Current research shows that trauma is pervasive today, woven into the very fabric of human culture. Trauma may be due to circumstances in this lifetime, or inherited from previous generations. In this time of the pandemic where there is loss of life and political and social unrest, we are witnessing a global acceleration of the traumatic experience.
As yoga practitioners we must ask, what is trauma and how does it effect the body-mind?
How can stretching, breathing, meditation, sound, and visualization practice help break the grip of traumatic holding?
In this course we investigate the impact of trauma on the mind and body and how anxiety and stress become embedded in the body’s soft tissues. While the historical yoga teachings do not point directly to trauma, they refer to obstacles, afflictions, and “poisons” that impair progress on the path. We will examine contemporary research in psychology, dreamwork, neurology, and somatic-emotional processing in order to provide you with the tools necessary to address trauma in your community and for your students and clientele.
COST: $725
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Daily Live Zoom Meetings:
May 12 – 16 | 9:30am – 12:30pm [Mountain Time]
EXCEPT Friday, May 14th | 9:30am – 1:30pm [Mountain Time]
*Friday includes bonus mentorship/Q&A session with Tias & Surya*
*Included in this course is bonus access to the Prajna Live classes on Tuesday, May 11 and Friday, May 14. All registrants will have extended access to these classes directly in their course curriculum*
PLEASE NOTE!
** Yoga, Trauma, and Healing is good for 30 hours of total combined live training, pre-recorded material, classes, homework, and mentorship available for Continuing Education hours through Yoga Alliance
**Yoga, Trauma, and Healing can be applied towards required hours for the Prajna Yoga 300/500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. Yoga, Trauma, and Healing is part of the Prajna Yoga Therapy Track.
Course of Study
- How the “flight or fight or freeze” response effects muscular tone
- The impact of trauma on the emotional body
- The biology of trauma: how it effects the digestive system, fascia, nerves, and cardio-vascular system
- The effects of trauma on the classic seven chakras, particularly the throat and belly
- The reptilian brain in light of the archetypal force of kundalini
- Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- The effects of trauma on the vagus nerve
- Thomas Hanna’s “Red Light Reflex”
- How the kleshas or afflictions from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Buddhist teachings compare to trauma in society today
- The impact of trauma on the ilio-psoas muscle, diaphragm, and gut
PRACTICES:
- First off—establish safety and containment
- Repair work: Establish continuity in space and time
- Working with sensation and image in meditation
- Movement practices for over-activated and under-activated states
- Discharging strain through movement, breath, and sound
- Pranayama for self-regulation
- Using visualization to repair ruptured boundaries
- Embodiment practices for bringing energy down into the legs
- Meditation: Working with Reptilian Brain
- Observing autonomic releases in the body
Course Curriculum
- Principles | Introduction to Yoga, Trauma, & Healing
- Watch: Anatomical Lecture | Autonomic Nervous System & Vagus Nerve (50:06)
- Read: What is Trauma? by Peter Levine
- Read: Tissue Tension & How the Body Copes by Tias Little
- Read: The Red Light Reflex by Thomas Hanna
- View Recording - Day 1 | Introduction to Yoga, Trauma, & Healing - Wednesday, May 12 (176:54)
BONUS CLASSES
With registration, you will receive TWO free Prajna Live classes, each of which will compliment the Sequencing and Adjusting Training
30 HOURS OF CREDIT
30 hours of total combined live training, pre-recorded material, classes, homework, and mentorship (available for CE credits through Yoga Alliance)
LIVE ZOOM
This module contains live Zoom meetings & lectures with Tias & Surya, and a library of supplemental material at your fingertips
Learn Online with Tias & Surya
Study and practice by taking amazing courses with Prajna Yoga online. Whether to deepen your personal practice or to hone your teaching skills don’t miss this opportunity to embody the wisdom of Prajna Yoga right in your own living room. We offer a rich weave of postural practice, meditation, anatomy, and wisdom study to help further you on your path.