My toolkit
Accessible Yoga
Accessible yoga focuses on the function of yoga as a healing tool. We shamelessly modify traditional poses to be therapeutic to your body and nervous system's unique needs. There is no such thing as "the full expression of a pose" in my practice. The right way to do a pose is the one that is helping you most. Accessible yoga integrates props (blocks, straps, etc.) along with emotional modifications such as trauma-sensitive language.
​
Foundations of My Facilitation:
- Yoga belongs to bodies of all ability, shape, and identity.
- Emphasis is placed on how a pose feels, not looks.
- Accessible yoga is compassionate, not competitive.
Trauma Release Breathwork
The Trauma Release Breathwork I faciliate is based on the Biodynamic Breathwork Trauma Release System. In this system we use conscious circular breathing to create targeted activation and release trauma using self-touch, emotional expression, movement, sound, and meditation. This system accesses the deepest layers of trauma tension and allows us to guide the nervous system into releasing it.
​
Foundations of My Facilitation:
- Breathwork should access and interpret felt sensation rather than escape it.
- Effective breathwork requires us to step in and out of activation (pendulation).
- Returning to resource keeps sessions healing rather than retraumatizing.
- Diligently work to avoid activating too much too fast.
Trauma-Sensitive Mindful Meditation
Trauma-sensitive mindful meditation (TSMM) acknowledges the impacts of a traumatize nervous system. In this practice we do not energize traumatic stimuli by giving it our full and focused attention - a dangerous and common occurrence for survivors engaging in traditional meditation. TSMM places heavy emphasis on presence with resource as well as gentle titration with discomfort that we return from swiftly and repeatedly. This trains the nervous system to be flexible and gently expands our window of tolerance.
​
Foundations of My Facilitation:
- Mindfulness should not be retraumatizing.
- We do not force stillness as it leads to dissociation.
- We always work within the window of tolerance. Mindfulness should not be an activating practice.
Somatic Trauma Integration
Our nervous system "speaks" through our bodies. In somatic trauma integration we listen to the queues of our bodies to guide us to the dysregulation in our nervous system that needs to be resolved through expression, motion, pranayama, repeatedly returning to resource, or meditation. We check-in repeatedly to adjust the session using the direction of bodily sensations and emotional experience.
​
Foundations of My Facilitation:
- The body will guide us where we need to go.
- Coming back to resource is critical when experiencing somatic activation.
- My job is to empower the client's ability to communicate with their own nervous system rather than project my own meaning to their experience.
