Trauma-Sensitive Yoga

Jessa Walters has completed the 300-hour Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) certification with David Emerson through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment in Boston. Jessa began teaching TCTSY in 2013 as part of a study through the University of Minnesota and the Domestic Abuse Project researching TCTSY as a viable clinical treatment for complex trauma.

 

“No intervention that takes power away from the individual can possibly foster their recovery, no matter how much it appears to be in their immediate best interest.”
–Judith Herman, from her book, Trauma and Recovery

Seated Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Practice (17 mins)

by Jessa Walters | Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Practices

“Held trauma is, by definition, a form of disconnection. It’s a place where the present moment of life in its fullness gets stopped and interwoven with an unfinished and painful history. Healing is about reconnection. Healing is about attending to those held histories and supporting them to integrate or release.”
–Susan Raffo, from her essay, What Do I Mean When I Say ‘Healing Justice’

Body Scan Practice (17 mins)

by Jessa Walters | Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Practices

TRAUMA–SENSITIVE YOGA PRIVATE SESSIONS

I offer one-on-one or small group trauma-sensitive yoga sessions via Zoom or phone.

A session can be anywhere from 30-60 minutes. My rate is $65 for 30 mins and $125 for an hour. A sliding scale option is available.

If you would like a recording of your yoga session, you are welcome to record on your end or I can record the audio for you. At the beginning of our time together, there is the option for a brief check in, if desired. Then we can move into the yoga practice leaving several minutes at the end for bringing closure to the experience. It is recommended to be actively seeing a therapist or counselor for support in tandem with the trauma-sensitive yoga sessions.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions and/or would like to set up a trauma-sensitive yoga session: jessa@jessawalters.com

“I felt empowered to choose what felt good for me in my body. At times I just did my own thing, following what my body and mind needed in the moment.“

Gini L.

“The class was just what I needed, and I loved all the choices given. I enjoyed the freedom of staying in poses longer or trying different ones to see which best suited me.”

Nicola S.

“Experiencing your trauma-sensitive yoga class over Zoom gave me a real taste of this beautiful tool. I felt how it can have a significant impact, all the choice and softness felt healing to all parts of my being. I feel inspired to start speaking to myself the way you spoke to us – slowly, gently, with patience, warmth and spaciousness. How we speak to ourselves is how we speak to Life, isn’t it?!”

 

Gergana Lambreva, Craniosacral Therapist

TRAUMA–SENSITIVE YOGA TRAINING MODULES
I offer customized Trauma-Sensitive Yoga training modules, whether it be for a yoga teacher training program, an organization, a mental health clinic or simply open to the public. These modules range from 1–4 hours in length. I also offer a daylong intensive, “Trauma, the Body & Yoga,” with Daniel Gaustad, DC, SE, RYT. Please view one of our past intensives below.

TRAUMA-SENSITIVE RESOURCES

BOOKS:

Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body by David Emerson

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga in Therapy: Bringing the Body into Treatment by David Emerson

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman

My Gradnmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

RECENT RESEARCH:

Effectiveness of an Extended Yoga Treatment for Women with Chronic PTSD

Claiming Peaceful Embodiment through Yoga in the Aftermath of Trauma by Alison Rhodes

Trauma Sensitive Yoga as a Complimentary Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Qualitative Descriptive Analysis

Moving to Heal: Women’s Experiences of Therapeutic Yoga after Complex Trauma by Jennifer West

 

––For more research and resources, please view the Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga website.