50 HR. TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
With Bodywise Foundation
In the United States, 61% of men and 51% of women report exposure to at least one lifetime traumatic event, and 90% of clients in public behavioral health care settings have experienced trauma. (SAMHSA). The effects of such exposure can have a wide range of negative outcomes that affect us on an individual and national level. We now know that body-based practices are often a necessary component of recovering from trauma and restoring wellness.
In this training we will explore the latest in trauma theory as it relates to yoga. This training is an evidence and inquiry-based collaboration from experts in the fields of trauma and yoga. After completion of this training you will feel empowered to offer trauma informed yoga classes to a variety of populations. If you are not a yoga teacher, this training will support you in your own self-regulation and offer you tools you can use with patients and/or clients. Through lecture, self-inquiry, group discussion and practice teaching, we will cover, but not limited to:
● Essential components of a trauma-informed yoga class, including how it differs from “regular” yoga
● Holding space in the seat of a teacher
● Breath awareness, anatomy, practices, and its relation to trauma-informed yoga
● What trauma is and how it occurs from a body-based perspective
● Symptoms of trauma and applicable trauma-informed practices to support nervous system regulation, and interoception.
● Explore how trauma can affect physiology such as heart-rate variability, vagal tone, our facia, and endocrine systems
● Exploration of types of trauma and adverse childhood experiences
● Tools to increase heart-rate variability, vagal tone, induce the relaxation response and support nervous system regulation.
These skills will be useful in your own journey as well as valuable to integrate in your role as a teacher.
A limited number of scholarships will be awarded to students with demonstrated need who plan to offer this work in meaningful ways. Scholarships can be applied for at Bodywisefoundation.org.
Cost of training excluding mentoring is determined by the hosting site.
Post course requirements for certification:
Lead 8 trauma-informed classes (minimum three attendees per class)
Participate in two one-on-one mentoring sessions with a training facilitator. Sessions are $100 each and can be booked online at: https://bwfmentoring.as.me/. Mentoring sessions can be completed in person (depending on facilitator location) or via phone/online medium. The first mentoring session must be booked within one month of training completion. The second is to be completed within a year of finishing the training, unless other arrangements are made. Please teach and film two of your classes to review during your mentoring call.
It is up to the mentor’s discretion to decide if a participant may need additional support to become certified through BWF, and mentors may suggest or require additional growth work. Participants may also decide to complete additional mentoring. Once course completion requirements are met, participants will receive certification and are eligible to be listed on the BWF graduate directory. Following course completion, one mentoring session must be completed every three years in order to remain listed on the directory.
Suggested Pre-Reading: Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga by David Emmerson & Elizabeth Hopper. Suggested post-course reading: Waking the Tiger by Dr. Peter Levine and/or The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der.
Training manuals and certification are included in the price. Eligible for CEU hours with Yoga Alliance.
Missing more than two hours of training will require the participant to make up the content with a training facilitator at the cost of $100/hr. before certification.
Please note that this is a professional training. While some personal processing is expected, participants should come ready to learn and engage with the content. This is not a therapeutic intensive.