Why It’s Time to Rethink “Trauma Informed” Yoga
by Sangeeta Vallabhan
Trauma describes any number of adverse or bad experiences that fall into the realm of the human experience. There’s so much of it, especially these days, and people are seeking healing. It can be debilitating and painful; it can slow you down or stop you dead in your tracks. “Trauma informed” yoga is one of those practices that people have been seeking out. It’s yoga that specifically caters to people who have experienced some kind of trauma; its presentation involves more care and consideration. It allows folks to have an experience that differs from the usual gym or studio class.
I train yoga teachers and clinicians in what I call Yoga for Trauma, which involves a lot of choice, simpler asana (physical postures), and always taking into consideration what trauma is in the room. It’s also about teaching with more empathy because people may be feeling wounded, or vulnerable, and need to experience a sense of safety and control in a yoga space.
The typical studio or gym yoga class isn’t conducive for creating conditions of safety and control for trauma survivors. The current style of teaching yoga classes that is prevalent in the West is primarily asana, and sometimes only asana. When you say the word yoga, people think of the acrobatic poses they see in magazines and on social media; they think of those classes where they “get a workout in.” Because asana is only one aspect of yoga, the emphasis on the physical expression of yoga has warped the collective understanding of what yoga actually is.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, considered the main philosophical text for yoga, examines the kleshas. Klesha is a Sanskrit word that translates as affliction, which could loosely compare to the Western psychological equivalent of trauma response. Patanjali addresses how to aim to work with any of the kleshas within the practice of yoga. There is no need to add the Western psychological perspective—not to discount it, but how to deal with trauma is already there in Yoga.
Yoga in its original South Asian context is already trauma informed. To add the qualifier of “trauma informed” to Yoga is essentially inaccurate and repeats the harm and hierarchy of colonialism, when the aim of “trauma informed” yoga is to reduce harm and hierarchy.
Why was “trauma informed” added in the first place? Again, we can look at the classes that are in yoga studios and gyms, and very plainly see how these classes might not be suitable for trauma survivors. These classes are often fast-paced, athletic, crowded, and taught in a “command” style in which the teacher guides the entire practice—and usually doesn’t offer room for variation. Oftentimes, there may be a popular teacher who has charisma and a “cool” personality, and they are the attractive feature of the class.
“Trauma informed” or “trauma sensitive” yoga came about to be distinctively different from these classes. However, being trauma informed is something that is necessary in our culture. It’s necessary for folks everywhere to learn to be more considerate of each other, to have an empathetic point of view when we are encountering someone with a different lived experience. As a culture, we need to learn to see people’s humanity instead of labeling them. Labels create separation and hierarchy. How to treat people, how to speak to them—this all matters.
It’s important to draw a distinction between a yoga teacher, studio, or organization needing to be trauma informed, and that Yoga itself doesn’t need or warrant that label.
In Yoga for Trauma, we are taught to teach asana that is simple, and the presentation is usually slower as well. (It’s not always slower; it really depends on the group or person who shows up.) This allows students to have a more embodied experience. Offering choice is also important: When the teacher reminds people that they have a choice in what they are doing, over and over again, it allows them to slowly regain some agency.
Having agency is a quality the trauma survivor seeks in their life.
Connecting to the ability to choose their own behavior, rather than succumbing to their normal day-to-day actions and habits, can be incredibly powerful for the trauma survivor. Therein lies the possibility that they charter a new path forward, and slowly shed the identity of their trauma. They likely won’t completely forget the trauma, but eventually, it may not feel like a compelling part of their identity.
That may be a powerful moment for a trauma survivor—to not feel the weight of their trauma, or even noticing that their emotional load feels lighter. When one feels less burdened by trauma and identifies less with what all happened to them, life’s possibilities can reopen for that person. They may even forge a way forward that they previously never imagined.
This also describes the goal that the yoga practitioner seeks on the yogic path. To be an independent sovereign being, who lives their life in an inspired manner and is doing their best at not harming—and disrupting harm in their own life and in the lives of others. They want to feel more at peace and more in control of their mind and their behavior. These are shared goals between the average yoga practitioner and a trauma survivor.
From a marketing perspective, “trauma informed” yoga or “trauma sensitive” yoga makes an offering clear, but the wording itself perpetuates colonial thought and practice. Colonialism is trauma, and it’s time for the yoga community to reexamine what it is they are offering and how it is marketed. Taking away the Sanskrit and cultural context of yoga does not make it trauma informed. It repeats the trauma of colonization and sets us back in time; more importantly, it miseducates.
Can we move away from calling it “trauma informed” or “trauma sensitive” yoga? I call it Yoga for Trauma, but there can be other creative, positive, affirming names that do not create further harm for Yoga itself. How can it be “trauma informed” yoga, when Yoga itself isn’t taken into consideration?
Want to explore more? The Trauma & Yoga Series: Exploring Power, Privilege & Healing starts on Tuesday, July 29.
The virtual workshop series offers 10 workshops from skilled and inspiring presenters who will examine the role of yoga in addressing trauma across diverse communities. Save your spot here!
About Sangeeta
Sangeeta Vallabhan (she/her) is an international teacher trainer with over 1,200 hours of study. In 2019, she created her training, Solemarch: Yoga for Trauma Teacher Training. In 2020, she founded a non-profit, The Practice Coalition, an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence with Yoga for Trauma. Sangeeta aims to help people feel heard, seen, comfortable and empowered within themselves.
Connect with Sangeeta at sangeetavallabhan.com and on Instagram @sangeetavallabhan.
Photo by Grant Henry (Media).
