Welcome to episode 64 of The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy and Meditation podcast.
As a meditation teacher or mentor, we need to develop our own personal meditation practice in order to guide others with theirs.
In this episode, learn about what a personal practice is, the two distinct aspects of a spiritual practice as well as the 3 part process to construct a meditation practice plus so much more!
This was a clip taken from our Meditation Mentor Certification Program.
Our next training begins soon, join the waitlist: https://bit.ly/3YqrqAh
Om Shanthi, Om Peace
This episode covers:
The definition of personal practice
The personal aspect of practice
Karma & dharma
The universal aspect of practice
Combining the universal & personal
The 3 parts of a meditation practice
The commitment of a meditation teacher in this process
Different paths to the same place in the yoga tradition
Breathing Deeply is a Yoga Therapy and Meditation School, founded by lead teacher Brand Passalacqua in 2014. We hold online and in-person Yoga Therapy Foundations and IAYT accredited Advanced Programs and retreats along with Meditation Programs, including online meditation teacher training and certification and holistic weight loss with Being At Peace with Food.
Breathing Deeply is made up of an active and thriving community of yogis, caregivers, therapists, teachers, medical professionals, parents & children with the same intention—to serve others, lessen suffering, and co-create a new paradigm in wellness.
One of the main reasons to consider getting yoga teacher training for nurses is to improve health outcomes. A recent study published in the International Journal of Yoga indicated that patients scheduled for cardiac surgery who spent 5 days using yoga-based breathing techniques reduced both pre-surgery and post-surgery anxiety. Many more studies demonstrate the positive effects of yoga on back pain, shoulder injuries, autoimmune disorders, balance issues, pelvic floor dysfunction, stress, anxiety, depression, and health and well-being in general.
Whether you apply yoga techniques with patients or to help fellow nurses and doctors, stay in a nursing job or transition into a private practice as a yoga therapist, you are able to fill a gap left by using Western medicine alone.
I’m Brandt Passalacqua, the Co-Founder, Director, and Lead Teacher of Breathing Deeply, a yoga training school. I’ve trained hundreds of students in yoga teaching and yoga therapy, many of them nurses.
Keep reading to learn more about how to use yoga in your career, the benefits of yoga for nurses, how to improve patient outcomes, and more. If you’d like to talk to us about your interest in yoga, questions, or concerns, please get in touch today.
What Kind of Yoga for Nurses Training Do You Need?
As a nurse, you already have a strong background in anatomy, physiology, pathology, and more. You may hope that all you need to practice yoga with your patients is to take a few yoga classes. Maybe you’ve been successful in using yoga to help improve your own health and well-being, so why can’t you do the same for others?
Just because a particular yoga practice or technique has helped you doesn’t necessarily mean that it will help someone else. Learning how to use yoga techniques therapeutically is a skill set that requires specific training. It involves more than just creating a list of yoga poses for someone with a particular condition. You must also take into account a person’s history, circumstances, goals, pathology, where they are on their health journey, and more.
The practice of applying yoga techniques therapeutically to specific physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual conditions is called yoga therapy. Without proper yoga therapy training for nurses, it’s possible to do more harm than good to your patients.
As Lu Ann Milius, a student of ours who worked as a nurse practitioner, said, “I had been teaching adaptive yoga classes and working one-on-one with clients dealing with various health issues for 18 years, yet I never felt I was truly meeting the yogic needs of my private students from a therapeutic sense. I attended workshops and conferences to deepen my knowledge. I had explored countless options for learning over five years. Ultimately, I gave up. To my knowledge, there was no program that would fit my needs. Six months later, I received a notice about the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program. It was exactly what I had been looking for.”
Nurses are in a prime position to be able to help others with yoga. With yoga therapy training, you can combine the fundamentals of yoga with evidence-based medical knowledge, creating a unique and holistic approach to improve patient outcomes.
Why You Should Consider Yoga Therapy Training for Nurses
Yoga therapy training for nurses allows you to combine the Eastern practices of yoga with Western medicine. This allows you to achieve better outcomes and more holistic care for patients, while also nurturing your own well-being and career.
Karen Cox, a registered nurse in our yoga therapy program, said, “Learning how to make the body, mind, spirit connection has been the most rewarding and valuable part of the program for me. No other health profession will come close to that. By connecting meditation, mindfulness, pranayama practices, and asanas, yoga therapy is the most complete holistic health practice I know.”
Yoga therapy training teaches you the techniques of yoga, such as asanas (poses), pranayama (breath work), meditation, mindfulness, chanting, and more, as well as how to apply them therapeutically with others. It goes beyond what you would learn as a student in a yoga class or even in a yoga teacher training, allowing you to work safely and effectively with clients one on one to address specific health conditions. You also learn how to integrate yoga therapy with other healthcare systems, manage your own stress, and run a private yoga therapy practice if you ever want to work with clients independently.
Why Is Yoga Teacher Training for Nurses Important?
Even if you have no interest in teaching group classes, the first step is to complete yoga teacher training for nurses. That’s because yoga teacher training is a standard prerequisite for yoga therapy training programs. The reason for this is that yoga therapy students will need to have a strong background in yoga already to get started.
Be aware that most yoga teacher training programs are made to serve people who actually want to become yoga instructors. This means that a significant amount of time is spent teaching you how to teach in group settings. If your interest is just in learning the basics of yoga so you can complete yoga therapy training and work one on one with clients, these parts can be a waste of time.
Because our focus is on yoga therapy training, we offer a yoga teacher training made for people who want to become yoga therapists! It’s taught by yoga therapists and focuses on building the skills you need in yoga, rather than teaching. We also offer a package that combines the yoga teacher training prerequisite with our yoga therapy training program.
3 Ways to Use Yoga for Nurses at Work
There are many ways to use yoga for nurses in their careers, and we encourage you to find whatever path works best for you. These are just 3 of the most common ways we see students move forward after yoga therapy training for nurses.
Integrate Yoga Therapy Techniques for Patients at Your Nursing Job
One option is to continue working as a nurse and use yoga therapy techniques with your patients. This is a great way to revitalize your nursing career, expand your skill set, and use a more holistic approach, leading to better patient outcomes.
Not only can yoga therapy be used to help with specific physical conditions, but also it can be used to help patients manage their stress, anxiety, and mental health. This can be a critical component lacking in traditional medical care, and it can be leveraged to improve a patient’s outcomes and general well-being. A pediatric cancer nurse who spends a lot of time with kids, for example, can teach them breathing or meditation techniques which have been shown to help manage the symptoms of cancer and its treatments.
“I am so proud to have been able to help a couple of clients in particular,” said one of the nurses in our program, Karen Cox. “One client had suffered a stroke and through our work together, I could see a dramatic improvement not only in this individual’s general health but also their outlook on life. The other success story is of a client who has been battling cancer. We worked together to enable her to better tolerate regular chemo treatments.”
The biggest challenge here is having enough time with patients. Many nurses feel rushed throughout their shifts and have less time with patients than they’d like.
For some nurses, however, this is less of a concern. Visiting nurses who go to patients’ homes and have larger roles in chronic, in-home care can teach them yoga therapy techniques throughout the course of their day.
No matter how you bring yoga into your role as a nurse, yoga therapy gives you more opportunities to support your patients and make a difference.
Help Other Nurses and Doctors Combat Anxiety and Burnout with Yoga
Yoga can work wonders in helping you and your fellow nurses, doctors, and other medical staff on a personal level as well. By using yoga therapy to reduce anxiety and burnout, you and your coworkers can become more resilient. Not only does this help your mental health, but it also allows you to perform your work better, benefiting your patients too.
Jeannine McSorley, a nurse practitioner who graduated from our program, said, “I have to say that learning the strategies and gaining the tools required to help myself stay balanced – including getting on a regular schedule, breathing practices and finding the yoga asana that’s best for me, was worth the cost of the training. But there have been other benefits. I feel more confident in helping and empowering others while remembering that healing happens from the innate wisdom within them, with me as a guide.”
With yoga therapy training for nurses, you can empower yourself and your coworkers to:
Steph McCreary, another student of ours, was able to apply what she learned to help a nurse in need. “Yoga therapy helped my case study client to breathe again, after losing her father to COVID early in the pandemic,” she said. “As a triage nurse working on the COVID floor, her stress levels were high, and her body was tight. Our sessions over six months showed her ability to relax, her sleep improved, and she reported moving much tension out of her system, allowing her to breathe more deeply. I was proud of our work together, even though it was such a difficult time.”
