If you’ve lived through trauma, you already know something most people don’t talk about: trauma doesn’t just live in your memories. It lives in your shoulders. In your chest. In the way your jaw clenches when you walk into certain rooms. In the breath you’ve been holding for years without realizing it. Bessel van der Kolk wrote a whole book about this, and the title says it all. The body keeps the score.
For many trauma survivors, traditional approaches to healing focus mostly on the mind. Talk therapy can be incredibly powerful, but for some people, words alone don’t reach the places where trauma is stored. That’s where body based approaches come in, and trauma informed yoga is one of the most accessible and well researched options out there.
What Makes Yoga “Trauma Informed”
Regular yoga classes can be wonderful for a lot of people. They can also be deeply destabilizing for trauma survivors. A teacher giving unexpected physical adjustments. Eyes closed savasana in a room full of strangers. Loud sequencing language that takes choice away. A class that emphasizes pushing through discomfort. For someone whose nervous system is wired for threat, these elements can range from uncomfortable to genuinely retraumatizing.
Trauma informed yoga, often called trauma sensitive yoga, was developed by David Emerson in collaboration with Bessel van der Kolk and the Trauma Center in Boston. It looks different from a typical class in a few key ways:
Choice based language. Instead of “now lift your arm,” a trauma informed teacher might say “if you’d like, you might try lifting your arm.” Every movement is an invitation, not an instruction. You’re the expert on your own body.
No hands on adjustments. Trauma informed teachers don’t touch students without explicit, ongoing consent. Often they don’t touch at all. You decide what your body does.
Predictability and pacing. Classes follow a recognizable rhythm. Teachers narrate what’s coming next so there are no surprises. The nervous system can settle when it knows what to expect.
Present moment focus. Rather than guided imagery or visualization (which can be triggering), trauma informed yoga keeps attention on what’s happening in the body right now. The breath. The sensation in your feet. The contact between your back and the floor.
Permission to stop. You can leave at any time. You can skip any pose. You can keep your eyes open during meditation. You can sit in a chair instead of on a mat. Nothing is required.
Why It Works
The research on trauma informed yoga is genuinely compelling. Studies have shown reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety among participants, particularly among survivors of sexual assault, combat veterans, and people with complex trauma histories.
The reasons go deeper than “exercise feels good.” Trauma fundamentally affects the relationship between you and your body. Many survivors describe feeling disconnected, numb, betrayed by their bodies, or like their bodies belong to someone else. Trauma informed yoga rebuilds that relationship slowly, gently, on your terms. Each time you choose how to move, you’re sending a signal to your nervous system: I get to decide what happens to me now.
It also helps regulate the nervous system in real, measurable ways. Breath work activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Slow mindful movement signals safety. Gentle inversions and forward folds can downregulate stress responses. Over time, the body learns that it’s possible to feel sensation without being overwhelmed by it.
Who It Can Help
Trauma informed yoga can be supportive for people working through:
- PTSD and complex PTSD
- Childhood abuse or neglect
- Sexual assault or intimate partner violence
- Combat trauma and moral injury
- Medical trauma
- Birth trauma
- Grief and loss
- Chronic pain with a trauma component
- Anxiety rooted in past experiences
It can also be a powerful complement to therapy for anyone whose nervous system feels chronically on guard, regardless of whether they identify as having “capital T” trauma.
What Trauma Informed Yoga Is Not
A few honest caveats. Trauma informed yoga isn’t therapy, and it isn’t a replacement for trauma therapy. It works best alongside the deeper psychological work of processing what happened to you. For many people, the combination of trauma therapy (especially EMDR or IFS) plus a regular trauma informed yoga practice creates more change than either one alone.
It also isn’t a quick fix. Like any practice, the benefits build over time. The first few classes might feel awkward or even uncomfortable as your body gets used to being noticed in a new way. That’s normal.
Finding Trauma Informed Yoga Near Manchester, NH
New Hampshire’s trauma informed yoga scene is growing. Look for teachers who have completed specific trauma informed or trauma sensitive yoga certifications. Studios in Manchester, Concord, Portsmouth, and the surrounding areas often offer specialized classes, and many teachers also offer virtual options now. A few search terms that can help: trauma informed yoga, trauma sensitive yoga, trauma aware yoga, somatic yoga.
It’s also okay to email a teacher before attending and ask about their training and approach. A good trauma informed teacher will welcome that question.
Pairing Yoga with Trauma Therapy in Manchester, NH
At Care Pack Counseling, we specialize in trauma therapy and frequently work alongside the body based practices our clients are exploring outside of session. Our clinicians are trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Internal Family Systems, and other evidence based trauma modalities, and we believe in honoring whatever supports your healing, whether that’s yoga, somatic experiencing, time in nature, or your own quiet rituals.
We see clients in person at our Manchester office on Elm Street, and virtually throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. If you’ve been doing trauma informed yoga on your own and you’re ready to deepen the work with a therapist, or if you’re not sure where to start at all, we’d love to talk.
Our 48 Hour Callback Promise
Reaching out about trauma is one of the harder things a person can do. That’s why we promise to respond to every new client within 48 hours. If we don’t, your first session is on us.
Contact and Insurance
Care Pack Counseling 923 Elm St, Unit 78 Manchester, NH 03101 carepackcounseling.org
We accept Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard Pilgrim, Aetna, and Cigna. Sliding scale fees are available for clients paying out of pocket. Serving clients in person in Manchester, NH and virtually throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine.
Your body has been carrying so much. There’s a gentler way home, and you don’t have to walk it alone.
Leave a Reply