Trauma is something that stays with most people, and this creates a silent shadow in their lives. Whether it is a single incidence or prolonged exposure to stress and danger, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects every dimension of life. However, though important, traditional treatments and medications leave much to be desired. Hence, more people are exploring alternative healing paths, especially Yoga.
Yoga has attained acknowledgment as a supportive treatment that caters to both the restoration of the physical body and the restoration of the emotional self. For those with PTSD, Yoga usually gives much more than flexibility and strength; it gives peace, grounding, and a pathway to reclaim one’s life. This paper will discuss what one can expect to learn in Yoga classes for PTSD and utilize this ancient practice on a journey of trauma transformation.
The Role of Yoga in Healing PTSD
Manifesting through such symptoms as flashbacks, hypervigilance, anxiety, and depression, PTSD may feel as though there is a constant, lurking sense of danger. At its worst, the syndrome renders the individual unsafe in their skin. What yoga does is help to reestablish a connection between the mind and the body, a connection that most traumas have largely destroyed.
In its practice, Yoga includes controlled breathing, mindful movement, and meditation. Put all that together, and you have what makes Yoga Yoga—present-moment awareness. In that state of consciousness, it becomes possible for individuals to become aware of their bodies and their emotions, without fear or judgment. Many survivors of trauma say that through Yoga, they were able to come back home to their bodies—for the first time in years.
Joshua Barrett’s Perspective on Yoga for PTSD
Joshua Barrett, a wellness advocate who volunteers for mission trips abroad, likes to point out that for the survivors of trauma his groups have worked with in several corners of the world, Yoga becomes a very personal sanctuary. “It’s about reconnecting,” he says. “Not only with your body, but with your sense of self-worth, your spirit, and the natural world around you.”
Joshua’s method of Yoga comes with the integration of nature healing therapy and the sound of healing, putting more emphasis on holistic approaches to trauma transformation. Mostly his lessons take place outside, mixing the quiet sounds of nature with Yoga poses for PTSD carefully guided.
What Happens in a PTSD-Focused Yoga Class?
1. A Safe and Supportive Environment
These classes are often smaller in size and led by instructors trained in trauma-sensitive Yoga. The language used is gentle, and participation is always optional. There’s no pressure to perform or “keep up,” which is essential for individuals who may feel vulnerable or triggered in group settings.
2. Grounding Techniques
Classes begin with grounding practices to help participants feel safe and present. This may involve breathing exercises (pranayama), visualization, or simply feeling the support of the ground beneath the body. Grounding is crucial for trauma survivors who often feel disconnected from their physical selves.
3. Mindful Movement
The Yoga poses for PTSD are intentionally slow and mindful. Gentle stretches, restorative poses, and light flows help participants re-engage with their bodies without pushing past their comfort zone. These movements encourage a sense of control and agency, which trauma often strips away.
4. The Healing Power of Sound
Many trauma-informed Yoga classes incorporate sound therapy. This might include soft instrumental music, singing bowls, chimes, or guided chanting. The healing power of sound can soothe the nervous system and evoke a feeling of deep relaxation. Some classes use specialized practices like Scars Sound Therapy, a method known for releasing emotional blockages through frequencies and vibrations.
5. Nature Healing Therapy
Whenever possible, Yoga for PTSD classes may be held in natural settings. Being in nature enhances the therapeutic experience, offering additional sensory engagement and promoting tranquility. Joshua Barrett has often led such sessions in forest clearings, near rivers, or under open skies, bringing participants closer to the earth and their internal healing rhythm.
6. Closing Reflections and Integration
At the end of each session, time is given for silent reflection or journaling. Some classes include short group discussions, although speaking is always optional. This is when many find a deeper sense of self-worth emerging. Trauma might leave scars, but reflection helps transform those scars into stories of resilience.
The Benefits of Yoga for PTSD
Emotional Regulation
Consistent practice helps calm the nervous system, making it easier to regulate emotions. Yoga supports the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the “rest and digest” state, which counters the constant alertness common in PTSD.
Improved Sleep
Many PTSD sufferers report insomnia and restless nights. Yoga encourages better sleep by reducing anxiety, easing physical tension, and encouraging a sense of peace before bedtime.
Enhanced Self-Worth
Trauma can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, or worthlessness. As you progress through Yoga, gaining strength, flexibility, and mental clarity, a renewed sense of self-worth naturally follows.
Body Awareness and Empowerment
Yoga teaches you to listen to your body’s signals and respect its boundaries. This body awareness leads to a feeling of empowerment—you get to decide how far to stretch, when to rest, and how to move. That kind of control is deeply healing for trauma survivors.
Yoga Poses for PTSD: What You Might Encounter
PTSD may change your life, but it doesn’t define it. Through trauma transformation, mindful movement, and reconnection with your self-worth, Yoga can help you uncover the strength and serenity that have always been within you. While every instructor designs their classes differently, here are a few poses commonly used in trauma-informed Yoga classes:
- Child’s Pose (Balasana): A grounding pose that fosters a sense of safety and surrender.
