Healing Trauma With Yoga

By Jen Stuart

The etymology of ‘trauma’ is a ‘wound’ – ‘wounded’.

My name is Jen Stuart and I am here to share with you some insights of Healing Trauma with Yoga.

To begin let us understand that trauma is not exclusive, anyone can be affected by trauma. One traumatic situation can have different responses in different people.

Without needing to trigger people by listing a selection of ways one can be traumatised, I feel it more aligned to gently share that there are a range of trauma types, including; PTSD, complex trauma, C-PTSD, vicarious trauma, single incident trauma, developmental trauma.

“The single most important issue for traumatised people is to find a sense of safety in their own bodies”.

Bessel Van Der Kolk

The body has a wisdom and this is a key focus in body based trauma recovery. Developing research( 1) and studies are showing the importance of using the physical body to release blocked emotions.

In layman’s terms, when one goes through a situation or circumstance(s), there is a process that needs to take place to ensure the person does not develop an ongoing trauma response. i.e. just because the event(s) may have finished, this does not mean that the processing of the event(s) has been completed. We are all unique, and therefore our responses can all look and feel slightly different.

Trauma is not at surface level, it is deeply rooted, this is why repetition is so integral. Healing Trauma with Yoga is an integrative journey of Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Mindfulness, Breathwork and Somatic Experiencing to transform emotional trauma into emotional resilience.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga (2) is an evidence based practice designed for Complex Trauma and PTSD. It is also immensely beneficial for stress, anxiety, overwhelm, depression and fatigue.

Different parts of our physical body hold different emotions and experiences. We can use our physical body in a gentle and nurturing way to overcome emotional turbulences, we just need to start a dialogue with our body and ‘notice’ what is happening from within.

I say ‘notice’ a lot, and this is to bring awareness into the physical body, to simply notice sensation, reaction, to notice what it feels like in the present moment. Not what we ‘think’ we should be feeling, but what can we feel present moment. We explore ‘bottom up’ processing opposed to ‘top down’. Instead of the mind telling the body the way it feels based on past experiences or stories we’ve learnt (top down), we get to learn the language of the body and begin to complete the incomplete trauma story (bottom up processing).

Through introspection we can develop curiosity which in turn can guide the next movement.

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experiences”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Trauma is an extreme lack of choice, and in Healing Trauma With Yoga we bring choice back in. Everything is an invitational, everything is the participant’s choice. Continuously moving away from discomfort into comfort, even though that discomfort might be familiar. We tune into sensations, make a choice, then notice if that action was effective.

Our response and reactions is what shapes our reality. To physiologically ‘let go’, we must first gently touch back in. By cultivating safety in our physical body and relationships around us, empowering individuals in daily living. There are no expectations, no judgement just gentle exploration in Healing Trauma with Yoga. An opportunity to set intention and allow permission to get to know yourself, perhaps for the first time. The way out of trauma is to gently come in to the body. To be embodied.

I work with a range of people who may have suppressed trauma(s) for several years of their life and they did not want to or know how to cope. This way of responding to trauma(s) comes out in other areas of their life; allergies, intolerances, corrupt sleeping pattern, stress, disconnection, chronic pain, fatigue, anxious, helpless, depressed, damaging habits, isolation, loneliness.

The body remembers what our minds may not. Healing Trauma With Yoga is an opportunity to truly learn your body’s language so you can regain confidence, be empowered and live the vibrancy of life you deserve.

Have you or someone you know been carrying around wounds for too long?

Turn emotional trauma into emotional resilience.

Be curious. You are safe.

JEN-STUART.COM

HEALINGTRAUMAWITHYOGA.COM

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1.   http://www.traumacenter.org/

2.   https://www.traumasensitiveyoga.com/