ONLINE: Intro to Befriending Your Nervous System: A Trauma Informed Yoga Practice

As we continue to live through a global pandemic, many of us are experiencing unprecedented levels of chronic stress. A prolonged perception of threat, uncertainty and loneliness can disrupt the homeostatic function of our autonomic nervous system, undermining our mental and physical health, and aggravating pre-existing conditions.

Yoga is a comprehensive mind-body practice that is particularly effective for improving physical and mental health and alleviating suffering at the deepest levels. Yoga’s potential to regulate our nervous system, decrease inflammation, foster immunity, manage mood and increase resilience and wellbeing, is now being recognized internationally.

This FREE online practice is an introduction for our upcoming series beginning February 4th.

This form of yoga is accessible and therapeutic and is designed to support individuals living with the impacts of acute or chronic stress, or trauma, and the associated symptoms of anxiety, depression, addiction and/or PTSD.  Emotions and/or memories from the past can emerge with somatic-based practices like yoga. Having support in place (such as a counselor/therapist, Elder or a person you trust) to process these experiences is highly recommended. 

About the 4-part series:

Each class will offer trauma-informed practices as opportunities to safely connect to your body, and breath, and to activate your vagus nerve and your parasympathetic nervous system to support self-regulation and resilience. 

This series will also emphasize relational safety, personal agency and embodied mindfulness as foundational practices for long-term health, connection and the capacity to take skillful action in the world.

This FREE Intro is for anyone who is curious about:

• Safely exploring connecting to your body and breath.
• Learning simple, effective practices for cultivating a felt sense of safety & connection.
• Learning simple, effective practices for tending and befriending your nervous system. 
• Supporting your long-term health, wellbeing and resilience.

No previous yoga experience required. 

What you will need:

Please dress in comfortable clothing that you can move in. You may want to have an extra sweater and socks available for warmth. 

The practices can be done from a seated position on the floor, from a chair, or from a standing position. You might choose to use a yoga mat. If you’re choosing to sit on the floor you might want to sit on a cushion or a folded blanket. Your choice. 

Format & Schedule:

• Thursday, January 28th: 4:30-5:30pm PT

The online series beginning February 4th is comprised of four 75-minute practices. The group will form a community of practice; there are no drop-ins for this series.

Register now for the series beginning Thursday, February 4th HERE. Tiered pricing and scholarships are available.

Technical requirements:

This online program will be hosted on Zoom, a video conferencing software that is free for participants and easy to use on a variety of devices. You will need to have a device (desktop computer or laptop recommended; tablet or smartphone can work too), reliable internet connection, and sound capabilities You will be invited to join the call up to 15 minutes early to receive technical support.