- Legs-Up-The-Wall (Viparita Karani): Promotes relaxation and aids in calming the nervous system.
- Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana): Encourages gentle spinal movement and breath coordination.
- Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana): Builds strength and offers emotional upliftment.
- Corpse Pose (Savasana): Often done with modifications, this pose promotes total relaxation and integration.
These poses are introduced with great care and sensitivity, allowing participants to explore movement without pressure.
Integrating Yoga into Your Healing Journey
Corpse position: Done usually with adjustments, it gives total relaxation and integration.
Healing is not a linear path. Some days you may feel open and connected, and other days you may feel completely triggered and shut down. That is more than okay. What matters is showing up with compassion for yourself.
Whether you are seeking healing through mission trips, therapy sessions, or spiritual guidance, Yoga can be a grounding constant. It teaches resilience, patience, and the profound truth that healing is possible.
Joshua Barrett often shares, “Yoga doesn’t erase the past, but it helps you write a new story going forward. One breath, one pose, one moment at a time.”
Find Peace: Understanding Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a very difficult animal. And, in the event that you are anything like me, you carry pain and shame close to the way that you carry oxygen. During such a long time, shame or pain made me who I was and how I responded to situations until it controlled my way of living.
The biggest problem that all of us find hard to overcome in forgiveness is the misconception of the meaning of forgiveness, that it is to forget, or to condone. Nevertheless, forgiveness is always not about the other person. Repentance is so that you can be forgiven when you can live without the weight in your system.
The Mayo Clinic provides a straightforward way of summarizing forgiveness.
Forgiveness varies with people. However, in its broad sense it refers to a conscious choice of abandoning the feeling of resentment and anger.
The offence or the action that pained you can always be there. However, by working on forgiveness you can reduce that hold in the act. It can assist you in the liberation out of the grip of the person who offended you. In some cases, forgiveness can result in understanding, empathy, and compassion towards the person, who harmed you.
Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting or justification of damage inflicted to you. It does not always translate to reconciliation with the harmer either. Forgiveness ushers in a certain kind of peace that makes you concentrate on yourself and also enables you to continue with life.”
4 benefits of Mindfulness
Wondering if mindfulness is for you? After chasing any way to confront my past, address my character defects, and overcome my addiction, I found mindfulness to be the most helpful practice as its effects touch every aspect of your life and thus the life around you.
Here are 4 ways (plus a handful More) that Mindfulness can affect you both mentally and physically.
Mindfulness has many benefits, including:
- Stress and anxiety reduction: Mindfulness can help you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, and learn to respond to them more positively.
- Improved sleep: Mindfulness can help improve sleep.
- Increased awareness: Mindfulness can help you gain insight into your motivations, behaviors, and decision-making processes.
- Improved relationships: Mindfulness can help improve your relationships.
Other benefits of mindfulness include:
- Better emotional regulation
- Mental clarity
- Improved working memory
- Resilience
- Lowered blood pressure
- Depression management
6 Ways to take a breath
We all know as I say many times that we cannot control our emotions but what we do with them is in our control. Our response becomes a turning point of developing or regressing. To breathe is one of the things I have come to realize can help me in creating a better situation when I am at a high-emotion situation. Intentional and controlled breathing is what worked with me.
These are 6 methods of breathing more consciously.
Diaphragmatic breathing This is used to make the lungs work more effectively by the usage of abdominal muscles and diaphragm. The diaphragm gets smaller as oxygen enters the body, and the belly becomes bigger.
4-7-8 breathing. This type of breathing implies four seconds of breathing in, seven seconds of holding the air in and eight seconds of breathing out. It is a type of pranayama or a breath regulation practice typical of yoga.
Alternate nostril breathing Alternate nostril breathing is also referred to as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama. It is harvested to harmonize the yin and yang energy and restore balance of the body.
Box breathing This method is also called 4-4-4-4 breathing or square breathing and requires breathing in and out and holding the breath over an equal time of breathing out.
Rhythmical breathing.y Rhythmical breathing also allows the body to absorb more oxygen and not to place significant pressure on the body.
Exhaling and inhaling with the nose and mouth. Some exercises imply breathing through the nose only, but the runners should breathe with their mouth and the nose to consume as much oxygen as possible.
Final Thoughts
If you are thinking about Yoga for PTSD, know you are not alone. There are classes designed just for your needs, taught by instructors who know trauma informed, and communities ready to welcome you. Whether you find solace in the healing power of sound, the calm of nature healing therapy, or the simple strength of moving your body, Yoga can be a powerful companion on your path. PTSD might change your life, but not at all does it define. Through the transformation of what happened, mindful moving and reestablishing self-worth, Yoga might help find the strength and calm that has always been within.