Transition from a Career in Nursing to One in Yoga Therapy
Transitioning from a nursing career to yoga therapy can be a fulfilling and rewarding journey. Not only can it enhance your own well-being, but it can also provide a fresh approach to healthcare that promotes improved self-care and satisfaction for both you and your clients.
Your nursing experience won’t go to waste as a yoga therapist. It gives you a unique perspective that blends a strong understanding of the health conditions that clients face and how they can be addressed holistically with both Western and Eastern healing. If you have developed any areas of expertise as a nurse, such as specializing in cancer, you’ll be able to leverage that knowledge and experience to serve those clients with yoga therapy as well.
We’ve seen a number of our students leave nursing for a successful career in yoga therapy. One such student, Karen Naids, needed yoga teacher training for nurses who lacked a yoga background. After completing our yoga teacher training and yoga therapy training, she said, “I still have more to learn but the biggest lesson is that it is never too late to change your career and your life! I started as a nurse with minimal yoga experience and . . . now, retired, I am able to work teaching yoga to seniors and continue to build my private client base.”
Working as a yoga therapist can also be an excellent option for those who are retiring early. If you’re still interested in working but want to set your own hours, choose your own clients, and still make a difference, yoga therapy is a perfect fit. As one of our students, Karen Cox, can attest, “I have loved yoga since I took my first class, and as much as I enjoy teaching yoga, the thought of working one-on-one with people for specific purposes appeals to me so much more. As I near the end of my career in nursing, my plan has been to start a profession as a Yoga Therapist, that I can take with me beyond retirement age.”
What Are the Benefits of Yoga for Nurses?
The benefits of yoga for nurses are numerous, both for yourselves and your patients. Some of the biggest benefits of yoga for nurses include:
Having more techniques to treat physical ailments. Sometimes Western techniques aren’t enough to help patients heal or find relief. Yoga therapy gives you a new toolset to use.
Addressing mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Traditionally, nurses are taught to focus on patients’ physical health. Mental and emotional health conditions are often referred out, and spiritual health is left unaddressed. With yoga therapy, you can help clients heal holistically.
Improving patient outcomes. Studies have shown that integrating yoga can improve patient outcomes. While this is a huge benefit to patients first and foremost, it also plays a major role in your job satisfaction.
Filling gaps in Western medicine. There are pieces missing from our current medical institution, and sometimes Western techniques fail to help patients. Yoga therapy gives you an Eastern perspective that can help address these gaps.
Giving patients agency over their health. Yoga therapists teach clients how to use yoga to heal themselves. Clients learn how to use these techniques on their own, empowering them to become more self-reliant when it comes to their health and well-being.
Improving your own health and well-being. Nursing is a demanding job, and it’s all too easy to become burned out. The yoga techniques you learn can help yourself and other medical professionals to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, relax your mind and body, sleep better, reduce fatigue, enhance concentration, and more.
Forging your ideal career path. Yoga therapy gives you a range of different career options, from staying at your job as a nurse to switching to a career as a yoga therapist. It offers you an in-demand skill set that can help you find meaningful work, whatever path you choose.
Get Started with Our Combined Yoga Therapy and Yoga Teacher Training for Nurses
Ready to get started? At Breathing Deeply, we offer a combined yoga therapy and yoga teacher training for nurses like you.
Our program uses online lessons to fit even a nurse’s busy schedule, along with live Q&A sessions so you can work directly with our experts and get your questions answered. Students have lifelong access to our community of their teachers and colleagues, giving you mentorship and camaraderie throughout your career. Learn the skills you need to help others heal with yoga alongside experts and other like-minded individuals who want to make a difference.
Individuals who have experienced traumatic events may face a unique set of challenges in their healing. More and more people are turning to yoga therapy for trauma and PTSD relief. In my decades of experience as a yoga therapist, I’ve seen a number of clients find peace and healing by using yoga nidra for trauma and PTSD.
Keep reading to learn more about what yoga nidra is and its benefits, limitations, and safety for trauma survivors. I’ll also share key information that yoga therapists should know if they want to help others heal with yoga nidra and how to get started. If you’re someone who has experienced trauma and you’re interested in using yoga therapy to heal, you can read about our private, online yoga therapy sessions here.
Table of Contents
What Is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga nidra, sometimes called “yogic sleep,” uses yoga techniques to put you into a restful state that is somewhere between being awake and being asleep. It is usually performed while you are laying down, with a professional helping to guide you into the proper state. This can involve a yoga nidra body scan, in which you become aware of each part of your body one by one and relax them.
Although it is similar to meditation in certain regards, it is a different practice. Meditation, by contrast, is usually performed while you are fully awake and focused. Yoga nidra typically requires less skill and training than a meditative mindfulness practice.
What Are the Benefits of Yoga Nidra for Trauma and PTSD?
One of the reasons that I often recommend yoga nidra for PTSD and trauma is because there are so many potential benefits of yoga nidra, including:
Reregulating brain waves. After someone experiences a traumatic event, it can actually dysregulate their brain waves. Yoga nidra can help to change your brain wave states.
Helping clients feel calm. Not only can yoga nidra help to reregulate brain waves, but it also promotes certain types of brain wave states that can help people feel calmer.
Allowing clients to stay present. People who suffer from trauma or PTSD, especially in the form of flashbacks or persistent negative thoughts, may struggle to stay present in certain circumstances. Yoga nidra can make it easier to remain present.
Seeing things from a broader perspective. By changing your brain waves with yoga nidra, you can make the brain more plastic, which makes it easier to see a situation from multiple perspectives. Yoga nidra can also help you to get back in touch with all aspects of yourself and find harmony.
Reducing reactivity to certain thoughts and feelings. Even if a trauma survivor continues to have certain thoughts or feelings, practicing yoga nidra can help them to become less reactive to those thoughts and feelings over time.
Lower barrier to entry. Because yoga nidra can require less skill and training than a meditation mindfulness practice, many people are able to start experiencing the benefits of it in just a few sessions.
Empowerment in healing. Clients who learn how to use yoga techniques themselves are empowered to wield the tools of their own healing. They can practice these techniques at home without needing an expert or specialty equipment with them. This makes using yoga nidra for healing trauma survivors especially beneficial.
Research has shown that iRest, a practice based in yoga nidra, can effectively treat conditions such as trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and sleep issues. It has even been endorsed by the U.S. Army Surgeon General and recognized by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Its roots go back to ancient times, and we are studying yoga nidra in more and more clinical settings today:
A 2022 paper published in Sleep Vigil documents over 20 clinical studies of yoga nidra and outlines the benefits of yoga nidra, including lowering blood pressure, improving heart functioning, reducing mild stress, depression, and anxiety, and more.
A 2020 study published in Current Psychology suggests that 30 days of yoga nidra meditation can improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and increase well-being.
A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Yoga indicates that yoga nidra is effective in reducing stress and anxiety.
A 2017 article published in Sleep Science and Practice concludes that yoga nidra can be used effectively to complement other treatments for chronic insomnia.
When it comes to yoga nidra, PTSD and trauma survivors can rest assured that it is often an effective, practical, and safe technique to use. However, it’s not right for everyone, which is why it’s important to work with a knowledgeable yoga therapist to determine the best path forward for each person.
What Are the Limitations of Using Yoga Nidra for Trauma and PTSD?
Although there are many benefits of yoga nidra for PTSD and trauma, there are some limitations to keep in mind as well:
It’s not right for everyone. Some people may benefit from more body-based practices than they do from yoga nidra. For others, the mental challenges of staying in yoga nidra for a longer period of time can be an issue, just as can be an issue with using Yin Yoga for trauma. Those who have schizophrenia or other mental health conditions that can cause delusions may not be good candidates for yoga nidra.
There are many different kinds. The fact that there are many different kinds of yoga nidra can be both a benefit and a limitation. If someone tries yoga nidra and doesn’t have a great experience with it, they may assume that yoga nidra won’t work for them. In fact, you may still be able to find a style of yoga nidra that works for you.
It requires a safe space. Especially for those who have experienced trauma or PTSD, it is critical to feel that you’re in a safe space in order to practice yoga nidra effectively. Read more about how to determine when yoga nidra is safe for trauma survivors below.
Is Yoga Nidra Safe for Trauma Survivors?
