About Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)

A trauma sensitive yoga class is designed to help you feel safe and supported as you explore gentle movement, breath work, relaxation, and meditation techniques. We understand the impact of traumatic experiences and provide a compassionate learning space and supportive environment that honours your individual needs.

You will be guided through a range of postures and practices that are tailored to your specific goals or needs, whether it's developing strength and flexibility, increasing mobility, reducing stress or simply being in the present moment.

Whether in-person or online, you can expect a Trauma Sensitive Yoga Class to be held in an atmosphere of safety and respect. Your privacy will always be respected, with any information shared during the class being kept confidential.

If you have any further questions about what to expect from a Trauma Sensitive Yoga Class, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We look forward to supporting your healing journey. Thank you.

What is trauma?

The body keeps the score

Trauma is not only the bad things that happened, but it's all the good things that didn't.

Trauma is any kind of experience which happened to you and any kind of experience which did not happen to you, that cause a wound inside of you. The wound limits, and you will be constricted and constrained by what has happened to you.

Trauma can be the missing love, separation from the parents, sexual or verbal abuse, neglect or terror attack, car accident. It can be any situation where the individual comes into "fight or flight modus" that means the body is stressed and the body focus on fighting of the threat, fleeing form the enemy or to freeze. The muscles will contract, and the body will release hormones called adrenalin and cortisol. For a short time, the reaction of the body is amazing to survive but if the reaction is triggered many times the body will get damages.

The symptoms of trauma can be mild to severe, and we can divide emotional and psychological symptoms like: fear, shame, anger, confusion, denial, difficulty in relationships, numbness, depression, emotional outburst, flashbacks, nightmares, and any kind of anxiety.

Physical symptoms: fatigue, headaches, sweating, high heartbeat, hyperarousal, always alert, difficulties to fall asleep and to sleep and digestive symptoms.

Participants may start to medicate themselves by developing an abuse, for example for substance.

What is TCTSY?

This style of yoga was created and researched at the Center for Trauma and Embodiment in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA using the work of Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score) and David Emerson. TCTSY Website.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga helps to empower participants by inviting them to make choices and to take control what they do with their own body. The practice is for participants who are in treatment for complex trauma, feel chronic symptoms of trauma or suffering from PTSD.

TCTSY Trauma Sensitive Yoga class will offer the participant opportunities to move in yoga forms and possibly they will feel sensations in their body. By practicing making active choices for themselves they can learn to respond to the sensations and integrate them into their body experience.

TCTSY Trauma Sensitive Yoga can be a powerful tool to support therapy or to start with while waiting for a therapy place.

How does a lesson look like?

We will practise yoga forms together in a safe space.

No yoga experience is necessary.

You can choose to practice the same movements, to do other movements or to leave the class at any time for any reason.

You will not be asked to talk about your trauma, or how you feel. This is about physically feeling, not talking.

There will be no adjustments, the teacher will stay for the whole class on his/her mat.

The class will be made accessible as possible by using a mat, chair, blanket, or blocks.

Classes can be in small groups live or online and 1:1 live and online.

You don't need any special clothes or equipment.

There is no right or wrong way to do anything in your session. This is all about choice, it is your session, for you.

Fun and light

Remi takes a light-hearted approach in her classes which helps people feel safe and relaxed.

She understands the importance of maintaining a serious tone when discussing the topic of trauma but also knows how to bring a light and positive energy into the class.

Through her classes, she hopes to make people feel empowered and safe in their bodies while learning valuable coping skills that will help them heal from trauma.

Her classes ultimately demonstrate how a serious topic does not necessarily have to be addressed in a solely serious manner but can instead be approached with positivity and motivation. All in all, Remi brings an inviting atmosphere into her classroom so that students can heal through Trauma Sensitive Yoga.

Benefit

Many participants report that they feel more connected to their bodies, leading to improved self-awareness and the ability to recognize any sensations in their body from the start of an experience. This heightened awareness can help them release tension stored in their body and learn how to tolerate uncomfortable emotions or physical sensations better.