physical strength.

4. The trauma sensitive yoga should teach the practitioner how to release tensions, reduce fear,
understand the feeling and emotions happening deep within.
5. The trained yoga teacher or yoga therapist in this eld should watch the post trauma stress disorders
in the practitioner as trauma takes a heavy toll on the body and the brain.
6. The trauma sensitive yoga should not enforce physical assistance, creating discomfort in the
practitioners. The trainers should give verbal instructions giving comfort and making the session more
adaptive where required.

7. The trauma sensitive yoga should be consistent and with slow improvement it should involve the
addition of pranayama and meditation where required.
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8. A lot manifests in the trauma survivor's body - the terror rage, helplessness and depression. Hence the
trauma sensitive yoga should give the practitioner the body based therapy to feel safe again.

9. The trauma sensitive yoga should encourage one to come out of discomfort anytime during the
practice and the teacher should respect that withdrawal.
10. The asanas / yoga poses under trauma sensitive yoga is all about sense of balance, stability and
safety.

11. No choice of asanas, pranayama or meditation techniques should challenge them or cause any
discomfort giving room for overwhelming emotions. The ow of the trauma sensitive yoga sequence
(see some general yoga sequences for guidance) should be easy and close to their emotions and
feelings.

12. The practice of Yoga Nidra under trauma sensitive yoga should be done carefully, as not all would be
comfortable lying down on their backs while closing their eyes too.
13. The trauma sensitive yoga should give room for feedback from the practitioner, watching for the
changes that happen internally and externally and with further analysis the method of practice should
be modi ed and adjusted.

14. Trauma sensitive yoga can be an adjunct mental health treatment based on the clinical reports of the
survivors or can be a primary intervention in healing the survivor.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga Summary

Thus gentle yoga poses, pranayama and some meditation techniques have an energizing and calming
effect on the nervous system, calming the brain and the emotions. Helping the survivors to exhale slow
and long reduces agitation deep within. While the art of inhaling deep helps the survivors to connect to the
deeper emotions related to depression or dissociation. Thus Yoga mitigates the ght-or- ight response
through a combination of active asanas, pranayama and helps deep relaxation. The practice will help our
autonomic nervous system to be on the lookout for danger and keep us safe.

Defining Trauma
Trauma is de ned as a serious bodily injury or shock as from violence or an accident. An emotional wound
or shock that creates substantial lasting damage to one’s psychological development often leading to
neurosis.

Trauma is de ned as the emotional response someone has to an extremely negative event. While trauma
is a normal reaction to a horrible event, the effects can be so severe that they interfere with an individual’s
ability to live a normal life. In such a case, help may be needed to treat the stress and dysfunctioning
caused by the traumatic event and to restore the individual to a state of emotional well-being.
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What causes Trauma

Many sources of trauma are physically violent in nature, while others are psychological. Psychological
trauma can eventually affect the physical body, and the physical impact of stress if unattended
immediately can affect psychologically. Thus they are inter-related. Some common sources of trauma
include:

Rape

Domestic Violence or Battering Relationships

Natural disasters

Severe illness or injury

The death of a loved one

Witnessing an act of violence

Child abuse

Crimes

Surgeries

Concentration camps
Enduring Deprivation

While stating the above possible situations that lead to trauma or traumatic experience, it intentionally
does not allow us to determine whether a particular event is traumatic, hence it is up to each survivor.
Each individual or survivor, reacts to the experience differently and the intensity of the impact is also
different. Hence this above de nition is only a guideline to give an overall picture as to the causes of
trauma or traumatic experience.

Symptoms and Signs of a person suffering from Trauma (Post Traumatic

Experience)
Those who have endured traumatic events will often have different signs based on the intensity of the
traumatic experience. But given below are some of the basic signs of trauma that are visible.

Emotional Symptoms of Trauma

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Anxiety
Shaken and disoriented

Mood swings
Poor concentration
Emotional outbursts, Anger, Sadness

Emotionally detached
Loss of Self-Esteem

Self Destructive Behaviour

Physical Symptoms of Trauma (Post Traumatic Experience)

Fatigue and Tired

Lethargy
Racing heartbeat
Migraines

Stiff Muscles
Heart diseases

Panic Attacks
Fibromyalgia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome

ADHD in children
Sleep disorders
Eating Disorders causing excess digestion or indigestion

While the psychological and the physiological symptoms are related and go hand in hand, it is believed
that ignoring the psychological symptoms can affect the physical body bringing more damage to the
entire nervous system and the endocrine system, which further affects the hormone level in the body. It is
also believed that the physical body becomes the enemy and the core functions of the body begin to fail.

Related Articles
Next, read about TRE (Trauma and Tension Release Exercises) and reference yoga sequences.

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