Is the practise of Yoga good for Trauma?

Jan 10

As part of our 200hr training we ask our students to write about an area of yoga that interests them, whether it’s the roots of yoga or something that they’ve come to understand as they make their path in training. In Cara’s essay, she explored whether Yoga is a good practice for people who have suffered trauma, whether the practice of yoga can support & help to heal some of the symptoms suffered following trauma. Drawing largely on her personal experience to answer this question.

What is trauma?

Having explored some medical definitions it seems that there are two clear categories. One being a physical injury to the body caused by an object and two being any event that may have an adverse psychological effect.

For the purpose of this essay it is important to note that it is not necessarily the trauma itself I am focusing on but the lifelong impact of trauma on the person and how it then manifests in their lives. Some common resulting symptoms include depression, anxiety and loss of self. Every person's response it seems is different but with some very key similarities in what occurs in the body. The impact of an overly activated nervous system and a heightened flight or fight response.

Maybe the most difficult part of having been traumatised is dealing with the triggers that reside inside the body. The trauma is a thing of the past, but your body keeps reacting as if you still are in imminent danger. These internal triggers transform your inner world into a minefield. At least the trauma has a beginning, a middle and an end but these triggers may come at any time, like a thief in the night. (David Emerson & Elizabeth Hopper, 1969)

Yoga is clearly used extremely effectively for rehabilitation from physical injury or trauma to the body. Especially the use of restorative practices and one to one work with a qualified and experienced teacher.

With other kinds of trauma it is also beginning to be proven that because Trauma resides within the body and is so closely linked to our nervous systems and physical, mental and emotional states that beginning to work directly with the body could very well hold the key for significant change.

Yoga and learning to know yourself.

Our bodies house all of us. Our memories, thoughts, emotions, our felt senses and our unique being. Yoga asana and meditation practice, especially mindfulness, brings us into direct contact with ourselves and offers the possibility of connection to our inner world.

One of the known symptoms that people who have suffered trauma may experience is a disconnection from self. This numbing is a natural protection and a survival mechanism deeply rooted in our physiology. This disconnection from the body is called ‘alexithymia’ and although helpful for a period of time can sadly continue way past when the traumatic event has occurred, making it extremely difficult for the person to feel and essentially affecting their ability to navigate their life in a clear manner.

‘One of the clearest lessons from contemporary neuroscience is that our sense of ourselves is anchored in a vital connection to our bodies. We do not truly know ourselves unless we can feel and interpret our physical sensations to navigate safely through life’. ‘Yoga turned out to be a terrific way to (re)gain a relationship with the inner world and with it a caring, loving, sensual relationship to the self. (Bessel Van De Kolk, 2014)

My yoga practice brings me in direct contact to my body and to what is happening internally. Although in yoga we may not be directly focusing on the inner world we are moving with it and in my experience embracing the physical self. That has not always been a comfortable thing for me and I can still, after years of practicing, shy away from Yoga at times of heightened stress or anxiety when it may be needed the most. Whenever I do get onto my mat, even for the smallest amount of asana practice or breathwork, I always experience a shift in my emotional and physical self. The practice itself facilitates a change in my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

If trauma survivors often experience disconnection from their body and yoga brings us into contact with and connects us to our body it may be an opportunity to explore tension and sensations not previously noticed.With the added use of enquiry in a class along with non-judgement it could be a way for a trauma survivor to begin notice what is happening physically in a gentle and observational way.

Interoception, a shift from outside to in.

Interoception is a relatively new concept to me but even with a little knowledge around it I see that this new science is more confirmation that Yoga can be good for trauma and any related states. As already explored, if a survivor is completely disconnected from their bodily sensations that are constantly informing us of what we need and how we feel then accessing a practice that offers us the opportunity to tune in to the body is surely helpful?

That is not to say that in some extreme cases this may be difficult, even painful and would need to be held by an experienced and trauma informed teacher: Yoga does give an opportunity to begin to tune in to the inside and start to acknowledge and work with the natural navigation systems that may have been disconnected. Moving the body even without any intention of connection could be a powerful thing.

In practices such as Hatha Yoga when the poses are held for longer periods there is an opportunity for a teacher to support the process of tuning into the body and noticing tension. If being in a trauma state is going from fearful trigger to fearful trigger then Yoga could be a shift to ‘I am experiencing a fearful trigger’.

My personal yoga practice began with the Ashtanga primary series. At that time it was exactly what I needed to centre and calm my mind. A strong, fast and precise practice that built heat and strength and bought me very physically into my body.

