Trauma Informed Yoga
Before I started my journey here at Boston University, yoga was something I wish I could partake in, but never had the drive or self confidence to do it. After starting the masters program and meeting some very important people, everything changed. Working alongside Dr. Danielle Rousseau has not only helped me in general at BU, but she has also been the source of my new appreciation – trauma informed yoga and its benefits. I believe that one of the least popular, yet successful approaches to addressing the impact of trauma is utilizing yoga, especially trauma informed yoga.
Through research, I (and millions of others) have come to the conclusion that trauma can create emotional and physical imprints on an individuals body. Author of The Body Keeps the Score Bessel Van der Kolk believes that “unresolved emotional trauma creates ‘issues in our tissues’, manifesting as physical symptoms such as migraine, nervous ticks, clenched shoulders/neck/jaw, a sunken chest, and a heavy heart” (Marbach & Yamasaki, 2015). As a result of trauma, our brains change, specifically the parts of the brain that register what is happening moment to moment. With damages to these areas of the brain, we are unable to experience normal sensations such as love and happiness. Van der Kolk also states, “additionally, trauma damages the pre-frontal cortex, which assists us in self-regulation. After experiencing trauma, an individual may feel lost as though it cannot rely on itself to become reoriented. But this feeling must come from within” (Marbach & Yamasaki, 2015). Core functions such as sleep, digestion, breathing and chemical relationships within the body will start to become disrupted. repercussions such as these, finding a coping mechanism is crucial.
When trauma occurs, individuals can and almost all of the time will feel isolated. With the use of yoga, participants are able to be physically in sync with others, and moving in unison with fellow classmates and instructors can help the individual re-establish interpersonal rhythms. According to the The Journey to Heal: Understanding Trauma Sensitive Yoga, this type of yoga can strengthen the body and mind connection, enabling someone suffering from something such as PTSD to feel at ease, and not as though their brain and body are un-connected. Students of trauma informed yoga say that this kind of yoga also aided them in going to sleep without the use of medication, that they were able to be intimate again, they were more patient, they practiced self care, self-love and appreciation, they felt prideful and accomplished, they had increased relatability with themselves and the outside world, they had peace with their daily experience and the present moment, and that they had a sense of calm and presence (Marbach & Yamasaki, 2015). Unlike other kinds of therapy such as they gym where you can see physical improvements, the benefits of trauma informed yoga can sometimes not even be put into words because of how truly powerful.
With all of the positive outcomes yoga provides, an organization by the name of Yoga 4 Change emerged, and began its journey of healing. Yoga 4 Change is not just any kind of yoga organization. These individuals make it their life’s work to make sure that incarcerated individuals, drug and alcohol recovering addicts, trauma-stricken children and many more are provided with a form of therapy that connects their body and mind, and brings them a sense of peace. Yoga 4 Change has implemented its programs in more than 80 facilities throughout five different countries since 2014. Within Yoga 4 Change, “participants are able to work through, and release their negative emotions, as they learn to calm mind and body, find inner strength, and master their breathing. Each class includes a therapeutic writing component based on relevant themes, giving participants the ability to document, confront, and openly discuss their feelings. We are a results-driven organization motivated by the change we see in our students” (Yoga 4 Change, 2017). As time progresses and more research emerges about the benefits of yoga and trauma informed yoga, it is my hope that more organizations are formed and funded that are exactly like Yoga 4 Change.
Although trauma informed yoga may not be the most popular form of therapy, I believe that it may be one of the most successful at this day in age. I believe that it is so incredibly important to inform individuals of this kind of therapy in order to not be solely dependent on pharmacological ways of healing, and to let individuals know that they have other avenues to deal with their PTSD.
“Home.” Yoga 4 Change, 2017, www.y4c.org/.
Marbach & Yamasaki, (2015, October 16). The Journey to Heal: Understanding Trauma-Sensitive Yoga. Retrieved from http://www.thebreathenetwork.org/the-journey-to-heal-understanding-trauma-sensitive
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score. New York: Viking.