Under the right circumstances, yoga nidra is safe for trauma survivors and can be exceptionally beneficial. However, yoga nidra isn’t right for everyone. When it comes to yoga nidra healing trauma, you will see the most benefits if you feel that you are in a safe space when you practice it.
There are a number of different factors that can contribute to creating a safe space, which will vary from person to person:
The physical space. Being in a physical space that feels safe is important when using yoga nidra for trauma. This could mean anything from avoiding rooms that are too small to leaving the doors open.
Body positioning. Some people who have experienced trauma will feel comfortable laying on the floor, while others may not. Likewise, some people will like being led in a group class and others won’t.
Maintaining full autonomy. It is important that trauma survivors have complete control over their bodies and decisions at all times when practicing yoga nidra for trauma. This means everything from being able to decline the yoga instructor’s or yoga therapist’s guidance to stopping the practice completely at any moment. A trauma-informed yoga instructor or yoga therapist can facilitate the client’s autonomy by using invitational language rather than commands.
Can Yoga Nidra Be Dangerous?
In many cases, yoga nidra is perfectly safe. However, yoga nidra can be dangerous under certain circumstances:
If you are susceptible to delusions or hallucinations, yoga nidra may not be suitable for you. This can occur in some people who have PTSD, schizophrenia, or other mental health conditions, as well as among those who take certain medications.
If holding a position for long periods is triggering, yoga nidra may not be a good fit for you. There may be mental challenges associated with holding a position like this for long periods of time. Those who have experienced trauma may find it difficult to feel safe or like they have agency over their bodies in these scenarios.
If you feel unsafe for any reason, whether it has to do with your environment or the practice itself, it may not be safe for you to use yoga nidra to heal.
If you fall into one of the scenarios outlined above or you’re still wondering if yoga nidra can be dangerous for you, consult with a professional first.
Where Can Survivors Find Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapists?
If you’re a trauma survivor, it’s important to work with a trauma-informed yoga therapist to safely apply yoga nidra for PTSD or trauma. Without proper oversight, you risk doing yourself harm instead of using yoga nidra for healing trauma.
For years, my mission has been to make practical, quality, ethical yoga therapy more accessible. In support of this mission, I’m pleased to be able to offer one-on-one yoga therapy sessions via Zoom with myself and a select group of certified yoga therapists from Breathing Deeply’s program.
If you’re interested, read about our private sessions and fill out an intake form today. Someone from our team will be in touch shortly to discuss how we can help.
What Do Yoga Instructors and Yoga Therapists Need to Know?
If you’re a yoga instructor or yoga therapist who wants to use yoga nidra to help others heal from trauma or PTSD, there is a lot you need to learn first. I’ve also known mental health professionals who want to use yoga techniques like this. As someone with an extensive background in this field, I strongly encourage you to seek out a training program like ours to teach you what you need to know. But these are a few helpful tips to keep in mind throughout your journey:
Find specialized training. First and foremost, you should be trained by someone like myself who has knowledge and experience using yoga nidra for PTSD or trauma in therapeutic settings.
Use invitational language. Don’t give your clients commands when guiding them. Use invitational language that makes it easy for them to decline if they want, and make it clear that they are in control of their own bodies and decisions.
Don’t touch clients. Along with using invitational language, stick to verbal guidance rather than any physical guidance or hands-on adjustments.
Create a safe space. Talk to your clients about their needs and preferences in order to create a safe space, whether it’s leaving all of the doors open or how you keep your lighting.
Identify comforting memories. Help your clients to find an image, person, place, or moment in time that makes them feel comfortable, calm, and safe. Allow them to use those memories whenever they may feel uncomfortable or have difficult emotions arise, giving them an out if they need it.
For more information, watch my video below discussing some of the benefits of yoga nidra as an intervention as opposed to meditation or pranayama.
Someone asked me about trauma and different practices for trauma which is obviously a big subject but this is not acute trauma but the results of traumatic events, PTSD, and trauma-based issues. Anyway, they were asking about Yoga Nidra vs other kinds of contemplative practices, asking me whether Yoga Nidra would be a good intervention because there have been so many studies on PTSD with the iRest things, and we’re actually talking about that at the retreat so it’s on my mind. But the basic thing is that with trauma, many things can happen but you get dysregulated and so your responses, you know, your nervous system response is different, fight or flight is different, and I thought I would just give a two-minute explanation of the Yoga Nidra rationale.
So, Yoga Nidra can go either way depending on how you apply it. If you can keep the person safe, iRest has a pretty nice protocol for, they have something called the inner resource, but basically finding your safe space, a safe set of images being in an environment also that feels safe to you or as safe as it can.
The rationale with the Yoga Nidra practices from a scientific point of view, is that it changes brain wave states and so you can imagine someone with trauma has become dysregulated and they’re not going through the brain without – I could talk about brain waves for the next half-hour, which I could – but the brain wave states get shifted and so Yoga Nidra reregulates them and furthermore sort of promotes certain types of brain wave states that have people be more calm but more importantly allow them to think more broadly so often these brain wave states are associated with creative endeavors.
But when it comes to trauma it sort of similar in that, or applicable I should say, in that you would need those brain waves states in order to think outside your current situation which is responding to the trauma, another way to look at it is it allows you to be more in the present but I think maybe a better way to think of it for us, would be to have somebody who is constantly getting input from memory the trigger memory and then what you would want is for their brain to be more malleable so Yoga Nidra would do that. It’s not really different than meditation for that, both of them, you could argue that they’re the same.
I think what’s interesting about the Yoga Nidra protocols, which are all guided, often lying down, and you use the body’s natural ability to go to sleep but you’re sort of sleeping while awake so when you’re sleeping you get all these beneficial brain wave states but when you’re awake, you get them but you can sort of guide your experience and so instead of just sleeping and dreaming, etc, you can promote these brain wave states that would make you more likely to see things from a broader perspective, be less triggered by things around you and therefore change your response to the traumatic event.
So Yoga Nidra, to answer the question, is this good vs mindfulness mediation? I don’t know that I want to go on the record and say that one is better than the other because there are plenty of reasons by meditation is a good idea, plenty of reasons why Yoga Nidra is a good idea, plenty of reasons why pranayama is a good idea, but Yoga Nidra is particularly good at getting people who don’t have a high skill level into these states so that’s why it’s a particularly good intervention.
You’ll hear me on the Q&A’s and talking about cases, recommending Yoga Nidra over and over again and that is because you would need to be personally less skilled to go into deeper states whereas with meditation you would need a lot more training.
Most people find that it might take them 12 weeks or 16 weeks to get their meditation mindfulness practice together where their brain’s really changing whereas with Yoga Nidra in just a few sessions you can gain a lot of skill so that’s the advantage.
On the other side, there isn’t really an advantage because I think once you do have the skills, I’m not sure one’s better than the other, they’re different in their nature. That’s another point I guess we could talk about all the different ways they’re different but if you have someone off the street, “I have these responses that I don’t like to past trauma”, “someone said you could help me”, “I’m super agitated all the time”, Yoga Nidra would be a go-to because you could say to yourself, ok one session or maybe two sessions or maybe three sessions I can get this person to experience these states and that’s the, for lack of a better word, that’s the sell of the whole thing because you need to have an experience in order to want to do it again.
People can only go on faith for so long so Yoga Nidra gives you that quickly. And now there’s some great research verifying all this, so that’s good, but even that research is still in its infancy so just to answer that question, Yoga Nidra is particularly good for trauma, the only caveat is that it has to be done correctly it has to be done with somebody in a very safe space, so they need to have some sort of out or technique when difficult emotions and feelings arise, you can’t just tell them to ride it out, because if they’ve experienced strong trauma then there would be very difficult for them so that would be the skill.
Get Started with Yoga Nidra Training for Yoga Therapists and Instructors
Ready to start your journey? Want to help heal others with yoga nidra for trauma and PTSD?
My mission is to put my decades of experience to use training others to become ethical, effective yoga therapists and yoga teachers. I have extensive experience using yoga nidra in a therapeutic setting, and I have helped hundreds of students and thousands of clients on their path.Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy offers programs at every skill level, whether you’re just getting started with a 200-hour yoga teacher training or you have the prerequisites to start an advanced program and become a certified yoga therapist. Apply now for one of our programs and join our community.
If you’re suffering from foot pain, toe yoga exercises may be able to bring you relief. As someone who has spent decades practicing yoga and training yoga therapists, I can’t overstate the importance of our feet and our toes. These are integral parts of our bodies! Not only do you need healthy toes and feet to feel good while standing, walking, and running, but also to support the health of your ankles, legs, hips, and even your back.
