Trauma Informed Somatic Certification

This 20 hour course is about Trauma Recovery, and the healing journey of empowering yourself and others with research and science backed methods to self-regulate. Anyone and everyone who has been through a traumatic experience, who leads a stressful life, or who wants to continue their education and grow their own practice, will benefit from this training.

Trauma disconnects the body from the mind, and this practice reconnects them.

What is trauma-informed yoga?

Trauma-informed yoga describes an approach to the practice that addresses the specific needs and symptoms of trauma survivors.

This form of yoga may include self-regulation strategies to:

• increase body awareness (interoception) in a safe and controlled way, which can promote feelings of physical, emotional, and psychological safety.

• address nervous system dysregulation, dissociation, and feelings of disconnection from the body or surroundings, which are common after experiencing trauma

What are Somatics?

Somatics describes any practice that uses the mind-body connection to help you survey your internal self and listen to signals your body sends about areas of pain, discomfort, or imbalance. These practices allow you to access more information about the ways you hold on to your experiences in your body.

Course Content

TOPICS COVERED:

• Psychology of trauma, the mind-body response, and recovery methods

• Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) and recovery of resilience

• Polyvagal Theory

• Integrative Somatic practices for mind-body workers

• Pranayama/Breathwork for trauma and resilience

• SRR Self-regulation for resilience and self-care

• Trauma Informed Yoga Techniques

• Trauma Sensitive Kids Yoga Techniques

• Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. How working in trauma causes trauma and tools for coping and self-care

• Appropriate touch in class

• Setting Boundaries

• Yoga Nidra

• Mindful and cross lateral movement

• How to work with diverse groups of people

• Integrating Trauma Informed Practices into your community

• Sample practices

BONUS MATERIAL:

• Trance State journeying

• Sound Healing

​What are the Takeaways?

• ​After completing this training, you will qualify for certification, and the Yoga Alliance recognizes this course as 20 hours of CEUs. You do not need to be a certified yoga teacher to attend the course for personal development, and no yoga experience is required.

• You will be able to adapt your current yoga offerings to make them more trauma sensitive.

• ​You will be able to view yoga classes through the trauma lens and make intelligent, compassionate choices about the class environment, sequencing, choice of asana, pranayama, meditation. 

• ​You will appreciate who you are in relation to a trauma survivor’s recovery.

• ​You will gain practical insight into dealing with dissociation and dysregulation in yoga classes as well as the importance of steadying your own nervous system first – co-regulation is key. (This one really reduces the fear of working with trauma).

• ​You will be able to compassionately and confidently handle students who are dismissive, aggressive or demanding, and not take it personally when understood through the lens of trauma. (Many people wished they’d learned this sooner!)

• ​After completing this course you are eligible to take part in online mentoring to get support, refine your skills, ask questions, discuss challenges and go deeper. Find out more.