As time went on I found that there were times that I was zoning out of the practice. My body was tired and knew the sequences well. That was when I started to explore Vinyasa and although I often earlier went to very dynamic classes it was a step in the direction of a more gentle practice that also offered the opportunity to explore how my body wanted to move in a less prescriptive way.

Sukha

Sukha refers to the ability to remain comfortable in positions and that balance between effort (sthira) and ease (sukham). Learning to work with and understand that balance between effort and ease not only in our practice but in life is an extremely helpful way to learn to live with more ease. I am often inspired by teachers who ask the question ‘how will you use what you have gained in your practice throughout your day or build in the use of intention. Taking what is learnt on the mat into everyday life.

Playing with risk and boundaries

When someone has suffered trauma, regardless of the kind of trauma, they can be left with a lack of trust in themselves and others. Practicing some of the more challenging yoga asana such as inversions is a way to counteract this lack of trust and practice something challenging within a safe environment.

The element of risk with poses such as handstand, headstand and pincha maryasnana bring an element of challenge to the practice. Discipline is also a large part of learning to master more challenging poses.

Building up to these poses with support has enabled me to tune into some limiting beliefs about not being strong enough, not trusting my abilities and believing I had a lack of strength. Being supported by someone to get into these poses safely enabled my mind and body to relax enough to allow myself to let go and flow into them. Trusting self and others takes vulnerability, openness and connection. This ability to begin to trust is known to counteract the disconnection caused by trauma.

Yamas and the Niyamas

I like to think of the Yamas and Niyamas as a Yogi’s code of conduct for life. A solid foundation and instructions for how to relate and behave outwardly in the world and inwardly towards yourself. If trauma is known to leave people with a disorganised brain, lack of self-discipline, lack of boundaries, difficulties with forming healthy relationships and a sense of confusion about how to be in the world then having very solid guidelines may be very helpful.

Ahimsa in itself could be a profound notion for someone coming to yoga who has suffered harm and has any resulting destructive patterns of behaviour or addictions. The mentioning of Ahimsa or anyone of the Yamas or Niyamas within a class could potentially be sowing a seed for someone to begin to become aware and question any levels of harm in their lives.

I’ve often had small seeds of ideas steaming from Yogic traditions planted when in Yoga classes that have made me reflect on elements of my life. The philosophy may also be as important as the asana and if given freely with Aparigraha then the teacher is remaining in a place of humbleness and not setting themselves up as a guru.

Breath and the body

Breath is such an intrinsic part of yoga. Inhale we move, exhale we find stillness. Beginning to notice and become connected to the breath through Yoga gives a student an amazing opportunity.

Practices such as the mindfulness of breath could be extremely supportive for those with milder symptoms of trauma, possibly offering very simple techniques of focusing on the natural breath, beginning to learn to tune into the body through mindfulness would be helpful to find some momentary calm and stillness. Focusing away from the chatter of the mind and to something very clear and simple that doesn’t need to be controlled could be a welcome relief.

This quote from Thich Nhat Hanh describes the experience of breath bringing a person into the present moment and greater sense of peace.

‘Breathing in I calm my body, breathing out I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment, the only moment’.

Thich Nhatt Hanh

‘The autonomic nervous system reacts directly to emotion, stress and how we are breathing. When our perception of our environment switches from feeling safe to feeling scared or anxious, the stress response generates changes in our breathing patterns. If we reverse this reaction by changing our breathing patterns, we can also change the response of our autonomic nervous system, our associated emotions and possibly our perception of the environment.(Dylan Werner2021) Pg .59 The illuminated Breath.

It has been proven that practising breathwork for even for the shortest amount of time can begin to rewire those neural pathways back to the parasynthetic nervous system. This process of homeostasis can occur when we sit and focus on the breath.

In fear of fight/flight breath is often used as a way to calm the body. The body breathes naturally and quite happily by itself without any outside input, this is the autonomic nervous system at its best knowing that we can trust the systems of the body without our input is an experience of trust.

Being offered other breathing techniques to allow the calming of the nervous system could offer trauma survivors a skill to help with calming and soothing. Something also that can be practised without outside input giving a sense of autonomy and personal ownership. Taking this a step further to then utilise this breath along with asana practice allows more experience of calming of the mind and the nervous system as well as building strength in the body. In this way Yoga was a great confidence builder for me and as my practice grew so did the belief in myself.

Clinical trials using yoga explain the science behind what happens to the body during practice. Heart rate readings were used to measure the balance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. Inhale increases the heart rate and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and the exhalation stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. Good heart rate variability can be a direct measure of a person's overall well being.

