Trauma-Informed Embodiment with Amanda Hanna
This week on the podcast, we’re talking trauma-informed embodiment! This is a thought-provoking conversation with my guest Amanda Hanna, whose work navigates the intersections between yoga and movement, mental health, and social justice. We talk about human-centered perspectives on what it means to be embodied, as well as the complexities of “returning home” to the body after traumatic experiences. Plus, we focus on how yoga practices (including Yin Yoga) can be part of the toolkit we use to explore and more fully inhabit ourselves.
Episode Details:
Amanda Hanna and I discuss definitions of embodiment, and why it can be valuable for our well-being. We also talk about the downsides of over-idealizing the concept of embodiment, and how bringing one’s full attention into the body can actually be a very confronting experience at times, particularly for trauma survivors.
The conversation covers several of the reasons why many of us experience ourselves as “disembodied” (due to cultural norms, familial traits, overwhelming experiences, etc.). Amanda offers a refreshing reminder that, by disconnecting, our amazing nervous system is sometimes acting to protect us from overload in extremely intense moments.
Trauma-Informed Embodiment Ideas You’ll Hear About:
- how yoga from the perspective of outside validation differs from the yoga of embodied choice
- how to begin the process of re-embodiment in a gradual and sensitive way
- benefits and challenges of Yin Yoga from a trauma-informed perspective
- how social justice connects to embodiment and movement practices
There are a lot of insights to glean from this conversation! Give it a listen and let us know what your favorite take-aways are.
Guest Bio:
With her passion for sparking freedom in people, Amanda Hanna founded SomaPsych in order to share the knowledge and skills she has acquired from years of study and teaching in the mental health and yoga space. SomaPsych focuses on integrated wellbeing that supports body, mind and everything in between. By implementing a trauma-informed approach in all that we do, we hold and encourage braver spaces that facilitate curiosity, growth, and transformation for all.
SomaPsych believes in walking alongside people while holding hope as a possibility every step of the way. SomaPsych offers tools, techniques, and insights for restoration and balance, individual care and exploration, as well as promoting social and systemic change so the collective can evolve and thrive. Just as soma and psyche is the intersection of body, mind, and spirit, SomaPsych is the intersection of the individual and the collective.
Resources & Links from this episode:
To connect further with Amanda, visit her website at https://www.somapsych.org/ or follow her on Instagram at @soma.psych.
To further explore practices that align with all that we talk about on this podcast, check out the Moved To Meditate Class Library!