$225-$345 USD Tiered Pricing | Partial scholarships and payment plans available
Series Dates July 5-26, 2022:
Tue. JUL 5
Thu. JUL 7
Tue. JUL 12
Thu. JUL 14
Tue. JUL 19
Thu. JUL 21
Tue. JUL 26
Live sessions will be held on Zoom Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30pm-5:30pm PT
(6:30pm-8:30pm EDT ) (Wednesdays & Fridays 8:30am-10:30am AEST, Sydney, AUS)
All live sessions will be recorded. Captioned replays will be available to access for 1 year
A seven-part series of workshops presented on the ways that trauma impacts different communities, and the role of yoga in addressing that trauma.
Featuring Sangeeta Vallabhan, Jenn Turner, Nityda Gessel, Hala Khouri, Mei Lai Swan, Kelly Marshall & Jivana Heyman
The Trauma & Yoga Series is an effort to move the conversation forward in the area of yoga and trauma.
The emphasis is on the nuance and complexity of trauma, rather than looking for a one-size-fits-all approach.
Each week we’ll address a different aspect of the ways that trauma impacts specific communities, as well as best practices for sharing yoga in a trauma informed way.
Session 1 – Tuesday July 5th: Introduction to Yoga & Trauma with Sangeeta Vallabhan
Trauma is reality within our human experience. Bad things happen all the time, to everyone. Yoga is an entire system of philosophy and practices to help people, as individuals, become sovereign beings. Asana is a somatic practice that can offer individuals relief and cohesion with any other healing modality they are doing. Healing modalities working together are how many individuals suffering from trauma move out of a painful place and into a place where they have more agency within their lives. Asana offers a lot, but yoga, on the whole, can offer so much more. Are we ready to go there?
Session 2 – Thursday July 7th: The Teacher-Student Relationship with Hala Khouri
There’s no doubt that yoga can be a powerful tool in healing trauma, and a healthy teacher-student dynamic can help heal relational wounds. However, without a healthy dynamic between the teacher and student, even the most effective tools can cause harm. Clear boundaries, effective communication and understanding concepts like transference and countertransference can allow for a trauma informed teacher-student dynamic that centers the healing and safety of the student and invites the teacher into radical self-awareness and self-care.
This workshop will offer a trauma informed framework for a healthy teacher-student relationship. For teachers, this is vital work in order to be a responsible and ethical space holder. For students, this information can empower you to discern between a teacher who is skillful and safe and one who may cause you harm, whether or not they intend to.
Session 3 – Tuesday July 12th: Yoga Psychology, Somatic Spirituality, and Race-Based Traumatic Stress with Nityda Gessel
What is the relationship between race-based traumatic stress, yoga psychology, somatic healing practices and spirituality? This is what we will explore together in mind and body. Nityda will offer participants a working definition of trauma and race-based traumatic stress, and insight around the alchemical nature of somatic and psychospiritual practices both for those who are survivors of race-based traumatic stress and those who are carrying racism and other forms of prejudice in their bodies. While part of this offering is educational and informational, much of this practice will be experiential and contemplative- the answers, afterall, are within.
Session 4 – Thursday July 14th: The Neurobiology of Trauma and Yoga with Jenn Turner
The impact of psychological trauma is profound and complex, and can reverberate through the body for years beyond an event. Understanding the ways that trauma plays out in the body can support us as yoga practitioners in better meeting and holding a safer space for those who have endured it. This workshop will offer a concrete and deep understanding of how trauma impacts the body, pulling from research, neuroscience and the lived experience of survivors.
Session 5 – Tuesday July 19th: Trauma, Identity & Relationships with Mei Lai Swan
Life is relationship: with ourselves, others, and the world we live in. It’s the quality of these relationships that give us our experience of life. Put simply, wellbeing and trauma are fundamentally experiences of connection and disconnection. In this workshop, we will explore the impacts of trauma and disconnection on our wellbeing and relationships – our human relationships, our relationship with our own body, mind and spirit, and with nature and the world around us. Drawing from trauma therapy, yoga, and earth-based practices, we look at ways to restore connection and transform our sense of identity for our healing and wellbeing.
Session 6 – Thursday July 21st: Transforming Wellness: Becoming Truly Trauma-Informed with Kelly Marshall
There is a lot of dialogue shared in wellness communities about becoming trauma-informed through various techniques, theories, and methodologies. Because the wellness world in the United States is situated at the crossroads of privilege and spiritual bypassing, these powerful tools can often miss the mark where it matters most. Join transgender yoga therapist and educator Kelly Marshall in an intimate and vulnerable conversation about the ways we participate in wellness via our personal lived experiences, the intersections of our identities, and how our biased viewpoints are sometimes the biggest barriers to our healing and wholeness.
Session 7 – Tuesday July 26th: Series Wrap Up: Reflection & Discussion with Jivana Heyman
In this final session, Jivana Heyman will help to wrap up the Trauma & Yoga Series by looking back over all the previous sessions through reflection and discussion. He’ll review essential points that the presenters made, as well as personal reflections on their teachings. This will be an opportunity to digest and assimilate all the diverse views and offerings made during the workshop series, as well as an opportunity for questions and answers regarding how to move forward with greater awareness around trauma and how it can impact our practice and teaching.