Principles of Trauma-Informed Yin Yoga with Julie Johnson
In this podcast episode, I talk with Julie Johnson, founder of Integrate Network about Trauma-Informed Yin Yoga. Julie is an access & inclusion specialist and educator in the St. Louis County school system. She brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to the conversation on what it means to teach Yin Yoga from a trauma-informed perspective.
Episode Details:
During this episode, we cover some basics of what trauma-informed yoga is and why it’s needed, and we discuss how Yin Yoga can be effective as a trauma recovery practice. Julie has compiled an excellent set of guiding principles for trauma-informed Yin Yoga, and we spent time in this episode going over her chart in detail! (See Links & Resources below for the chart.)
Trauma-Informed Yin Yoga Topics We Cover:
- how is “trauma-informed” practice different from “trauma-focused” practice
- push-back Julie has received to the idea that Yin Yoga can be trauma-informed
- the importance of using anchors for awareness during Yin Yoga poses
- working with the nervous system within the Window of Tolerance
- emphasizing a felt sense of presence over “calming down”
- empowering students to make choices within their poses
Whether you’re a teacher of Yin Yoga, or a student looking to support your whole-person well-being in practice, I think you’ll find some relevant and usable info in this conversation.
Guest Bio:
Julie Johnson, M. Ed, ATS, RYT 500, Reiki Master – Integrate Founder, Julie Johnson is a master networker, educator and trauma-informed body practitioner. She has her M. Ed in Inclusive Teaching and Accessible Technology with a specialties in Universal Design for Learning + Curriculum Design. She founded a Social Emotional Learning Intervention team in the school system in St. Louis County with the support of Natasha Baebler, MAT-E-RYT.
Julie has been practicing yoga since 1998 and has gone on to complete her RYT 200/500 and an additional 100 hours of Trauma-Informed Yoga training from Zabie Yamasaki, Hala Khouri, UpRising Yoga and the Trauma and Embodiment Center, as well as her Reiki Master Certification.
She founded Integrate Network in 2014 when she was trying to find trauma-informed providers for her own healing and for students in the school system.
Links & Resources from this episode:
- View Julie’s excellent Principles of Trauma Sensitive Yin + Mindfulness in a Google Doc HERE.
- Listen to her podcast, The Restorative Pulse (available on all the major podcast players)
To connect further with Julie, you can visit the Integrate Network website and/or follow @integrate_network on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this conversation, learn more about upcoming trauma-informed Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings through Moved To Meditate!
And, you might want to check out these podcast episodes on related themes: Episode 35 – So You Think You Can’t Meditate (Part 3): Anxiety and Strong Emotions and Episode 50 – Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health with Dr. Tracey Meyers.