Bessel Van de Kote writes about why this is important in his book The Body Keeps The Score.. ‘’When our autonomic nervous system is well balanced, we have a reasonable degree of control over our response to minor frustrations and disappointments, enabling us to calmly assess what is going on when we feel insulted or left out. Effective arousal modulation gives us control over our impulses and emotions. As long as we manage to stay calm we can choose how to respond’. (Bessel VAn De Kolk, 2014) .

In his studies Bessel Van De Kolf went on to experiment with Yoga to see if it could be used to improve HRV and regulate the nervous system. ‘Scientific methods have confirmed that changing the way one breaths can improve problems with anger, depression and anxiety’ (Bessel VAn De Kolk, 2014).

Coming back again though to the idea that everyone's experience will be different and with varied levels of symptoms or distress for someone living with a constantly activated nervous system or extreme PTSD sitting with the breath could be too much connection to the body and could trigger a fearful or panicked response. An experienced teacher or yoga therapist may be better placed to hold this process than within a normal class scenario.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

A balanced yoga practice encompasses asana, meditation and pranayama. The eight limbs of yoga add the other elements of a full practice. I would describe these practices as the following.

Yamas - things to do in your life

Niyama - things not to do in your life

Asana - the movement of yoga

Pranayama - breathwork

Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses

Dharana -meditation, mental concentration

Dhyana - training of the mind

Samadhi - a state of joyful rapture and calm, free from ego

Combining these practices that make up the eight limbs of yoga have given me an amazing experience and helped me to build a solid foundation. I cannot confess to reaching Samadhi but I have had some very transformative experiences. They all in their own way help me to expand my awareness of self and eliminate some of the difficulties that were caused by my own experiences of trauma.

To conclude

In this essay I have explored many aspects of yoga and how they could be helpful to someone who has suffered trauma. I think it will always be important as a teacher to be aware that I will never know what someone may have been through in their lives and what might draw them to the practice of Yoga.

The science behind my studies, looking at Polyvagal theory, breathwork, the psoas and yoga philosophy is evidence that on a physiological and psychological level yoga can help to support and restore balance to the body and mind. Regular practice teaches the body new rhythms and ways of processing. Allowing restoration, calm and nervous system healing.

Yoga and all that it brings can be an amazing and wonderful tool for anyone who has experienced trauma responses from mild anxiety to PTSD and that as a teacher being trauma sensitive and informed, I hope to bring an added element of safety to those who choose to come and practice with me.

‘With trauma informed yoga we are interested in helping people discover a different kind of relationship to their body. One that is gentler and more forgiving’. (David emerson & Elizabeth Hopper, 1969) Pg 101 Overcoming trauma through yoga’

A suggested breathwork practice for symptoms of trauma and anxiety relief

Sit in a comfortable position and rest your hands gently in your lap.

If you feel comfortable doing so, close your eyes.

Become aware of the breath and just notice the natural rise and fall of the abdomen and chest.

On the inhale to a full breath into the belly.

Fully exhale allowing the naval to draw back towards the spine.

Continue for 5 to 6 rounds of breath.

On the next inhale take the inhale higher into the side ribs. Inhaling fully into this space.

Fully exhale drawing navel to spine.

Continue for 5 to 6 rounds of breath.

On the next inhale begin to expand the breath to the upper chest.

Breathing all the way up to the collar bones.

And exhale allowing chest, side ribs and belly to draw back in.

Continue this for 5 to 6 rounds.

Continue this three part breath breathing at your own pace in a smooth flow for up to 10 rounds of breath.

Letting go of the practice return to the natural breath and observe the body for any changes.

Bibliography

Bessel Van De Kolt (2014) The Body Keeps The Score
Penguin Random House, UK
David Emerson & Elizabeth Hopper (1969) Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga
North Atlantic Books, California
B.K.S Iyengar (1991) Light On Yoga
HarperCollins Publishers, London
Dylan Werner (2021) The Illuminated Breath
Victory Belt Publishing, Canada
Jennifer Wolkin (2021) The Science of Trauma, Mindfulness and PTSD
Mindful (online) available at:
https://www.mindful.org/the-science-of-trauma-mindfulness-ptsd/
Dr. Jen Wolkin (2021) Easy Meditations to Short Circuit Stress Using Mindfulness & Neuroscience
Quick Calm (online) available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quick-Calm-Meditations-Short-Circuit-Neuroscience-ebook/