Trauma comes in many forms.  Often, experiences of trauma can leave us feeling disconnected from our bodies or our sense of self.  We may have difficulty making decisions, or accessing a felt sense of safety.  Our therapeutic style of Hatha yoga is designed to help us reconnect to our bodies in a safe, gradual way.

WHY IS A TRAUMA INFORMED APPROACH IMPORTANT?

When we work in a trauma-informed way with our participants, we create a positive relationship, based on acceptance and understanding, which promotes overall wellbeing in a way that can help our clients heal. At the heart of our program development is a deep understanding of the profound impact of trauma and violence on the entire mind-body system, encompassing neurological, biological, psychological, and social aspects.

Our programs are a fusion of neuroscience, neurobiology, and somatic therapeutics, addressing the challenges that arise after traumatic events or exposure. We prioritize safety, consistency, and individual choice, offering supportive, skill-based programs tailored to unique individual needs.

Trauma-Informed Yoga is an approach to teaching yoga with a guiding framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. We are not specifically treating trauma in a yoga class, but rather being aware of, and accounting for, the greater need for safety and trust within the space when we are working with others. Trauma-informed yoga provides a somatic approach to establishing and enhancing the capacity for self regulation through interoception (sensing internal signals front the body) and skills for shifting and balancing physiological arousal. Trauma-informed yoga utilizes invitational language, emphasizes choice, and encourages an embodied experience through gentle movement, breathing techniques, somatic exercises, meditation and mindfulness. The practices are individually adaptive and exploratory with a focus on cultivating awareness of present moment experience, taking effective action, making empowered choices and creating stabilizing rhythms. Trauma informed yoga supports people who have experienced trauma in cultivating a connection and relationship with their bodies through empowering practices that prioritize the needs of the person healing from trauma.

All instructors at DustOff Yoga have completed specialized education and training in trauma informed yoga practices and attend quarterly continuing education offered by the studio or through approved trauma focused programs.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga requires additional, extensive and specialized study of trauma. Jennifer holds a post graduate certification from the Center for Trauma and Embodiment of the Justice Resource Institute founded by Bessel van der Kolk, MD and is a facilitator of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), the first research-supported yoga intervention for complex trauma recognized by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) and is included in the National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Jennifer also incorporates the evidence based practices of IRest Yoga Nidra, Somatic Therapy, Tension, Stress and Trauma Release (TRE) therapeutics creating comprehensive programs for trauma recovery.