Comprehensive Trauma-Informed Yoga Training: All 9 Modules

Trauma-Informed Yoga Certification Training Syllabus

Updated: June 25, 2024

“An embedded trauma response can manifest as fight, flee, or freeze- or as some combination of constriction, pain, fear, dread, anxiety, unpleasant (and/or sometimes pleasant) thoughts, reactive behaviors, or other sensations and experiences. This trauma then gets stuck in the body- and stays stuck there until it is addressed.” – Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s Hands

“It is time we think more creatively, more holistically, more honestly, and more intentionally, about how to best support survivors in healing; move outside of our standard practices and typical referrals to finally meet the body, mind and spiritual needs of our diverse survivor population.” – Molly Boeder Harris, Founder, The Breathe Network

The impact trauma has on the body's physiology is immense and it is essential to provide holistic and alternative forms of healing for survivors.

Trauma-informed yoga can help survivors gently tend to embodied trauma imprints with care and bring them to the surface. And with greater awareness, time, and patience, survivors often feel empowered with new tools to name and address their symptoms and survival responses and identify ways to work with them. This can ultimately lead to a space where survivors can expand their capacity for neuroplasticity, feel affirmed and seen, and take powerful steps toward post-traumatic
growth.

This trauma-informed yoga certification training will provide yoga teachers, mental health professionals, educators, administrators, activists, medical professionals, doulas, coaches, healers, or anyone who is interested in teaching from a trauma-informed lens with all of the necessary tools to create a safe environment for survivors of trauma. 15 CE’s are available via Yoga Alliance. Please note this training is taught from a broad lens and can be applicable to working with multiple experiences of trauma.

Course Overview:

Opening: Creating Safety and Introduction to the Training

Lecture 1: The Brain, the Nervous System, and our Capacity to Heal Trauma through Yoga and the Neurophysiology of Trauma-Informed Care: Cultivating Safety through Relational Presence

Lecture 2: Comprehensive Considerations for Teaching and Understanding Trauma-Informed Yoga

Lecture 3: An Overview of Therapeutic Yoga Techniques for Trauma Survivors

Lecture 4: How to Build, Implement, and Launch a Trauma-Informed Yoga Program for Survivors

Lecture 5: Teaching Trauma-Informed Meditation

Lecture 6: Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Clinical Settings: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals and Yoga Instructors

Lecture 7: An 8-week Self-Paced Yoga as Healing Series for Survivors

Lecture 8: The Impact of Trauma on the Chakras

Lecture 9: The Somatics of Burnout + The Dimensions of Rest

What is included:

• 9 lectures listed above
• Access to 8 audio recordings of themed trauma-informed yoga classes + mini lectures to support integrating concepts off the mat
• Comprehensive 200 page+ trauma-informed yoga resource guide with all relevant materials to implement a comprehensive, holistic, integrated, and sustainable program
• An overview of the evidence-based research in support of trauma-informed yoga practices
• An introduction to the neurobiology of trauma and the intersection of yoga
• Introduction to trauma-informed practices and language
• A thorough overview of trauma-informed teaching dynamics and core considerations, including:
  • Empowerment-based Language
  • Supportive Presence and the Embodied Practice of Holding Space
  • Nervous System Care for the Teacher and Healer
  • Consent Frameworks
  • Creating Safety in the Physical Yoga Space
  • Trauma-Sensitive Breathwork and Meditation
  • Supporting Students Who Are Triggered
  • Cultural Considerations and Accessibility
• Tips for Starting a Trauma-Informed Yoga Program for Survivors:
  • How to create buy-in from a university/agency
  • The power of collaborations
  • Working with mental health professionals
  • Identifying your audience
  • Building a curriculum
  • Group structure
  • Marketing
  • Assessment and liability
  • Share your Story
  • The Business of Yoga

This training will leave you fully equipped to start a comprehensive trauma-informed yoga program for survivors of trauma.

For survivors interested in just the 8-week Self-Paced Yoga as Healing Series:

This program specifically focuses on self-acceptance and self-compassion and provides survivors with tangible benefits that may become noticeable throughout their practice. This gradual integration can be transformational and healing for survivors. This program provides the opportunity for survivors to:

• Access to 8 audio recordings of themed trauma-informed yoga classes
• Find peace and healing through trauma-informed yoga practice
• Exercise the choices they have to move their body in ways that feel comfortable
• Learn to establish connection to self, trust others, and strengthen relationships
• Establish safety and stability in the body
• Tap into inner strength and build skills and positive coping mechanisms for managing painful experiences
• Regain power and control through mindful movements and reconnection to the body

The course explores the following themes over an 8-week series:

Class 1: Intention and Orientation

Class 2: Safety

Class 3: Self-Care

Class 4: Boundaries

Class 5: Assertiveness

Class 6: Strength

Class 7: Trust

The course is self-paced so students can identify an 8-week time frame and practice once a week or practice multiple times per week, the choice is completely individual. I opted to do audio/podcast recordings of the yoga classes so students could be guided intuitively by what feels best in their bodies. Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Please note that this training does not replace formal treatment. If you are in crisis, please consider contacting the free and confidential National Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline for immediate support, local resources and options at 1-800-656-4673, visiting their online chatroom for support, or calling 911.

Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga is not liable for injuries or any course outcomes. Students will be asked to complete a waiver before accessing the course materials.

Strongly Suggested Reading and Resources:

• Trauma-Informed Yoga for Survivors of Sexual Assault: Practices for Healing and Teaching with Compassion, Zahabiyah Yamasaki
• Trauma-Informed Yoga Flip Chart: A Teaching Tool for Healing Professionals, Zahabiyah Yamasaki
• Trauma-Informed Yoga Affirmation Card Deck, Zahabiyah Yamasaki

Recommended Reading (Please note these are not required for the course but I have included a list of my go-to resources):

• My Grandmother’s Hands, Resmaa Menakem
• Yoga for Emotional Balance, bo Forbes
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, David Treleaven
• Trauma and the Body, Pat Ogden
• Attachment-Based Yoga and Meditation for Trauma Recovery, Deidra Fay
• Yoga for Trauma Recovery, Lisa Danylchuck
• Survivors on the Yoga Mat, Becky Thompson
• The Power of Breathwork, Jennifer Patterson
• How to Breathe, Ashley Neese
• Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, Stanley Rosenberg
• Body rites, Dr. Shena Young
• Embodied Self-Awakening, Nityda Gessel
• Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley
• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, Peter Levine
• Emotional Yoga, Bija Bennett
• Yoga Skills for Therapists, Amy Weintraub
• The iRest Program for Healing PTSD: A Proven Effective Approach to Using Yoga Nidra Meditation and Deep Relaxation Techniques to Overcome Trauma, Richard C. Miller, PhD
• Mindfulness Skills for Trauma and PTSD: Practices for Recovery and Resilience, Rachel Goldsmith Turow
• Yoga for Grief and Loss: Poses- Meditation- Devotion- Self-Reflection- Selfless Acts Ritual, Karla Helbert
• Mindfulness Therapy Workbook for Clinicians and Clients, C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D. and Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D.
• Mindfulness Oriented Interventions for Trauma: Integrating Contemplative Practices, Follette et. al

Instructor Contact Information:

Website: http://www.zabieyamasaki.com/contact/

E-mail: [email protected]

Instagram: @transcending_trauma_with_yoga

Facebook: Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga