Healing Trauma Through Yoga
In order to understand how yoga helps people with trauma - we need to examine how trauma affects the brain and body. When someone goes through a traumatic event, the imprint of the trauma gets stuck in the body. Individuals might think that although its an event that happened in the past - the effects of trauma is very much present inside their body. For example, some might experience anxiety, shallow breathing, nausea, tension, disconnection, and an overall sense of not feeling safe in the body.
Yoga can be a gentle and safe way of opening up your awareness to your bodily sensations. It helps allow the heart rate and breathing to slow down and to deepen the practice of mindfulness and being in the present moment. For those who have experienced trauma, this can be a way to help practice connecting and staying present within the body and to feel that they are in the here-and-now rather than feeling physiologically and emotionally stuck in the past. Our body remembers the trauma and it’s important to nurture and care for our nervous system (our mind, body, spirit).
Studies have shown that yoga can be helpful in reducing symptoms of trauma. With the breath and movement of the body it can help improve concentration, focus, attention, and self-awareness. It can increase mindfulness and grounding abilities to help you connect more to your mind and body. If you are open to begin your yoga journey, it might be helpful starting off with a trauma-informed yoga class or instructor. With this particular practice, it will be tailored specifically for those who have experienced trauma in their lives.
Don’t feel pressured to learn all the difficult poses right away - be patient with yourself with a non-judgmental presence- and take a beginner’s course or just learn the basic poses to help allow you be be more attuned to the body. Start off slowly and at your own pace of what works and feels comfortable for you! Listen to your body. Overall, it will help with your emotional and mental well-being.
In conclusion, yoga can be a beneficial addition to other treatments to help heal trauma, such as EMDR, Brainspotting, Neurofeedback, somatic techniques, theater, dance, and martial arts.