Strong toes and feet can promote good balance, posture, and support for your body. If you’ve been thinking about starting toe yoga (or even learning how to teach it), keep reading to learn more about what toe yoga is, the biggest toe yoga benefits, the health conditions it can improve, and how to get started with toe yoga physical therapy exercises at home. If you’re ready to reach out to a yoga therapist for help with your foot pain, contact us today for private, online yoga therapy sessions.
Table of Contents
What Is Toe Yoga?
Toe yoga involves stretches and exercises for your toes and feet. When a yoga therapist works with you to apply yoga techniques to address specific health problems, it’s considered yoga therapy.
Whether you’re ready to seek help from a professional or want to get started with toe yoga exercises at home first, you may be asking yourself, what is toe yoga good for? Can toe yoga physical therapy help with my condition, ailment, or issue?
Fortunately, toe yoga is good for a number of general health benefits as well as improving specific conditions. I’ve listed several below.
Toe Yoga Benefits
Strong, healthy toes and feet are key to a healthy body. Some of the health benefits of yoga toe stretches and exercises include:
Pain relief in your toes, feet, and other body parts
Muscle strength in your toes and feet
Flexibility in your toes and feet
Circulation in your toes and feet
Health Conditions You Can Improve with Toe Yoga Exercises
If you’re thinking about using toe yoga physical therapy exercises for a specific toe or foot condition, you’re in luck. Toe yoga has the potential to improve just about any kind of foot pain. Just keep in mind that if you are suffering from a foot or toe injury, then you should seek professional help to make sure that you aren’t doing any yoga toe stretches or exercises that will make your injury worse or get in the way of your healing.
Here are just some of the many health conditions and issues that you can improve with toe yoga exercises and stretches:
As mentioned above, it’s possible to overstretch when it comes to certain conditions. With Plantar fasciitis, for example, you’re dealing with your fascia tearing from your heel. Too much stretching from yoga toe exercises can actually make this tear worse.
Learn more about how yoga therapists can help with Plantar fasciitis in my video below.
Toe Yoga Stats
How much of a problem do our toes pose? Consider these statistics to get an idea of how beneficial toe yoga exercises can be.
Around 2 million people seek treatment for plantar fasciitis in the U.S. each year.
About 30% of people in the U.S. have Morton’s neuroma, and around 80% are women.
Bunions affect more women and elderly people, with about one-third of people over 65 having a bunion.
Approximately 7 million people in the U.S. have had a hammer toe or claw toe, with more women than men suffering from the condition.
About 75% of people over-pronate to some extent while walking or running.
Around 8% of adults in America grow up with flat feet, while about 4% develop dropped arches over time.
Runner’s toe is one of the most common injuries among runners, with risk factors including age, previous injuries, running a significant number of miles each week, running without much prior experience or after a long break, and wearing the same running shoes for longer than recommended.
78% of people in the U.S. report experiencing shoe-related pain.
24 million people in the U.S. reported problems with balance in 2008 compared to 37 million in 2016, according to a study in OTO Open. Research suggests that yoga can improve balance, as shown in a systematic review published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
9 Toe Yoga Exercises
If you’ve been searching for toe yoga exercises and stretches, I’ve included a few of my favorites below. As previously mentioned, just take care to consult a professional first if you are experiencing a toe or foot injury to make sure that none of these yoga toe stretches or exercises will exacerbate your injury.
Spread Your Toes
Spreading your toes is a simple toe yoga exercise to help you warm up.
Start by sitting up with good posture and your feet flat on the floor.
Spread all of your toes apart on a single foot.
If you’re struggling to spread all of your toes, keep practicing! If you need a little help, use your fingers to help guide your toes apart at first.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Relax your toes.
Repeat with the other foot.
Spread Your Toes and Arch Your Foot
As you get the hang of spreading your toes, you can also arch your foot at the same time. This is a great exercise if mobility in your toes and feet is one of the major toe yoga benefits you’re looking for.
Start by standing up with your back straight.
Spread all of your toes apart on a single foot or on both feet.
Lift your heels off the floor and stand on your tiptoes with your toes still spread.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Stand with your feet flat again and relax your toes.
Repeat with the other foot if needed.
Lift and Drop Your Heel with Spread Toes
Similar to the exercise above, this variation involves spreading your toes when your heels are lifted as well as when they are flat.
Start by standing up with your back straight.
Spread all of your toes apart on a single foot or on both feet.
Lift your heels off the floor and stand on your tiptoes with your toes still spread.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Drop your heels back onto the floor while keeping your toes spread.
Release. Relax your toes.
Repeat with the other foot if needed.
Lift and Drop Each Toe
This one takes some practice! Use this exercise to easily identify which of your toes have the strongest and weakest flexibility. If you’re looking for a toe yoga physical therapy exercise that will help you continue to build strength and mobility in all of your toes, this one’s for you.
Start by sitting up with good posture and your feet flat on the floor.
Choose one foot and try to lift a single toe from that foot.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Relax your toes.
Repeat with each toe on your foot.
Repeat with the other foot.
For variation, change up the order in which you lift each toe. For example, start with your big toe and move down the line until you finish with your pinkie toe in one session. Then start with your pinkie toe and move down the line until you finish with your big toe in the next session.
Point and Flex Your Toes
Pointing and flexing your toes is another great toe yoga exercise to help you get started.
Start by sitting on the floor with your back straight.
Extend your legs straight out in front of you.
Spread all of your toes apart on a single foot or on both feet.
Point your feet toward your head while keeping your toes spread.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Relax your toes.
Point your feet down, away from your head, and curl your toes in toward the bottoms of your feet.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Relax your toes.
Repeat with the other foot if needed.
Scrunch Your Toes
Designed to help stretch and strengthen your toes and feet, you’ll need to grab a towel for these yoga toe stretches.
Put a towel under your feet. Make sure your feet are flat on the towel.
Curl your toes and feet to scrunch up the towel.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Relax your toes and feet.
Open and Close the Soles of Your Feet
This holistic exercise involves more of your foot to help complement the more focused toe yoga exercises above.
Start by sitting on the floor with your back straight.
Extend your legs straight out in front of you.
Put your legs together so that your feet are touching on the sides and your soles are facing out.
Imagine the place where your feet are touching is a hinge. Close the soles of your feet together so they touch as much as you can, while still keeping your feet upright.
Hold for up to 10 seconds.
Release. Relax your legs and feet.
Roll the Soles of Your Feet
Make sure you have a tennis ball or stress ball handy for this exercise. Yoga toe exercises like this are a great way to gently stretch out your feet, ankles, and toes.
Start by sitting on a chair with your back straight.
Place your foot on top of a tennis ball or stress ball.
Slowly roll the sole of your foot forward and backward over the ball.
Slowly roll the sole of your foot left and right over the ball.
Repeat with the other foot.
Roll Your Ankles
If you want to give a little extra attention to your ankles, this is the perfect exercise to include with your toe yoga physical therapy regimen.
Start by sitting on a chair with your back straight.
Lift one foot off the floor and curl your toes slightly.
Slowly turn your foot in a circular motion clockwise.
Slowly turn your foot in a circular motion counterclockwise.
Release. Relax your toes and foot.
Repeat with the other foot.
How Do You Start Toe Yoga?
Even if you’re convinced by the many toe yoga benefits, you may be asking yourself, how do you start toe yoga? Keep these tips in mind to help you successfully start a toe yoga exercise regimen:
Pick simple yoga toe stretches to start. Not only will this help keep you motivated, but also, it can help ensure that you are warmed up and don’t overexert yourself or strain your muscles. Consider the exercises to Spread Your Toes, Point and Flex Your Toes, Scrunch Your Toes, or Role the Soles of Your Feet outlined above.
Make it a routine. If you don’t already have time set aside to regularly practice yoga or exercise, it’s important to establish a habit if you want to stick with toe yoga. Focus on doing a few exercises regularly rather than burning yourself out with too much at once. For toe yoga, I recommend practicing after work to help relieve any foot pain, relax your feet, and improve your circulation.
Consult an expert if needed. If you’re suffering from a toe or foot injury, you could actually make things worse and delay your healing if you start doing a bunch of stretches and exercises. But that doesn’t mean that toe yoga therapy can’t help. Get in touch with a good yoga therapist or podiatrist so they can help you develop a safe, customized toe yoga exercise regimen.
