Trauma Informed Yoga

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"Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the event itself. They arise when the energy, mobilised to meet an extreme or life-threatening event, is not fully discharged and integrated. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.” Peter Levine 

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We often associate trauma with war, rape, abuse, a violent attack or near-death experiences. The reality though is that there are many less obvious experiences that can be traumatic and that have the potential to seriously disrupt our lives. "Trauma has become so commonplace that most people don't even recognize its presence. It affects everyone. Each of us has had a traumatic experience at some point in our lives, regardless of whether it left us with an obvious case of post-traumatic stress. " Peter Levine

Some experiences are obviously traumatic, but things like dealing with a serious illness or that of a family member, the breakup of an important relationship, the death of someone you love, or losing a job or leaving a community that is very important to you can be traumatic. Our lives move at an incredible pace, often in environments that  constantly overstimulate us and force us to push, thrive and override. Integration is often missing.

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The body knows how to heal and regulate itself, when it is given the opportunity and the space to heal. Trauma is physiological, it is body based and yoga, which is a body-based practice is an incredible way to support the body in it´s capacity to heal.  Through the practice we can learn to feel more at-ease in our body, to notice our breath and the coming and going of our thoughts and emotions. We learn to move towards becoming em-bodied. Moreover, yoga, as a healing form, has been widely promoted by Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk, renowned researcher and trauma expert, as one of the top two methods of healing Post - Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

Yoga is a a wonderful tool, because yoga can help us in gaining a greater awareness of:

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• The quality of our breath

• Our bodies

• Our nervous system

• The here and the now

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Pre- and Postnatal Yoga

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Pregnancy is a celebration of life. Women should be honoured as creators, as the givers of life. 

In my work though, I often meet women whose pregnancy gets overshadowed by worry or fear, of not feeling capable, not trusting their own bodies. Bombarded with opinions and advice about what to do and what not, pregnancy can be a challenging time, as somehow even in our society we deny the normality of birth and rather portray it as an inevitably risky and dangerous medical event.

Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, sums it up well with this challenge to all birthing mothers: "Imagine what might happen if the majority of women emerged from their labor beds with a renewed sense of the strength and power of their bodies, and of their capacity for ecstasy through giving birth. When enough women realize that birth is a time of great opportunity to get in touch with their true power, and when they are willing to assume responsibility for this, we will reclaim the power of birth and help move technology where it belongs - in the women, not as their master.”

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Yoga can be a wonderful way to support the body through pregnancy and help prepare it for labour through movement, meditation and work on the breath. Yoga can help you to look forward to your pregnancy and birthing with joy and love and finding a deep trust in letting the body do what it already knows how to.

I teach both privately as well as in small groups and my work is to empower you and support you in trusting and believing in your birthing body.

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Yin Yoga & Vinyasa Flow

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I teach mainly Vinyasa Flow and Yin Yoga. But through an always growing sense of curiosity I explored and keep exploring many different styles and schools of yoga and movement including, Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Restorative, Partner-and Acrobatic yoga, Qigong which I like to  weave into my practice and teaching. 

I love Vinyasa because it offers a lot of freedom and can feel a lot like dancing with its fluid transitions. A a constant reminder to move in harmony with the body, not in argument. My classes are a combination of Western and Eastern approaches to yoga, putting emphasis on effective and creative sequencing, finding strength within our softness and softness within our strength, connecting breath with movement and an intuitive journey and exploration of our tensions and limitations.

My teachings reflect a fusion of breath, movement and stillness. And since we live in a Yang World I deeply aim to incorporate Yin Yoga into my classes as a doorway to more silence and a chance to discover the deeper layers of our bodies and minds.

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