Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)

TCTSY is for folks living with the effects of complex trauma who feel that a nondirective, non-conversation-based, trauma-sensitive movement practice could be accessible at this time.

You don’t need to have any specific movement experience or special equipment. This practice is designed to be adaptive to the needs of all bodies.

Because movement practices can sometimes bring strong or unexpected feelings to the surface, I ask that all participants have access to a trusted support person or network where you can share and process your experiences from TCTSY sessions, in case you need or want to discuss your experiences.

Like any practice or modality, TCTSY may or may not be a good fit for you in terms of vibe, types of movement, or other features. Different approaches work for different bodyminds! You're always welcome to try it out, to provide feedback, and/or to be all done at any time.

The majority of community-based TCTSY sessions involve me offering invitations for you to explore movement and/or stillness through different shapes with your body, as I practice along with you. I facilitate by sharing invitational options of ways you might choose to explore movement or stillness, and sometimes invite you to notice your breath or sensation. How you move (or don’t) remains entirely up to you! For example, I might say “if you’d like, you could explore movement with your neck. One way to move your neck could be by bringing your ear toward your shoulder, any amount. If you decide to bring your ear toward your shoulder, you’re welcome to find stillness in this shape, or to explore movement.”

TCTSY can be practiced standing, seated on a chair or the floor, or lying down. No special equipment is needed.

If you'd like, you're also welcome to view the "TCTSY Micro-practice" video above, which offers an example of how TCTSY sounds in practice.

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is an empirically-validated (research-supported) intervention for people who are impacted by the effects of complex trauma. If you’d like, you can explore the research supporting TCTSY here.

Consistent with the TCTSY model, community-based TCTSY is shaped by trauma theory, attachment theory, and neuroscience, which are specific academic lineages that try to help tell the story of how complex trauma affects peoples’ bodies and relationships.

TCTSY is also rooted in several key principles, which I seek to integrate into every aspect of the process:

-Invitation: Rather than telling you how to be or move, I invite you to consider whether and how you’d like to try something on.

-Noncoercion: There isn’t a right or wrong way to practice, move, or have a body. There are options, and you get to decide what is interesting or useful to you, without added pressure. Rooted in this principle, TCTSY never involves the use of touch.

-Choice: This is the name of the game. I provide some potential options, and you’re welcome to explore what is interesting or useful to you in this moment.

-Shared Authentic Experience: As I facilitate, I’m actually practicing right along with you (often with my eyes closed!). The idea here is that I can offer embodied facilitation, help ensure that you have space to explore without being observed, and that we get to explore independently and “together.”

-Internal Body Awareness (also called "interoception": I use plain, body-focused language to provide opportunities for you to explore whether and how you’d like to notice what’s happening in your body through movement and sensation.

-Feedback: I live a commitment to creating spaciousness for your feedback, and I respect any feedback you to choose to provide as a gift. It’s then my responsibility to respond to that feedback with care, self-reflection, and transparency.

While it has “yoga” in the name and integrates yogic principles, TCTSY is different from many other expressions of yoga. How different TCTSY is to you likely depends on the yoga you've seen or practiced before.

TCTSY is an empirically-validated intervention for complex trauma or “chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” It may be used in community settings (like a yoga studio or recovery center) or in clinical setting (like a hospital or therapy practice). This means that it has been designed and adapted over time with the feedback and contributions of people impacted by trauma.

Importantly, I am also not currently a registered yoga teacher (RYT), though I am currently a student in a 200-hr yoga teacher training at Yoga Roots on Location. As a certified TCTSY facilitator, I use a variety of movements that may or may not be traditional yoga forms yoga forms, and I don’t use Sanskrit or English names for specific yoga forms (like “tree pose”). My training in TCTSY focused on treating complex trauma, rather than grounding in yogic teachings or physical forms.

Unlike in many yoga offerings (particularly in commercial yoga settings), TCTSY does not emphasize the external expression or appearance of forms (i.e. doing it "right"), or receiving the approval of an external authority, such as a teacher. Its goal is not "fitness" or relaxation. Instead, the purpose is your internal experience as the participant. TCTSY is designed to concentrate power with the participant rather than the TCTSY facilitator. Importantly, this also means that there are no “physical assists” or any other kind of touch in a TCTSY session; I also don't move around the room or provide feedback about how you are practicing.

If you have more questions about how TCTSY may be different than or similar to other kinds of yoga practice, feel free to reach out!