How Often Should You Do Toe Yoga?
How often you should do toe yoga will ultimately depend on your unique circumstances. Are you experiencing a problem with your toes or feet? Do you have an injury or have you recently healed from an injury in your toes or feet? Have you been doing any other toe or foot exercises? What are your goals? These answers and more will help determine the most appropriate path forward.
In general, you’ll get the best toe yoga benefits from practicing on a regular basis, unless you’re dealing with an injury. Many people will get the best results from practicing toe yoga exercises once or twice daily for a few minutes per foot. But even practicing a few times per week may be enough to help improve the strength and mobility in your toes and feet.
How Can I Improve My Yoga Toe Stretches?
If you’ve already started practicing toe yoga and want to know how to improve your toe yoga regimen, there are steps you can take to become more advanced:
Incorporate more advanced exercises. Consider some of the more challenging, advanced, and involved variations on toe yoga exercises, such as the exercises to Lift and Drop Your Heel with Spread Toes or Lift and Drop Each Toe outlined above. It’s a great way to reap more toe yoga benefits!
Create a more holistic regimen. Look beyond your toes to exercises that involve your whole foot, ankle, or leg, such as the exercises to Roll the Soles of Your Feet or Roll Your Ankles outlined above.
Work with a yoga therapist. If you find yourself reaching the limits of what you can do by yourself at home, it’s time to seek out a certified yoga therapist or instructor! A yoga therapist can help you if you are looking for toe yoga physical therapy exercises to help with specific health conditions. A yoga instructor can teach you different yoga toe stretches and exercises to help keep you active, relaxed, and looking and feeling good, rather than addressing specific physical issues with yoga.
Contact Us for Foot Relief or Yoga Therapy Training
Looking for more than the toe yoga exercises listed here? Want guidance from an expert yoga therapist? At Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy, we’re offering individual yoga therapy sessions online with myself and certified yoga therapists who have graduated from our program. Learn more and sign up for a session.
Or are you interested in becoming a yoga teacher or therapist? We offer programs for all levels of experience, whether you’re just looking to get started with a yoga teacher training certification or you want to earn your yoga therapy certification. Read about our yoga therapy programs or apply for one of our programs today.
Can you really make a good living for yourself as a yoga therapist? How much do yoga therapists make an hour, and how do you know what to charge your clients? Many people are interested in the intersection of physical therapy and yoga techniques, but few know much about the yoga industry and whether it’s possible to earn a living doing what they love.
That’s about to change! This comprehensive guide covering everything from industry norms to the average yoga therapy salary will serve as your guide to earning as a yoga therapist. It’s important to understand that there are many factors that affect how much you will earn, so get started with the data we’ve presented and the expert insights provided by our Founder, Director, and Lead Teacher, Brandt Passalacqua.
Table of Contents
Yoga Therapist Salary Ranges
A yoga therapist’s annual salary can range from $59,000 to $100,500, according to ZipRecruiter. The national average yoga therapist salary is $70,000, with most salaries ranging from $63,500 to $70,000.
Percent of Yoga Therapist Jobs
Salary Range
17%
$59,000–$62,499
27%
$62,500–$66,499
32%
$66,500–$69,999
18%
$70,000–$73,999
4%
$96,500–$100,500
This broad range suggests that there are plenty of opportunities for advancement within the profession. Yoga therapists may run their own private practice or work at a clinic which will affect their salary along with other factors in the next section.
Factors That Affect Yoga Therapist Salaries
With such a wide range of yoga therapist salary amounts, there are several elements that factor into how much yoga therapists make.
Location: Location perhaps plays the biggest role in the variation of salaries. The location of one’s business and cost of living will affect a yoga therapist’s salary. Yoga therapy rates in urban areas are typically higher than rural locations.
Experience: The years of experience a yoga therapist has will also affect how much they charge and, in turn, their salary. Just as any other career, in general, people with more years of experience make more money.
Skill Level: Skill level also plays a part in a yoga therapist’s salary. Certifications and specialized training and development can increase a yoga therapist’s salary. There are even master’s degrees in yoga therapy, though most yoga therapists don’t need a master’s to get a job or advance their career.
Private Practice or Public Clinic: Yoga therapists that own a private practice may expect to make more money than those who work for a clinic, as they can set their own hourly or session rates. Take notice that private practice salaries are still influenced by location, experience, and skill level.
Listen to an overview of some of these factors in this video segment with our Founder, Director, and Lead Teacher, Brandt Passalacqua. He explains to one of our students how to determine your hourly rates and the variation in yoga therapist salary for both a private yoga therapy practice and a yoga therapy clinic.
In this segment, Brandt discusses hourly rates and a yoga therapist salary for both a private Yoga Therapy practice and a Yoga Therapy clinic.
Transcription
Brandt Passalaqua: So, what was your question? You were asking about rates and yoga therapist salaries?
Student: Yes, how do you guys decide to set your yoga therapy rate.
Brandt: You have two options, but for private rates, I would look at what acupuncturists charge, massage therapists charge, and psychotherapists charge, because, you know, like in New York City, people get $120, or $150, or $200 an hour. You know what I mean?
Student: Yes.
Brandt: Two hours away, where I live, people get $90. If I went an hour and a half from my house to Vermont, people are probably more likely to get $75, as you are getting further away from the cities.
Student: Okay.
Brandt: But, I would look at it that way. And the other option is something I’m working on now, is doing it in a different style – like a clinic style – where it depends on how much money you need, but where you set up a Yoga Therapy clinic or a couple of clinic days, and you do shorter appointments and charge less. So, I’m going to be giving everyone protocols for that because I’m working on that right now, sort of ironing that out. It’s also a good way to get into the community. So, a lot of other alternative medical professionals work that way, where you have for example two days a week of regular office hours and you charge your full rate, let’s say that’s $90 an hour, and then you have a Yoga Therapy clinic day where people can come for half an hour for $30 for example, so you’re working with both sets of populations. So, that would be another way to think about it.
How Much Do Yoga Therapists Make an Hour?
On average, yoga therapists make $33.65 an hour in the U.S., according to ZipRecruiter. But this is based on annual salary and assumes the number of hours worked. In reality, many yoga therapists will command a higher hourly rate than $33.65 an hour. Depending on your experience, location, and other factors, you may be more likely to charge clients upwards of $100 an hour.
Location, experience, skill level, and working in a private practice versus a public clinic will all affect how much yoga therapists make an hour, however. Keep this information in mind and keep reading to learn more about these different factors so you can make an informed decision about what to charge.
How Much Does a Yoga Therapist Make in My State?
When determining how much to charge for yoga therapy, consider the average yoga therapist salary and hourly wage in your state. But keep in mind that how much a yoga therapist makes will also vary from city to city within each state, with bigger cities generally charging higher prices and having higher cost of living than smaller cities. Check out data from ZipRecruiter below to give you an idea.
State
Salary (Annual)
Hourly Wage
New York
$79,854
$38.39
California
$78,793
$37.88
Vermont
$72,011
$34.62
Maine
$71,542
$34.40
Massachusetts
$70,975
$34.12
Nevada
$70,839
$34.06
New Jersey
$70,071
$33.69
Wisconsin
$69,922
$33.62
Washington
$69,752
$33.54
Oregon
$69,085
$33.21
Hawaii
$68,251
$32.81
Idaho
$68,235
$32.81
Wyoming
$68,111
$32.75
Minnesota
$67,750
$32.57
Indiana
$67,417
$32.41
Arizona
$67,396
$32.40
Alaska
$67,000
$32.21
New Hampshire
$66,843
$32.14
Pennsylvania
$66,799
$32.11
Georgia
$66,252
$31.85
Iowa
$65,332
$31.41
Rhode Island
$65,254
$31.37
South Dakota
$65,161
$31.33
North Dakota
$65,112
$31.30
Connecticut
$64,752
$31.13
Montana
$64,658
$31.09
New Mexico
$63,315
$30.44
Illinois
$63,023
$30.30
Ohio
$63,016
$30.30
Virginia
$61,960
$29.79
Maryland
$61,877
$29.75
Tennessee
$61,678
$29.65
Utah
$61,644
$29.64
Delaware
$60,970
$29.31
Colorado
$60,709
$29.19
Mississippi
$60,207
$28.95
Oklahoma
$58,866
$28.30
South Carolina
$58,600
$28.17
Michigan
$58,084
$27.93
Kansas
$57,880
$27.83
Texas
$57,796
$27.79
Missouri
$57,737
$27.76
West Virginia
$57,557
$27.67
Alabama
$56,955
$27.38
Florida
$56,894
$27.35
Louisiana
$56,489
$27.16
Nebraska
$56,144
$26.99
Kentucky
$53,864
$25.90
North Carolina
$53,504
$25.72
Arkansas
$52,987
$25.47
Where Do Yoga Therapists Earn the Most Money? Top 10 Cities
If you’re looking for the cities where you could have higher earning potential, check out the top 10 cities for the highest yoga therapist salaries according to ZipRecruiter below. While you can generally charge more for yoga therapy in bigger cities like San Jose, San Francisco, or Seattle, there are a few smaller cities like Lebanon, New Hampshire or Marysville, Washington on this list to consider if you prefer small town life. Just keep in mind that a smaller population may mean a smaller demand and clientele as well.
