Yoga Sequencing Considerations: Trauma-Informed Yoga
Disclaimer: I wrote this article back in 2022. I had only been learning and practicing this approached for 2 years. I am sharing this because I am acknowledging where I may have shifted my own focus on the topic. Though many of the key points remain the same, my messaging on the manner has evolved quite a bit.
Thanks for reading.
Let’s be honest, sometimes teaching a yoga class can be nerve racking! Whether you are a new instructor or experienced. You may already know over 100 yoga postures, various breathing techniques, class themes, and posture transitions; and you may want to be able to include all that you know in one class. You want to create a class that your students will love and return to week after week. Does this sound familiar? We tend to overthink the process or over do it completely when first beginning to teach yoga. This is especially true when I began teaching yoga back in 2019 and then I experienced the same feeling when beginning to teach trauma-informed yoga classes. Is this going to be effective? Will everyone participate? Will I have to completely throw away what I prepared and honor the energy in the room? For that last question, in my experience, yes!
Because let’s face it, even as a conditioned yoga teacher, if you were originally trained in Power Vinyasa (oh wait, that’s me) and are shifting gears into more trauma-informed methods (hi again, also me) then you may experience what is an ‘unlearning’ of other methods and practices. Because truth be told, the way you structure a power vinyasa class isn't going to be received with the intention you desire when constructing a trauma-informed class. It is best practice to remember who you are teaching for and what the goal of the class is.
Here, we will discuss sequencing considerations for constructing a trauma-informed yoga class for any age group and any length of time. The intention behind these teaching considerations are to spark inspiration to enhance your class experience.
Build your sequence like Regulated Nervous System
When your student(s) are those who have or currently are experiencing an on-going or traumatic event, their nervous system is now dysregulated. Meaning, they may be stuck in the “ON” position, or their fight/flight mode igniting by their sympathetic nervous system; or they may be stuck in the “OFF” position, or their freeze/fawn mode ignited by their parasympathetic nervous system. These modes will turn on the moment that the brain senses the fear response from the amygdala, and how the body responds after that…well, isn’t always up to the individual at that point. But there is hope, as a yoga teacher, you can help get them out of their ON/OFF mode and help them experience the balance between the two: A healthy regulated nervous system.
Throughout the day, a regulated nervous system experiences the highs and lows regularly. Whether that be excitement in the form of joy or anger, or in the form of contentment or withdrawal. However, because of our resilience, we are able to toggle between these levels all day.
As a trauma-informed yoga instructor, it will be your duty to create a sequence that mimics the highs and lows of the nervous system. This will teach your student that it is okay (and that is safe) to move between these two phases throughout the day. This will show your students that they do not have to be stuck in one or the other and that it is OKAY to feel both with the knowing that they can move through it.
2. Make the postures accessible to all bodies
Build with layers! Your students are gaining body awareness in this practice. They are exploring how their body moves and how it feels while it moves. As an advanced yogi yourself, you may already be able to access levels of postures that require additional flexibility or strength. Because of this, you might lose sight that others simply can not access posture the way you can. Since your students are exploring how postures fit their bodies and capabilities, always build up your postures in layers. Provide extensive amounts of varieties to the postures so that all bodies can find their fit.
Read the room and speak to all bodies - Since you are speaking to all the bodies in the room, you may find yourself speaking a lot, and that is OKAY. The more your students know about how to access a posture and the more they understand WHY they are doing it this way, the more confident they will become in their practice. And the more confident they feel, the more they will enjoy the practice and explore what else they are capable of. And that’s a huge part of a trauma-informed yoga practice, allowing the student to find how capable they are physically and mentally.
3. Make transitions accessible to all bodies
I’ll emphasize this again, your students are gaining body awareness in this practice. They are exploring how their body moves and how it feels while it moves. On the other end, they are exploring how their bodies stay still and how it feels to stay still.
Be mindful of how you are moving your students into new postures. Remember, you are an experienced yogi with body awareness, you know how to rotate your hips from Warrior 1 to Warrior 2. Your student’s may not. In this scenario, consider hip mobility and rotation awareness. For example, When designing your class, consider what direction the hips are facing in each posture. Keep all front of the mat hip facing postures together and all side of the mat hip facing postures together. Examples below:
Front facing: Runners Lunge, Lizard Lunge, Crescent Lunge (high and low), Warrior 1, Warrior 3, Dancers Pose, Chair, Half Pigeon
Side facing: Warrior 2, Extended Side Angle, Triangle, Half Moon, Reverse Warrior, Reverse Triangle
Consider which postures are a ‘GREEN’ posture and which are a ‘RED’ posture. Meaning, which postures are gentle on the body and which posture may cause a trigger based on what’s being activated in the pose. Use the Yoga Therapy Library Sequence Builder to design a trauma-informed yoga class that guides the student into resting postures to slow their heart rate after postures that speed it up.
4. Eliminate perfectionism by reducing the emphasis on proper alignment.
Remember, you are creating a yoga experience that is accessible to all bodies and all levels. Especially those who have been struck with the stigma that they just “can’t do yoga,” or they are “not fit enough.” And in order to do that, you may want to ‘cool off’ on the alignment cues with your new students.
Set your students up for success in a posture by creating a space for them to TRY and move their body parts into the posture. If your student feels overwhelmed by all the cueing and just can’t get their foot to position the way you are saying it ‘should’ be…they may feel inadequate which can lead to feeling of “I’ll never get the hand of this.”
Remember to layer up with your postures so that you can speak to all levels in the room. If a student doesn’t lunge as deeply into a Warrior 2 as another student, meet them where they are at and help make them feel empowered in the depth they have found. Where their body current is at, is exactly where it needs to be and eliminating perfectionism in a posture is a great way to get your students to be more aware of their body. Greater body awareness will lead to greater confidence overtime.
5. Be consistent
Each time you teach a trauma-informed yoga class to a specific group of individuals, remember that you do not need to reinvent the wheel each week (or each class). Your students crave consistency. When you have a yoga class created, deliver the same program consistency for a few back to back classes. Keep in mind that some of your students may not have consistency in their lives. By showing up for them each class, you are creating consistency in their lives. You are creating trust. And by delivering a consistent practice, your students will start to remember the postures and understand how their bodies move through them. This will create greater body awareness and confidence in your students.
After a few sessions, begin to add postures or layers of postures into the sequence that fit naturally. Your students will feel even more empowered to try something new because you have set them up with a great foundation.
By creating a trauma-informed yoga class that allows the students to experience where they are in their bodies in the present moment you will ultimately help them to gain the confidence to try new things. And when they find that courage and capability to explore the unknown (and understanding how that makes them feel) on their mats, they will have the courage and strength to manage life off of their mats. -
