trauma informed care & yoga 

For the past 3 months, I have been enrolled in a trauma course offered by Lakeside Global Institute and United Way, “Enhancing Trauma Awareness.” This course invites professionals to “become more aware of an increase in their abilities to intentionally nurture and empower themselves and those with whom they interact” by exploring a variety of information, concepts, approaches, principles and skills as it relates to people impacted by trauma. It’s worth noting for the reader that this is not a yoga-focused training.  

Throughout our time together, we were asked to reflect on our readings and sessions together through participation and the option to write. From the encouragement of my course facilitator, Susannah Spanton (who happens to be a Reiki Master & Healer), I am sharing the reflection piece I wrote attempting to articulate the bridge between yoga and trauma-informed care. I would be remiss to not credit one of my yoga teachers, Hala Khouri, for first introducing me to the idea that “trauma-informed yoga is people-informed yoga.”  For those immersed in the intersection of yoga and trauma, my reflections will most likely not be a new concept for you, though perhaps I articulate it differently. For those new to this conversation, I hope it provides food for thought, whether you are a yoga teacher, student, or simply a person exploring what it means to be human. 

Generally speaking, trauma can be broadly defined as anything that leaves us feeling hopeless, helpless or with the inability to cope. The Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice provides the following definition:  

“The word trauma is used to describe experiences or situations that are emotionally painful and distressing, and that overwhelm people’s ability to cope, leaving them powerless. Trauma has sometimes been defined in reference to circumstances that are outside the realm of a normal human experience. Unfortunately, this definition doesn’t always hold true. For some groups of people, trauma can occur frequently and become part of the common human experience. 

In addition to terrifying events such as violence and assault, we suggest that relatively subtler and insidious forms of trauma – such as discrimination, racism, oppression and poverty – are pervasive and, when experienced chronically, have a cumulative impact that can be fundamentally life-altering. “

Particular forms of trauma, such as intentional violence and/or witnessing violence, sustained discrimination, poverty, and ensuing chaotic life conditions are directly related to chronic fear and anxiety, with serious long-term effects on health and other life outcomes. 

Comments and feedback are welcome on this post. Or you can reach me directly at maura@ouryogahome.com 

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Trauma Informed Care & Yoga: A Reflection by Maura Manzo

If there is a growing spectrum of trauma diagnosis as a result of a wide range of experiences that create an impact of trauma, then we can assume there are also a wide array of treatments and therapies to treat trauma. What I seem to be most interested in currently is the spectrum of diagnosis, particularly as it relates to yoga and mindfulness-based practices (though anything can be considered ‘mindful’ if we are devoting all of our attention towards it).  

If the spectrum of diagnosis ranges from toxic stress to acute, complex traumatic situations, couldn’t we at some point, diagnosis everyone somewhere on this spectrum? Haven’t we all experienced something through the course of our life that overwhelmed our capacity to cope and left us feeling hopeless and helpless? Don’t we all have something we are ‘still holding onto’, that we have never been ‘able to get over’?   When I consider this through the lens of yoga, specifically as a yoga teacher and studio owner who interacts with hundreds of students each week, I believe this to be true.  

All of us are on a path towards healing – sometimes we are very conscious of it; sometimes it takes a little more time to become aware of it. The majority of yoga students I know come to the practice of yoga because some piece of them doesn’t feel well – either physically, mentally or emotionally.  We call this an injury, a wound, the shadow, a scar, and even trauma.  In regards to overall health, a holistic view is now widely accepted – the premise that all aspects of ourselves, our inner and outer experience, the mind and body, must be integrated and in balance to achieve optimal well-being. 

Knowing this and beginning to look at the world through trauma-informed lenses, can’t we start to place everyone on this spectrum of diagnosis and treat accordingly? Shouldn’t we look at everyone and ask, “what happened to you?” instead of “what’s wrong with you?” The child with ADHD, the girlfriend battling addiction, the person of color living in a racist culture, the dad grieving the sudden loss of his son (or anyone experiencing any of these things vicariously) – yes, the intervention (including length of time) may differ based on circumstance, but wouldn’t the best practices of trauma-informed care positively affect any and everyone’s ability to feel more grounded and safer?  

The practice of yoga postures is intended to prepare the body to sit for longer periods of time, and more comfortably, in meditation. This means the physical body must be free from pain (which can be achieved through multiple different avenues including the assists of chairs or props) and, perhaps even more importantly, the nervous system must be regulated. To me, this means one of the primary focuses of yoga is to utilize different techniques to be able to move from a dysregulated nervous system to regulated one. And to do so, we must learn how to navigate the uncomfortable, often times painful, experiences of being alive – be that mentally, physically, or emotionally – and find resources and practices that help us better cope.  

Is this not the same, to some degree, as trauma informed care? So then, and I realize I’m not the first to say this, isn’t trauma-informed care really just people-informed care? And in my case, trauma-informed yoga simply becomes people-informed yoga. And while this may be an oversimplification and generalization, perhaps it’s one worth considering.