Yoga Instructor vs. Yoga Teacher vs. Yoga Therapist Salary
The average person may be surprised that there’s a difference between yoga therapists and yoga teachers. Yoga teachers and instructors teach yoga classes, which can be one-on-one or in a group. Yoga therapists teach clients how to use yoga techniques to provide relief for the specific medical conditions they face.
Yoga therapists typically focus on specific health conditions and can provide more specialized medical advice. Yoga teachers may be more junior, focusing on teaching students about the various yoga systems (e.g. Ashtanga vs. power yoga) because they lack specific credentials needed to carry out more intensive therapy sessions.
A yoga therapist’s salary will thus depend more heavily on their experience, practical knowledge, and demonstrable ability to treat patients. A yoga teacher who is more personable, skilled at educating others, and familiar with the industry basics may make a nice living for themselves but will seldom draw in the highest wages without additional training.
Yoga therapists play an important role in many people’s health. They use mind and body practices, such as breathing techniques and stretches, to promote deep relaxation and healing. The needs of the client determine the yoga therapy practices that are used.
Due to these differences, there are some differences in yoga instructor or yoga teacher and yoga therapist salaries. The average yoga therapist salary in the U.S. is $70,000 annually ($33.65 per hour), compared to $63,629 annually ($30.59 per hour) for yoga teachers and yoga instructors, according to ZipRecruiter.
5 Top Paid Yoga Job Titles
Yoga instruction and yoga therapy can encompass a wide range of services, roles, and job duties. These can require varying responsibilities and qualifications, as well as earn different pay. A few of the top paid yoga-related job titles from ZipRecruiter are included below.
Private Yoga Therapy Practices vs. Yoga Therapy Clinics
Establishing a private yoga therapy practice can often mean charging higher rates for your services. In addition to considering your location, experience, and skill to help determine your rates, look at what other yoga therapists are charging as well as similar private practices. Knowing what acupuncturists, massage therapists, and psychotherapists charge in your city can help provide additional context for what a yoga therapist might charge.
Setting up a yoga therapy clinic, or even a couple of clinic days in your private practice, can be a way to serve different clientele with lower rates. If you’re operating as a yoga therapy clinic or setting aside clinic days, you could provide shorter appointments and charge less—perhaps 30-minute appointments rather than 60-minute appointments.
How Do Your Credentials and Yoga Therapy Certification Affect Salary?
You can’t just become a yoga expert overnight and begin collecting a yoga therapist salary with no issues. Additional years of industry experience will warrant higher wages. The ability to stand apart from the crowd in order to attract additional customers can convince your employer to provide a raise. Above all else, your industry credentials and overall training will determine your salary.
Achieving professional certification is usually the first step in bolstering your yoga salary. The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) provides important professional credentialing to those yoga therapists. These credentials will distinguish you as a true professional who has met the established standards of the IAYT.
Many first study yoga at the university level before embarking upon their professional careers, though this is not a necessary prerequisite with the right yoga therapy training. Even if you have a Bachelor’s of Arts in Yogic Studies or a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy, you’ll need to become certified by the IAYT to achieve much professional success. Your yoga therapy salary may depend on the level of professional certification you use to illustrate your skills to a prospective employer. Although there are costs to yoga therapy training and certification, they are important for increasing your earning potential.
An accredited institution approved by the IAYT can help you boost your yoga therapy salary.
Become a Certified Yoga Therapist With Breathing Deeply
Ready to begin your yoga therapy training and become a yoga therapist? Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy offers accessible yoga therapy training, including an IAYT accredited advanced program. Our mission is to spread the availability of high-quality, practical, and ethical yoga therapy.
Welcome to episode 63 of The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy and Meditation podcast.
Prana is the infinite life-force energy that runs through us and is all around us. As yoga therapists, we primarily work with the breath (pranayama) and asana to influence the currents of prana through the system which can have therapeutic effects on many diseases, particularly emotional and mental imbalances.
In this episode, learn about the pranamaya kosha, what prana is, our interpretation of the nadis and how yoga therapists use pranayama and other yogic practices to influence the pranic body to bring about healing to our clients.
This was a clip taken from inside the Prana Module of our Yoga Therapy Foundations Program.
Our next Yoga Therapy Course starts on September 14th. Find out more information here: https://bit.ly/3lxc0KK
Breathing Deeply is a Yoga Therapy and Meditation School, founded by lead teacher Brand Passalacqua in 2014. We hold online and in-person Yoga Therapy Foundations and IAYT accredited Advanced Programs and retreats along with Meditation Programs, including online meditation teacher training and certification and holistic weight loss with Being At Peace with Food.
Breathing Deeply is made up of an active and thriving community of yogis, caregivers, therapists, teachers, medical professionals, parents & children with the same intention—to serve others, lessen suffering, and co-create a new paradigm in wellness.
The majority of us will experience trauma at one point or another in our lives. On average, 60% of men and 50% of women report experiencing trauma at least once, and around 6% of people have experienced PTSD at least once. Increasingly, people are seeing the benefits of yoga therapy for trauma and PTSD treatment.
Trauma informed yoga therapy is all about addressing individual trauma needs with a concentration on mind-body techniques. With decades of experience working with thousands of clients and hundreds of students, I’ve seen firsthand how therapeutic yoga is for trauma recovery. I’m also proud to be able to offer trauma informed yoga therapy sessions online in a one-on-one format with myself and trusted, certified graduates of my yoga therapy program to help those looking for yoga therapy near them.
In this guide, I’ll answer common questions that those suffering from trauma or PTSD may have about yoga for trauma and PTSD, as well as share insights for fellow yoga therapists on how to help students heal and prosper in a non-judgemental setting.
Table of Contents
What Types of Trauma Can Yoga Therapy Treat?
According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is defined as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster.” Statistically, men experience trauma more often from physical assault, combat, disaster, accidents, or witnessing others’ deaths or injuries. By contrast, women experience trauma more often from sexual assault or child sexual abuse.
Trauma presents itself in a variety of ways, including both physical and emotional types of trauma responses:
Physical Responses: Survivors of a distressing event may experience increased heart rate, bodily pains, fatigue, poor concentration, loss of appetite, and sudden panic attacks. Keep in mind that physical reactions may come and go without any warning.
Emotional and Mental Responses: Emotional responses are often the most common symptoms in survivors. Depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, guilt, shame, and denial are all psychological responses to distressing experiences.
Without proper intervention and emotional support, trauma can rob survivors of their happiness and their ability to confront their inner struggles. Fortunately, with the help of a knowledgeable yoga therapist, you can learn to use yoga therapy for trauma, healing your mind and body from physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual symptoms.
Benefits of Yoga for Trauma and PTSD
To work with trauma, you generally need a multidimensional approach. Many conventional approaches are only part of the therapy needed to support those who have experienced large traumatic events and need help in processing trauma.
While talk therapy lets us understand our story in a cognitive way, yoga trauma therapy can help reshape our response to triggers on all levels of our being. Both parts are important. Working with all aspects of oneself is essential to healing.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has done studies on trauma that make the benefits of yoga for trauma fairly clear. In one study which used gentle yoga for PTSD in classes to help heal women, participants had a 30% reduction of symptoms. More striking to me is that several of the participants no longer qualified as having PTSD after just 10 weeks of yoga.
Benefits of yoga for trauma can include:
Fewer PTSD symptoms or trauma responses
Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
Better mood and sleep quality
Stronger emotional regulation
Better concentration and attention
More bodily and mental awareness
And more
What Is the Best Yoga for Trauma?
