Okay, let’s just get this out of the way: yoga is not a magic wand. You won’t do one warrior pose and suddenly be like, “Wow, my childhood wounds are healed, and also my chakras are glowing!” (though that would be pretty great, right?).
But here’s the thing — yoga does have some sneaky, science-backed ways of helping your body and mind recover from trauma. And spoiler alert: it’s less about getting flexible and more about learning how to feel safe in your own body again.
1. It calms the chaos in your nervous system
Trauma basically leaves your nervous system stuck on “I’m being chased by a bear!” mode, even if you’re just standing in line at Starbucks. Yoga helps reset that by teaching your body how to move, breathe, and relax without waiting for the next disaster. Every deep inhale tells your nervous system: “Relax babe, it’s not 2008 anymore.”
2. It helps you feel at home in your body
If trauma made you feel disconnected from your body (aka like your brain lives on the third floor and your body’s stuck in the basement), yoga bridges that gap. Moving slowly and intentionally makes you notice things like: “Oh wow, I actually have toes,” and “My shoulders don’t have to live up by my ears 24/7.”
3. It gives you control back
Trauma often takes away your sense of choice and safety. A trauma-informed yoga class focuses on letting YOU decide how to move. Want to skip a pose? Totally fine. Need to flop into child’s pose for the entire class? Go for it. (Honestly, that’s 90% of my practice anyway.)
4. It releases stuck emotions (in awkward but healing ways)
Ever cried in pigeon pose? Same. Trauma can live in the body, especially in our hips and chest. When you stretch or breathe deeply, sometimes those emotions sneak out. It’s weird, sometimes ugly, but also so freeing. Like unclogging a drain that’s been backed up since 2010.
5. It’s a practice, not perfection
Healing isn’t about mastering handstands or twisting into a pretzel. It’s about showing up on the mat, even if all you do is breathe and lay there. (Shoutout to savasana — the nap at the end that’s basically therapy but horizontal.)
✨ Bottom line: yoga is less about becoming a human pretzel and more about finding little pockets of peace in a body that’s been through too much. It won’t fix everything overnight, but it’s one of the gentlest, sneakiest ways to teach your brain and body that safety is possible again.