Trauma-Informed Yoga vs. Quick Fixes and Questionable Trends, with Amanda Hanna
In this episode of the podcast, Amanda Hanna joins me for a juicy discussion about what trauma-informed yoga is (and is not). We give examples of the questionable trends and marketing messages we’ve seen lately, related to trauma healing, Somatics, Yin Yoga and other movement practices.
Episode Details:
Amanda Hanna is a seasoned Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer and leader of Trauma-Informed Facilitator trainings, with an academic background in psychology. After comparing notes on a few social media posts and ads we’d seen, Amanda and I decided to sit down and record an episode exploring the topic of trauma-informed yoga. It’s wonderful that awareness of this has increased in the yoga community, but there is now the issue of terms like “trauma-informed” and “somatic” becoming buzzwords for products that actually don’t align with ethical human-centered practices.
So, we’ll dig into what we’re seeing and share some examples that brought up red flags for us. We will also talk about what we DO look for in a genuine trauma-informed offering.
Photo by Benjamin Child via Unsplash
Trauma-Informed Yoga Topics You’ll Hear About:
- the ethics of programs that promise to “release trauma and stored emotions,” while also curing a host of medical conditions (usually in a short amount of time)
- how quick fixes and big somatic releases go against trauma-informed principles like titration
- the risk of re-traumatization when a foundation of safety, nervous system regulation, capacity-building, and therapeutic support has not been built.
We also spend some time discussing the role of a trauma-informed yoga teacher, and how we can skillfully hold space for our students. We both feel there is great value in creating a classroom “container” where students can simply practice feeling safe and learn to be with themselves exactly as they are. And, while emotions do come up naturally in class sometimes, it is not a teacher’s place to deliberately evoke a strong emotional response from their students.
Drawing from our own classes (and from my running a studio), we discuss the complexities of practicing in community. We highlight the importance of encouraging choice and self-agency in our students, rather than dismissing their feedback as coming from their fight/flight response (as we’ve seen suggested online).
We cover a LOT of ground here, so I hope you’ll find this episode interesting and thought-provoking…and more than anything that you’ll feel supported to embrace your wholeness and reject the quick fix gimmicks.
Guest Bio:
Amanda Hanna holds over 1000 hours in Yoga, Anatomy & Physiology Trainings as well as extensive training and experience in holistic nutrition, meditation, mindfulness neuroscience, and energetics allowing her to develop a style unique to her. Amanda has a BA in Psychology and is currently undertaking her Master’s.
The Founder of SomaPsych, Amanda draws upon her 500+ hours in trauma-informed trainings, including social justice and inclusivity. As a Certified Nutritionist and somatic practitioner, her focus is nervous system support and hormonal balancing through a whole-being approach. She leads regular workshops and trainings with an emphasis on trauma-informed facilitation, resilience, nervous system regulation, neuroscience and embodied practices, including Yin Yoga.
Trauma-Informed Yoga Resources and Links from this episode:
You can connect further with Amanda through her website somapsych.org or follow her on Instagram at @soma.psych.
- Amanda was previously a guest on the podcast a few years ago, and you can catch that earlier conversation here: Episode 33: Human-Centered Embodiment and Yin Yoga with Amanda Hanna
- This blog post, written by Amanda, is a useful introduction to the ideas we discuss in this episode: “Unpacking Trauma-Informed Practice: Debunking Misconceptions and Avoiding Misuse.”
If you enjoyed this topic, you might also like:
- Episode 4: Principles of Trauma-Informed Yin Yoga with Julie Johnson
- Episode 50: Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health with Dr. Tracey Meyers
Share Movement, Mindfulness, and Community!
If you are interested in sharing movement-based mindfulness practices with others, take a look at the Mindful Movement Teacher Training! The next round of this online training program begins in October, and the application period is now open.