In general, it’s hard to prescribe one best type of yoga for trauma or any other health condition, since yoga therapy is meant to be personalized for each individual’s needs. But in my experience as a yoga therapist, I’ve found that the best yoga for trauma or PTSD involves using both body-based and mind-based approaches to promote holistic healing.
Watch my video below to learn more about these approaches:
In particular, it may be helpful to consider these practices when searching for the best type of yoga for trauma or PTSD:
Yoga nidra for body scanning and awareness, as well as regulating brain waves
Restorative yoga for reducing stress, relaxing the body and mind, and preparing for pranayama (breathing practices)
Just as there really isn’t a best yoga for PTSD or trauma, it’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t any specific set of yoga poses for trauma that can be prescribed for everyone. Not only that, but yoga teachers and therapists should take care to use invitational language rather than directives. This helps to ensure that someone who has experienced trauma always maintains their agency, making the right choices for themselves about what to do and what not to do.
For these and many more reasons, it’s important to get specific yoga trauma therapy training in order to safely work with these clients.
Body-Based Yoga Therapy for Trauma
In my yoga therapy practice, I have found the five kosha model to be extremely effective with those suffering with trauma based issues. The samskaras, or patterns, left in the body, breath, mind, and heart need to be worked with in order to shift an overactive response to triggers.
What this means, in my experience, is that all trauma survivors need some sort of body-based approach in order to shift these samskaras. This can be asana or other body awareness approaches like body scanning in yoga nidra.
Mind-Based Yoga Therapy for Trauma
Trauma survivors often need practices to move the patterns of the unconscious mind to the conscious so that they can be reduced. This typically involves meditation practices that reorganize the energy of the unconscious mind.
These practices don’t need to address the traumatic event itself, but rather give the person an opportunity to connect with themselves on the unconscious level and allow patterns to shift. As yoga therapists, we often use meditation practices that allow one to move deeply into meditation without focusing on conscious thoughts or storylines.
I recommend adding some pranayamas (breathing practices) to stabilize and tone the parasympathetic system, including some form of ritualized surrender to allow the safety that comes with consenting surrender. When these practices flow together, symptoms are reduced and the strength of the samskara is lessened.
Yoga Poses for Trauma
In truth, there are no specific yoga poses for trauma, just as there is no one best yoga for trauma or PTSD. Helping someone who has survived trauma to heal through yoga therapy for trauma involves maintaining their agency and right to choose throughout the process by inviting them to use a yoga pose or practice or not. It all depends on what they choose to do or not do.
With that being said, in my experience, many trauma survivors can find relief and peace by shifting the patterns in their mind, body, breathing, and heart. This can be achieved with yoga poses, body awareness practices, meditation, breathing techniques, or a combination of these.
To help learn these poses, practices, and techniques, many of those who have suffered trauma will seek the help of a skilled yoga instructor or yoga therapist. An ethical approach to trauma yoga therapy should invite survivors to take an action or not, rather than directing them on what to do without the option to decline.
Much of what a yoga teacher or yoga therapist might invite a trauma survivor to do will depend on unique circumstances. Often, standing poses can be empowering options for these clients. If you’re curious about some of the yoga poses that a trauma survivor might be invited to participate in, I’ve included a few below.
Mountain Pose
Mountain Pose is a simple place to invite survivors to potentially get started with yoga poses for trauma. It can help you to work on improving your posture and bodily awareness from a place of tranquility.
If it feels right to you, you can stand on your yoga mat with your legs and feet together so your big toes are side by side, with your heels slightly apart. If you’re just getting started, you may want to spread your feet a few inches apart if needed instead if it feels right for you.
You might find it helpful to find your balance by swaying slightly from side to side and back and forth until you achieve a centered balance if it feels right for you at this time.
If it feels right to you, you can straighten your posture by lifting your chest, pushing back your shoulders, lengthening your torso, and straightening your back.
If it feels right to you, drop your arms down and hold them slightly away from your sides with your palms facing forward.
If it feels right for you at this time, you can face forward and keep your head centered on your body above your shoulders, torso, and hips.
I recommend holding for 2–3 minutes or 5–10 deep breaths, but you are invited to stay in this pose for however long feels right for you.
Warrior 1 Pose
Warrior 1 Pose is a full-body pose that’s great for increasing your bodily awareness, alignment, flexibility, strength, and focus. It’s also a victorious stance that can give you an opportunity to boost self-confidence with yoga for trauma survivors.
If it feels right to you, start from Downward-Facing Dog Pose or, if that feels too vulnerable, another option is to start from standing up.
If it feels right to you, you can bring your right foot forward and point it toward the upper-right corner of your yoga mat.
Next, you can bend your right knee to form a right angle if it feels right at this time. I recommend that your right knee be placed directly above your ankle.
If it feels right to you, put your left leg behind you with your knee straight. You can turn your left foot so that your toes are pointing more toward the left and your heel more toward the righ if it feels right at this time.
If it feels right, you can try to move your left leg and foot directly behind you so they are closely in line with your right leg and foot. If you’re just getting started, you can take a wider stance as needed if that feels right to you.
If it feels right to you at this time, inhale slowly and lift both arms straight up. You can hold your palms facing inward toward the rest of your body or however feels right to you.
I recommend holding for 2–3 minutes or 5–10 deep breaths, but you are invited to stay in this pose for however long feels right for you.
Warrior 2 Pose
Warrior 2 Pose helps to strengthen your shoulders, core, hips, quads, and ankles, as well as stretch your legs and hips. It can increase your endurance, focus, and bodily awareness. As a pose of strength and empowerment, it can also help you feel grounded and boost your self-esteem. This can make it a good option when using yoga therapy for trauma.
First, if it feels right to you, stand on your mat, facing the long side of the mat.
If it feels right to you at this time, you can lift your arms on the left and right of your body. If it feels right, you can hold them straight out from your shoulders, parallel to the ground.
If it feels right to you, move your feet apart into a wider stance. You can keep your feet parallel to one another, with your ankles positioned below your wrists, if it feels right to you at this time.
Next, if it feels right to you, twist your right foot and knee to face forward, toward the front of the mat.
Then, if it feels right to you, twist your left foot so your toes are pointing to the left and slightly forward.
If it feels right at this time, you can bend your right knee to form a right angle. I recommend placing your right knee directly above your ankle if that feels right to you.
If it feels right to you, turn your head to face forward along the length of your right arm.
If it feels right at this time, you can keep your body straight from the hips upward, with your hips, shoulders, and head all aligned vertically.
I recommend holding for 2–3 minutes or 5–10 deep breaths, but you are invited to stay in this pose for however long feels right for you.
Eagle Pose
Eagle Pose offers a little more of a challenge for advanced clients who use yoga for PTSD or trauma. This full-body pose can help build muscle strength, flexibility, stamina, and focus. Given its complexity, it’s also great for practicing alignment between your body and mind.
If it feels right to you, stand on your yoga mat with your feet a little apart.
If it feels right for you at this time, hold your arms up in front of your face. If it feels right, you can cross your left arm over the right arm, so your left elbow hooks under your right upper arm.
If it feels right to you, keep your forearms crossed and upright in front of your face, with your elbows at shoulder height.
Next, if it feels right to you, press your palms together and hold your hands vertically.
If it feels right at this time, you can keep your left hand around forehead height and slide your right hand up to the top of your head.
If it feels right to you, bend your knees slightly while keeping your hands and arms in this position.
If it feels right at this time, you can raise your right leg and cross your right thigh over your left thigh.
Next, if it feels right for you, curl your right foot and hook it behind your left calf. If it feels right at any time, please feel welcome to stop if your knees feel strained.
I recommend holding for 1–2 minutes or 5 deep breaths, but you are invited to stay in this pose for however long feels right for you.
If it feels right for you at this time, you can switch sides and repeat.
Staff Pose
Staff Pose is a great option for a seated yoga pose for trauma survivors to engage in if they choose. It promotes good posture, stretches your upper body, and strengthens your back muscles. As a simpler, more restful pose, it offers an opportunity to relax, focus, and practice mindfulness.
To start, if it feels right for you at this time, sit on your yoga mat with your legs straight out in front of you.
If it feels right to you, bring your big toes side by side, leaving a slight gap between your heels.
If it feels right at this time, you can bring your arms to your sides and hold them straight down, resting your hands on the floor.
If it feels right to you, pull your toes back toward the rest of your body, flexing in your ankles.
At this time, if it feels right for you, press down with your legs against the mat.
