Trauma-Informed Yoga vs. Quick Fixes and Questionable Trends - with Amanda Hanna

Moved To Meditate Podcast

This week on the podcast, Amanda Hanna joins me for a juicy discussion about what trauma-informed yoga is (and is not). We give examples of the questionable trends and marketing messages we’ve seen lately, related to trauma healing, Somatics, Yin Yoga and other movement practices.

Amanda Hanna is a seasoned Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer and leader of Trauma-Informed Facilitator trainings, with an academic background in psychology. After comparing notes on a few social media posts and ads we’d seen, Amanda and I decided to sit down and record an episode exploring the topic of trauma-informed yoga. It’s wonderful that awareness of this has increased in the yoga community, but there is now the issue of terms like “trauma-informed” and “somatic” becoming buzzwords for products that actually don’t align with ethical human-centered practices.

So, we’ll dig into what we’re seeing and share some examples that brought up red flags for us. We will also talk about what we DO look for in a genuine trauma-informed offering.

You’ll hear our thoughts on:

• the ethics of programs that promise to “release trauma and stored emotions,” while also curing a host of medical conditions (usually in a short amount of time)
• how quick fixes and big somatic releases go against trauma-informed principles like titration
• the risk of re-traumatization when a foundation of safety, nervous system regulation, capacity-building, and therapeutic support has not been built.

We also spend some time discussing the role of a trauma-informed yoga or movement teacher, and how we can skillfully hold space for our students. We both feel there is great value in creating a classroom “container” where students can simply practice feeling safe and learn to be with themselves exactly as they are. And, while emotions do come up naturally in class sometimes, it is not a teacher’s job to evoke a strong emotional response from their students.

Drawing from our own classes (and from my running a studio), we discuss the complexities of practicing in community. We highlight the importance of encouraging choice and self-agency in our students, rather than dismissing their feedback as coming from their fight/flight response (as we’ve seen suggested online).

We cover a LOT of ground here, so I hope you’ll find this episode interesting and thought-provoking…and more than anything that you’ll feel supported to embrace your wholeness and reject the quick fix gimmicks.

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To learn more about Amanda Hanna’s work, visit somapsych.org or follow her on Instagram at @soma.psych.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

The 100th Episode of the podcast is coming up, and I want to hear YOUR voice! Send me a short message about why you practice, and I will include it in this special episode. Go here to record your message, or email it to me at [e-mail].

The Mindful Movement Teacher Training is returning this Fall, and applications are now open! Learn more about this unique program at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).