When you experience a traumatic event, the release of fight, flight, or freeze hormones causes changes in your body and brain. The stress can alter your memory and damage neurons in the brain, leading to increased anxiety, fear, and dissociation. You may worry a lot, be easily startled, develop an anxiety disorder, and struggle to relax. The fear associated with a traumatic event can trigger an overactive stress response as you feel like you are in danger when you might not be.
A study done by psychologists revealed that yoga helped people heal from trauma, and other studies have found that yoga assists people in recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Trauma-informed yoga helps you be more in tune with your body, which can aid in releasing buried negative emotions. A private one-on-one yoga session usually makes a participant feel safe, as the instructor is skilled at building trust. During the session, you will not be encouraged to return to or relive the trauma. The focus is helping you identify thoughts and feelings and manage your reactions. Professional trauma-informed yoga instructors learn your needs and guide you to beneficial movements and breathwork. Combining movement and the breathwork of yoga can also lead to spiritual growth and self-acceptance and aid in healing.
Studies have shown that Yoga helps to:
● Improve concentration
● Reduce inappropriate fight, flight, or freeze responses
● Help manage negative emotions
● Ease pain, anxiety, and depression
● Promote relaxation and calm
● Help with addiction recovery
● Improve quality of life and feelings of empowerment
● Increase inner peace and self-respect
● Reduce symptoms of PTSD often better than therapy and medication
Yoga for trauma victims is a gentle, evidence-based practice that helps people become aware of their bodies and emotions. It teaches them to remain in the moment and allows students freedom to move their bodies in ways that feel good or appropriate.
Yoga, along with the corresponding breathing exercises, soothes stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing the tension of the sympathetic response. Symptoms of imbalance in these systems can be sleep and digestive issues, high blood pressure, and depression. With the help of a trauma-sensitive yoga instructor, you can learn to turn on the parasympathetic system to relax and find peace.
Interoception is identifying the language or signals the body sends so you can manage your reactions and better regulate your emotions. It is the communication mechanism or the sense between your body and brain. Yoga helps you recognize the signals your body is giving you and read them more accurately. When you pick up on the cues, you can learn to regulate your emotions and enhance your physical and mental well-being. The mindfulness aspect and focus on the body during a yoga session improves your interoception, making you feel more in control of your life. Understanding this powerful sense and how to work with it teaches you to react in a healthier way to previous triggers.
If you have experienced a traumatic event and want to move past it, contact Best Life-ing today. The skilled yoga instructors will implement a gentle 60-minute session tailored to your unique needs. A Serene Escape one-on-one yoga session includes an immersive full-day pass to the elaborate award-winning spa.