ONLINE: Befriending Your Nervous System: A Trauma Informed Yoga Series

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 accessible, therapeutic yoga series 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. 

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 course is for anyone who wants to : 

• Safely explore connecting to your body and breath.
• Learn simple, effective practices for cultivating a felt sense of safety & connection.
• Learn simple, effective practices for tending and befriending your nervous system. 
• Support 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. 

Each session will offer a guided Yoga Nidra meditation at the end. Optional props for this can include a blanket, a rectangular bolster/pillow, a medium sized bath towel and a face cloth/eye pillow.

Format & Schedule:

This online series is comprised of eight 75-minute practices. The group will form a community of practice; there are no drop-ins for this series.

Thursdays @ 4:30-6pm PT
October 21
October 28
November 4
November 11
November 18
November 25
December 2
December 9

Participant Support 

These classes are not a replacement for therapy. 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 an asset.

A short online questionnaire will be included with your email confirmation and must be completed prior to the beginning of the first class on October 21st.

Tiered payment structure :

Accessibility and inclusion are important to us. Together with the facilitator, we are offering tiered pricing. Please select the price that best fits your context:

• Community: $179 – supported rate
• Standard: $219 – regular rate
• Pay it Forward: $259 – supports others to attend

In addition to price options, we are able to offer a limited number of full or partial bursaries through the Community Diversity & Inclusion Fund. Applications must be received at least 7 days prior to the program start date. Learn more and apply for support here. Application Deadline: October 7th, 2021.

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 (headset recommended; built in or external microphone or speaker systems can work too). You can test your device connection and compatibility in advance here: zoom.us/test

You will be invited to join the call up to 15 minutes early to receive technical support.