Next, if it feels right to you, straighten your posture by lifting your chest, pushing back your shoulders, lengthening your torso, and straightening your back.
If it feels right at this time, you can face forward and keep your head centered on your body above your shoulders and torso.
I recommend holding for 2–3 minutes or 5–10 deep breaths, but you are invited to stay in this pose for however long feels right for you.
Savasana
Savasana can be an excellent option for ending a session of yoga therapy for trauma. It can help you release tension in your body, improve your bodily awareness, and practice mindfulness. Survivors can be invited to use this pose to relax, de-stress, and even prepare to enter guided meditation.
If it feels right for you at this time, you can lie down on your back on your yoga mat.
Please feel free to use a cushion or rolled up towel to support your head, neck, or back if it feels right for you.
If it feels right to you, extend your arms and legs. You can leave your palms open and facing up if it feels right for you. You are welcome to relax your arms and legs as they lay flat on the mat, spread out slightly from the rest of your body, if it feels right for you at this time.
If it feels right to you, keep your head facing up toward the ceiling and centered with the rest of your body.
At this time, if it feels right for you, I recommend closing your eyes. However, when using Savasana in yoga therapy for trauma, clients may choose to keep their eyes open—especially while building trust with their yoga therapist.
If it feels right to you, focus on breathing evenly and deeply.
Starting at the top of your body, if it feels right for you, focus on a single body part at a time. If it feels right to you at this time, you can build your awareness of the body part, where it’s touching the mat, and how it’s feeling. As you exhale, you can release any tension from that body part if it feels right to you and imagine it relaxing, spreading out, and sinking down into the mat.
If it feels right for you at this time, go through each part of the body this way as you feel comfortable, from head to toe.
Find Trauma Yoga Therapy Near You
Looking to find yoga therapy near you? Want to address your trauma or PTSD with yoga? Consider these two routes to finding trauma yoga therapy near you:
Use the International Association of Yoga Therapists’ database to find certified yoga therapists near you. This is a great option if you know you want to practice yoga for PTSD or trauma near you and in person.
Work with a yoga therapist online. Depending on where you live, it may be hard to find yoga therapy near you, especially with a focus on trauma informed yoga. You may simply feel more comfortable receiving trauma informed yoga therapy at home in a familiar environment away from others. If this is the case, I would be honored if you would consider working with me or one of my knowledgeable graduates in our private sessions of online yoga therapy for trauma.
When looking at yoga therapists, I recommend checking to see if they mention that they are trauma informed or have received yoga trauma therapy training. You might set up an introductory call or meeting with them as well to talk about their practice and see if it feels like a good fit for you.
What Is the Role of a Yoga Therapist in Healing Trauma?
The role of a trauma informed yoga therapist is to establish a setting where trauma survivors feel supported, encouraged, and provided with an opportunity to heal. Here are some expectations for yoga therapists:
Create a safe space: Start by acknowledging your clients and providing positive affirmations that make them feel valued and supported. Use warm remarks and express gratitude. This will alleviate uncertainties and ensure your students see you as a trusted professional.
Bring sensitivity: Remain mindful of any phrases or actions that may trigger your participants. These actions include asking participants to conduct a certain physical pose or using phrases like “position” or references to the groin area. Be prepared to adapt yoga poses for trauma clients’ needs.
Build a community: Everything is much easier when others around you understand your struggles. Establish a setting where participants can connect and rely on each other through difficult times.
Remain patient: Since there is no magical formula that can “cure” participants of their struggles, be patient. There is only so much you can do as a yoga therapist to help your students, so remain persistent in the face of challenges.
Working with a yoga therapist is often very helpful because the client’s story can be held in a safe environment. This allows the client to work with these practices with the knowledge that they are not alone when difficult emotions or states arise.
It also provides them with—maybe for the first time—the ability to build experience working with difficult states and continue to work to lessen their effect on the system. I have seen this numerous times with big shifts happening in session.
For more information about a yoga therapist’s role in helping clients process trauma, check out my video below.
How We’re Teaching Yoga for Trauma
At Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy, we train yoga teachers and yoga therapists to apply the principles and practices of yoga in a variety of situations, including those where a client has experienced trauma. Consider the do’s and don’ts below, and if you’re ready to start your training as a yoga teacher or therapist, apply now to get started in one of our programs with yoga trauma therapy training.
6 Do’s and Don’ts for Yoga Teachers or Therapists Treating Trauma
Every setting will be different, especially when it concerns trauma. Here are do’s and don’ts to consider when working with vulnerable clients.
Do:
Ask students what they want: Every student has a preference. Do they prefer sessions with the lights on or dimmed? How about the type of music played? The key is to create sessions that are safe and welcoming for survivors.
Treat poses as invitations: When sharing different sequences and yoga poses for trauma, ensure that your language uses invitations, not commands. Make it clear that your clients remain in control of their bodily movements and decisions.
Invite others to practice non-judgmental behavior: Every person has a unique experience with trauma. Your trauma informed yoga class or yoga therapy should be free of shame or self-deprecating behavior. Your clients should feel valued and supported without fear of judgment.
Stabilize and build confidence: When big shifts happen in session and a client may experience difficult emotions or states, it’s important to follow up with practices that stabilize and build confidence in their ability to recognize—and then lessen—reactions at the edge of their comfort zone. Over time, as with all practices, the individual shifts and becomes empowered to change themselves.
Don’t:
Don’t use physical contact or hands-on adjustments: Refrain from touching clients who have experienced trauma. Instead, opt for verbal invitations when giving recommendations. Any form of touching may trigger students who’ve experienced physical or sexual assault.
Don’t try to be a mental health therapist: Students who exhibit signs of severe emotional distress require help from licensed mental health professionals. Know your practice and refer your clients to counseling services if needed (unless, of course, you are a mental health professional who has also trained as a yoga therapist).
For more tips on teaching yoga for trauma or using yoga therapy for trauma, check out my video below about working with people who have suffered trauma and the differences between group classes and private sessions.
Get Yoga Trauma Therapy Training
Yoga therapy is positioned to be a perfect choice for those processing trauma and looking to reduce trauma. There are already yoga therapists around the world using these techniques to alleviate this kind of pain, as well as trauma-sensitive yoga classes available in many areas that can put people on the road to a more easeful experience of living.
At Breathing Deeply, we’re pleased to be able to offer private yoga therapy sessions online with myself and certified graduates from our yoga therapy program. Learn more and get in touch with us today if you’re looking to find yoga for PTSD near you or yoga for trauma near you.
Interested in becoming a yoga therapist? Ready to be a change-maker in this emerging field? We offer programs for each level of yoga expertise, whether you are just starting out with a 200-hour yoga teacher training or you’re ready for an advanced program ending in the highest level of yoga therapy certification, C-IAYT. We provide yoga trauma therapy training as well as training to help with a wide range of other physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual conditions in our comprehensive program.
Welcome to episode 62 of The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy and Meditation podcast.
In today’s Q&A, Breathing Deeply founder and lead teacher, Brandt Passalacqua sits down with his students to ask their yoga therapy questions.
Brandt answers questions covering how to balance pitta in young men, applying yoga therapy principles to children, how to safely get into pigeon pose for various levels of flexibility, a basic protocol for working with osteoporosis and advice on how to approach clients with conditions you don’t know about.
This clip has been taken from a live Q&A session with Brandt and his yoga therapy students.
We hope you enjoy this Q&A. Let us know in the comments any key takeaways you had and share it with someone you think it may benefit!
Our next Yoga Therapy Course starts on September 14th. Find out more information here: https://bit.ly/3lxc0KK
Om Shanthi, Om Peace
This episode covers:
Advice on what practices to give a 25-year-old male with pitta imbalance
How can I apply yoga therapy to children
What is a therapeutic way to cue Pigeon pose?
What is the yoga therapy protocol for working with Osteoporosis?
How do I approach conditions I don’t know much about?
Breathing Deeply is a Yoga Therapy and Meditation School, founded by lead teacher Brand Passalacqua in 2014. We hold online and in-person Yoga Therapy Foundations and IAYT accredited Advanced Programs and retreats along with Meditation Programs, including online meditation teacher training and certification and holistic weight loss with Being At Peace with Food.
Breathing Deeply is made up of an active and thriving community of yogis, caregivers, therapists, teachers, medical professionals, parents & children with the same intention—to serve others, lessen suffering, and co-create a new paradigm in wellness.
