Trauma-Informed Yoga & Breathwork
Trauma-Informed Yoga and Breathwork at the Center for Trauma Recovery are body-based therapeutic practices designed to help women reconnect with their bodies safely after trauma. Trauma can become stored in the nervous system and may show up as anxiety, hypervigilance, panic, emotional numbness, or disconnection from the body.
These practices are not about fitness, flexibility, or pushing through discomfort. They are designed to prioritize safety, choice, and empowerment, supporting healing through gentle movement, conscious breathing, and present-moment awareness.
What Trauma-Informed Yoga & Breathwork Can Offer
Trauma-informed movement and breathing practices help regulate the nervous system, reduce stored stress and tension, and support emotional regulation by working directly with the mind-body connection rather than relying solely on verbal processing.
Yoga Facilitator Christine Du Mond talks about movement for all.
Trauma-informed yoga is a yoga practice specifically designed to be safe, supportive, and empowering for people who have experienced trauma. It focuses on safety, choice, and control rather than achieving specific poses.
Breathwork for trauma survivors is a therapeutic practice that uses conscious breathing techniques to help release stored stress, tension, and trauma from the body and regulate the nervous system.
FAQ
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Unlike traditional yoga, trauma-informed yoga avoids physical adjustments, offers modifications and props, uses inclusive and non-directive language, and emphasizes predictability and consent.
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Key principles include physical and emotional safety, choice and empowerment, mind-body awareness, predictable structure, and language that supports autonomy.
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It can help regulate the nervous system, reduce hyperarousal or dissociation, build a sense of safety in the body, and support emotional resilience and mindfulness.
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No. Participants are encouraged to listen to their bodies and choose how much or how little they want to move. Rest, stillness, and modification are always valid options.
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Controlled breathing patterns activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping reduce stress hormones, calm the body, and shift out of chronic fight, flight, or freeze responses.
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Techniques may include deep diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, resonance or coherent breathing, and other guided breathing practices appropriate for trauma-informed care.
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Yes. Breathwork can sometimes trigger intense emotional responses, especially for individuals with complex trauma or PTSD. For this reason, it should be practiced with a trained facilitator.
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Breathwork is often integrated with other trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR, somatic therapy, or trauma-focused psychotherapy to support overall healing.
Getting Started on Trauma Recovery
If you call us, we move quickly. In many cases, women are able to begin care within just a few days.