Trauma-informed Yoga

I first learnt about trauma when I read the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk in January 2021. I was fascinated by the topic and it made so much sense to me. It made so much sense that our bodies and our nervous system can keep a blueprint of what has happened to us in the past to keep us safe. I was already a Yoga practitioner for around eight years and learning that Yoga could help in creating safety in the nervous system was fascinating and exciting for me. I wanted to know more and I wanted to know how I could make a career shift to work in this field. Since January 2021, the majority of my non-fiction readings have been related to understanding of and recovery from trauma. I listened to endless talks and podcast interviews with experts of the field, including Dr. Gabor Maté. I trained as a Yoga teacher and started a yoga therapy start-up to help those who live with persistent pain, a condition which is often linked to adverse childhood experiences and past traumas. I started my yoga therapy training to learn how I can work with those who live with PTSD. I want to continue to learn from experts who are passionate about the same topic. Ellie is one of these people and I had the opportunity of interviewing her for my podcast.

In this episode, we talked about her journey of discovering yoga, what trauma-informed yoga is and how it differs from a general yoga session, and how trauma-informed yoga can help create safety in the body.

The interview is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. I hope you enjoy this conversation.