Trauma Informed Yoga: Strategies and Insights from the Yoga Sutras

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Course Outline

3hrs to complete

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Section 1
  • Welcome to the program. In this module, Sean speaks to the importance of developing more trauma awareness in the yoga community, and he provides an overview of the specific themes and work you’ll explore going forward.
  • What does it mean to heal? How does our current understanding of healing trauma align with the historical concept of liberation (moksha) found in yoga? Furthermore, how can yoga help people find liberation now, in this era? In this module, Sean unpacks these questions, providing philosophical and practical insight into both.
Section 2
  • To begin to understand trauma, it’s important to explore how it’s caused and to understand people's experiences of it. That’s what this module is about. Sean starts by defining trauma, including the kinds of possible traumas, and shares how healing trauma is more than a psychological process—it’s an embodied process, intimately related to our nervous systems.
  • In this module, Sean explains the three primary behaviors of the autonomic nervous system and how they affect us. This discussion is based on Stephen Porges’ work on polyvagal theory.
  • In this module, Sean explains why classical forms of meditation aren’t necessarily beneficial for people who have experienced trauma. After that, he guides a trauma-aware meditation where you’ll use your senses to cultivate feelings of safety and ease. You won’t need any props and you can do this practice from anywhere.
Section 3
  • Methods for attending to the nervous system and its patterns of either constriction or release have been part of the yogic system for thousands of years. In this module, Sean sheds light on what classical yoga, specifically as it’s expressed in the Yoga Sutra, can teach us about our own trauma patterns and how we can bring those patterns to rest.
  • In this module, Sean continues the conversation on what the Yoga Sutra can teach us about trauma and trauma resolution. He specifically sheds light on the physical practice of yoga as it’s defined by this text and why boundary work (building a sense of self, a sense of agency) is essential on the path of healing.
  • A common symptom of trauma is a loss of rhythmicity, meaning the loss of a regular rhythm in the pulsing activities of the body, such as heart rate and breathing. In this module, Sean shares how attention to the body through hatha yoga can help us restore this rhythm and bring balance to our nervous systems.
Section 4
  • In this final module, Sean shares general principles that yoga teachers can follow to make their classes and/or studio spaces more trauma-aware.
  • In this module, Sean shares approaches you can use to customize vinyasa for trauma.
Section 5

  • References for Further Study

Course Overview

What is trauma? What does yoga, historically, have to say about it? And how can we use trauma awareness to build more conscious yoga communities where everyone feels safe and welcome?

In this program with Sean Feit Oakes, you’re invited to take a deep dive into these questions and more. This course is especially useful for teachers who want to learn more about yoga’s philosophical perspective on trauma and healing, and practically speaking, desire to make their classes more accessible. It’s also useful for students who want to understand more about trauma through the lens of yoga.

What you’ll get, module by module:

  • In the first module, Sean speaks to the importance of developing more trauma awareness in the yoga community, and he outlines the specific themes you’ll explore throughout the course. He also provides philosophical and practical insight into how our current understanding of healing trauma aligns with the historical concept of liberation (moksha) found in yoga, and how yoga can help people find liberation now, in this era.

  • In the second module, Sean defines trauma and how it affects people, explains the three primary behaviors of the autonomic nervous system and how they influence us, and elucidates why classical forms of meditation aren’t necessarily beneficial for people who have experienced trauma. After that, he guides a trauma-aware meditation where you’ll use your senses to cultivate feelings of safety and ease.

  • In the third module, Sean sheds light on what classical yoga, specifically as it’s expressed in the Yoga Sutra, can teach us about trauma and healing. He also shares how attention to the body through hatha yoga can help us restore balance to our nervous system.

  • In the fourth module, Sean shares approaches you can use to customize vinyasa for trauma and general principles that yoga teachers can follow to make their classes and/or studio spaces more trauma-aware.

Join us for this engaging program and use what you learn to make your yoga classes more accessible to those who’ve experienced trauma, or simply for your own benefit.

Meet Your Teacher

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Sean Feit Oakes
Sean Feit Oakes teaches Buddhism, hatha yoga, and Organic Intelligence with a focus on the integration... Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely, you can include this course in your Yoga Alliance training hours, with each hour equivalent to one continuing education credit.
This course is entirely self- paced, allowing you to learn at your convenience.There are no imposed deadlines or time constraints for Course completion.
No prerequisites are required; this course is open to anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and practice.
No, the course is accessible to all individuals interested in enriching their understanding and practice of yoga.Yoga teaching certification is not a prerequisite.