In this workshop with guest expert Helen Cooper, we explore a part of teaching many yoga teachers are only just beginning to understand: trauma, and what it means to teach in a trauma informed way.
For many teachers, trauma informed yoga can sound like something reserved for specialist settings. It may bring to mind work with veterans, people recovering from severe abuse, or those in clinical therapeutic environments. Yet this workshop points to something much wider. Trauma is not rare, and trauma informed teaching has relevance far beyond specialist classes. It matters in ordinary weekly drop in classes, community spaces, and open level teaching where we may know very little about what each student is carrying.
What is trauma
Trauma is the result of being exposed to a deeply distressing or disturbing event. That may be a single major event, or something that builds over time through repeated exposure, prolonged difficulty, or chronic stress.
The causes can be very wide ranging. It may be an accident, injury, bereavement, illness, abuse, rape, war, or civil unrest. It may also be something more cumulative, where the body and mind have gradually been overwhelmed. In simple terms, trauma can create such a strong shock in the system that the usual communication between brain and body becomes disrupted.
The symptoms are equally varied. They can include anxiety, depression, fatigue, nightmares, flashbacks, agitation, and a general sense of disconnection or overwhelm.
One of the most important reminders is that trauma does not look the same in every person. Different people respond differently, and we cannot assume we know what someone’s experience is just by looking at them.
Why trauma informed teaching matters in general classes
If you are teaching an open class in a church hall, village hall, studio, or gym, it is highly likely that at least one student in the room has experienced trauma. In truth, probably more than one.
That means trauma informed yoga is not just for specialist work. It is part of teaching responsibly in everyday settings. We are often blind to what students are carrying when they arrive on the mat, so it makes sense to teach in ways that reduce unnecessary activation and increase a sense of safety, agency, and choice.
This is not about becoming a therapist. It is about becoming more sensitive to the nervous system, to the language we use, and to the way our class environment may affect people.
What trauma informed yoga looks like
Trauma informed yoga tends to be gentle, spacious, and choice based. Rather than imposing a shape or demanding a certain experience, it invites the student into a more personal relationship with their practice.
Language matters here. Invitations are more supportive than commands. Rather than telling someone exactly what to do, trauma informed teaching leans towards phrasing such as perhaps you would like to, you might explore, or notice how it feels if. This helps restore a sense of agency, which is especially important for anyone whose choices or boundaries may have been compromised in the past.
The practice itself may be very simple. It can include small movements, clear options, basic awareness of sensation, and slow exploration rather than intensity. The aim is not performance. It is helping someone reconnect to their body safely.
Creating more safety in class
Safety is not only about what we teach. It is also about the room, the timing, and the atmosphere.
An important part is the beginning of class. The few minutes before the formal practice starts can feel chaotic. People chatting, mats shuffling, bags moving, late arrivals, general noise. For some students, that can already feel dysregulating. Creating a calmer transition into class matters more than we may realise.
Physical space matters too. If mats are packed tightly together, that may feel uncomfortable for some students. A clear route to the door can matter. Being able to see the exit can matter. Not assuming that an enclosed cocoon like atmosphere feels safe for everyone also matters.
Touch and physical assists need particular care. Permission should not be treated as something given once and then assumed forever. A student who was comfortable with touch last month may not be comfortable with it today. Consent needs to remain active and current.
Śavāsana and vulnerability
Śavāsana can be deeply restful, but it can also feel highly vulnerable. Being still, lying down, closing the eyes, and softening into the floor is not neutral for every student.
A trauma informed approach does not mean removing Śavāsana. It means teaching it with options and sensitivity. That might include offering bent knees, alternative resting positions, or permission to remain more alert if needed. It also means noticing if someone seems agitated or unsettled and resisting the urge to interfere too quickly. Sometimes leaving space is the kindest response.
Trauma informed yoga is not therapy
This is a crucial distinction. Trauma informed yoga can be therapeutic, but it is not therapy.
Teachers do not need to analyse, fix, or draw out someone’s story. Students do not need to disclose trauma in order to benefit from a safer class environment. In fact, pressure to disclose would work against the very safety we are trying to create.
For teachers offering one to one work, boundaries become especially important. Compassion does not require constant emotional availability. It is possible to be warm, responsive, and caring while still being clear that the yoga session is the appropriate space for the work you offer.
Why this matters for yoga teachers
Most of us want our classes to feel welcoming, inclusive, and supportive. Trauma informed teaching helps us do that more skilfully.
It invites us to think more carefully about language, consent, pacing, spaciousness, and the nervous system. It reminds us not to assume that what feels safe to us will feel safe to everyone. It asks us to teach with more humility and more care.
That does not make our teaching smaller. It makes it wiser.
If yoga is about connection, then trauma informed yoga asks an essential question: how do we create the conditions in which connection can happen safely.
Find out more about Helen ‘s work: www.helencooperyoga.com
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