Are mindfulness meditation and yoga safe for those who’ve experienced trauma?

They can be, and you can learn how to practice in a trauma-sensitive way.  

This half-day workshop will cover principles of trauma-informed meditation and yoga. Designed for yoga and mindfulness teachers, mental-health professionals, and anyone interested in the topic, the workshop will explore both the benefits and pitfalls of meditation and yoga for those experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress.

Why Trauma-Informed Meditation and Yoga?

From college campuses to psychotherapy offices, meditation and yoga have become increasingly mainstream practices. At the same time, trauma remains a fact of life: the majority of us will experience a traumatic event in our lifetime, and up to 20 percent of those who do will develop posttraumatic stress. This means that anywhere folks are practicing meditation and yoga, someone in the room is likely to be struggling with trauma.

At first glance, folks may make a natural association: trauma creates stress, and yoga and meditation are proven tools for reducing it. But the reality is not so simple: people who’ve experienced trauma often need specific interventions to help make practices safe and effective, and that’s what we’ll be covering in this workshop.

In our time together, we’ll cover the role of attention, arousal, dissociation, social context + accessibility, and interpersonal support in trauma-informed meditation and yoga. We’ll also speak to the importance of empowerment-based language, resourcing and working through triggers, the art of assisting, holding-space, boundaries, self-care, and rest. Embodiment practices and experiential exercises will be integrated throughout the training, and no yoga certification is required. The training is open to all, and we look forward to supporting you.

Schedule Overview:

• Opening Circle, Trauma-Informed Yoga Class, Introductions
• Trauma-Informed: A Philosophy + Skillset vs. A Checklist
• The Nervous System+ Window of Tolerance: Finding Attunement in the Language of the Body/ Resilience as a Physiological Practice
• Trauma-Informed Contemplative Practices
• Trauma Sensitive Meditation: Experiential Practice
• Group Work/Case Scenarios/Journaling/Questions

Workshop Info

• Saturday, February 16th
• 1:00 – 6:00 pm
• $250

About the Facilitators:

David Treleaven, PhD, is a writer, educator, and trauma professional whose work focuses on the intersection of trauma, mindfulness, and social justice. He is author of the book Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing published by W. W. Norton which was a #1 New Release and Bestseller on Amazon. Trained in counseling psychology at the University of British Columbia, he received his doctorate in psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and has been a longtime mindfulness practitioner. He is currently a visiting research scholar at the Britton Lab at Brown University, which researches the effects of contemplative practices on cognitive, emotional, and neurophysiological processes. He also currently teaches with generative somatics, an organization that engages in trauma healing with social justice organizers to support their work and leadership. A graduate of the Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizing Training Program with Catalyst Project, he is donating 60% of the proceeds from his book to three social justice organizations challenging systemic conditions that create and perpetuate trauma.

Zabie Yamasaki, M.Ed., RYT, received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Behavior and Education at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her graduate work in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs at The George Washington University. Zabie received her 200-hour yoga teacher training certificate through Core Power Yoga and attended a 40-hour workshop on trauma-sensitive yoga instruction through the Justice Resource Institute at the Kriplau Center for Yoga and Health. Zabie is the Program Director of Trauma Informed Yoga Programs at UCLA and the Founder of Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga, an organization with the mission of empowering survivors to heal through the practice of yoga. Her work has been highlighted on CNN, NBC News, the Huffington Post, OC Register, Elephant Journal, and in a variety of online publications. Zabie is widely recognized for her care and intentionality, soulful and zenful activism, undeniable passion, and hard work and dedication to her field. She has created a model therapeutic yoga program and curriculum which is now being implemented at 20 colleges campuses and agencies including the University of California, Stanford, USC, and Johns Hopkins to name a few. By focusing on a holistic approach, Zabie is helping to change the way our world responds to trauma and provides support to survivors at various stages in their healing.