Yoga Therapy for Trauma & Emotional Wellness in Santa Monica, CA
For many people healing from trauma, the body itself can start to feel like unfamiliar territory, a place that no longer feels entirely safe or familiar. Trauma-informed yoga therapy offers a slow, choice-based way back into your own body, without pressure, correction, or performance.
Jacklynne Marder offers trauma-informed yoga therapy to Santa Monica clients as a complement to talk-based and somatic trauma therapy, helping you gently rebuild trust, choice, and connection within your body.
The Power of Trauma-Informed Yoga
Trauma Informed Yoga in Santa Monica, CA, provides a safe and supportive space for healing. Unlike standard yoga practices, this method honors each person’s pace and experience. Through grounding postures, intentional breathing, and guided awareness, participants learn to inhabit their bodies again without judgment or fear. The practice encourages stability and safety, fostering a renewed sense of empowerment and trust within oneself.
Every session is customized to meet the needs of those recovering from trauma, anxiety, or emotional distress. Clients are encouraged to explore sensations, reconnect to breath, and develop body awareness as a form of emotional regulation. Under compassionate guidance, this practice helps individuals restore balance and cultivate resilience, both physically and emotionally.
What Is Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy?
Trauma-informed yoga therapy uses simple, accessible movement and breath to help you reclaim a felt sense of ownership over your body. It shares principles with trauma-sensitive yoga approaches developed specifically for trauma treatment, including choice, body awareness, and invitational movement, which have been studied as complementary interventions for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms.
This is not a yoga class in the traditional sense. Drawing on her trauma-focused clinical training and yoga background, Jacklynne shapes each session around what trauma healing often requires: safety, choice, and time.
How It's Different from a Typical Yoga Class
Several things set this practice apart from a studio class:
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Invitational language: You'll hear options like "you might try..." rather than commands.
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Choice-centered movement: Trauma-informed yoga generally avoids hands-on physical adjustments in favor of verbal guidance, so you remain fully in control of your own body throughout.
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Full choice at every moment: You're always free to modify, skip, or simply rest.
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Interoception over performance: The goal is noticing what's happening inside you, not achieving a particular shape.
These distinctions exist because being told what to do with your body, even gently, can feel unsafe after trauma. Jacklynne builds every session around this principle, giving you the freedom to make choices about how and when you participate.
Who This Practice Supports
Trauma-informed yoga therapy tends to be helpful for people who:
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Feel disconnected from, uncertain about, or unsafe within your body.
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Notice their nervous system swinging between high alert and shutdown.
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Have gained insight through talk therapy but want a more embodied dimension to their healing.
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Find sitting still with their thoughts uncomfortable or overwhelming.
Jacklynne will help you determine during your consultation whether this practice fits where you are right now, or whether it makes more sense to introduce later alongside other work.
What a Session Looks Like
No prior yoga experience is necessary, and there's no expectation around flexibility or fitness. Jacklynne adapts each session to your comfort level, therapy goals, and nervous system rather than following a fixed sequence of movements. Throughout the session, you'll be invited to pause, notice your experience, and choose what feels right for you.
For virtual sessions, you'll want enough private space to move comfortably, with your device positioned so you can follow verbal guidance safely throughout.
Is This the Right Fit for You?
Trauma-informed yoga therapy is often integrated into a broader treatment plan. While somatic therapy follows spontaneous body sensations as they arise, trauma-informed yoga introduces gentle, choice-based movement to help rebuild trust in your body. Depending on your goals, Jacklynne may also incorporate EMDR or Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy as part of your overall care.
Meet Your Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapist
Jacklynne Marder is a licensed marriage and family therapist, California License No. 131000, who also holds a 200-hour yoga teacher certification through Bhakti Yoga Shala, along with dedicated trauma-informed yoga teacher training and Trauma Resource Model certification.
This combination allows her to integrate movement with trauma-informed psychotherapy while keeping safety, choice, and emotional readiness central.
Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy for Santa Monica Clients
In-person sessions are available at Jacklynne's Los Angeles office, convenient for clients coming from Santa Monica. This practice can also be adapted for virtual sessions for clients located anywhere in California, guided verbally through movement and breath from the comfort of home.
Taking a Small Step Back Toward Your Body
Reconnecting with your body after trauma doesn't happen all at once. It happens one safe, chosen movement at a time. If you're curious whether trauma-informed yoga therapy feels like the right place to begin, schedule a free 15-minute consultation. Together, you can explore how this approach may fit into your healing journey or whether another therapy would better support your goals.
Frequently asked questions
TESTIMONIALS
"Jacklynne has helped me so much. I have chronic illness and struggle with anxiety, pain and other issues and she has used a mix of somatic therapy, helped me build self-compassion, EMDR which have all been very helpful. I have made progress in many areas and have noticed major improvements in my sense of well-being, self-compassion, and self-esteem as well as a greater window of tolerance. I always look forward to our sessions because I trust her so much, and feel truly cared for by her. I highly recommend Jacklynne as a therapist! "
"I've been working with Jacklynne for a little over a year now and my experience has been very positive. Jacklynne is great at asking the right questions and giving you space to figure things out on your own. This is my second time experiencing therapy and we're just now getting into some methodologies like "parts work" that I didn't know existed which have been very enlightening. Thank you Jacklynne for showing up and spending time and energy with me so I can get to know myself better :)"
"I was immediately impressed by the thoughtful and incisive questions Jacklynne asked. She has a kind presence and I felt very comfortable sharing with her. She presented me with tools in a clear and concise way which I appreciate because I have a short attention span. When I asked questions about the application of the tools, she gave clear and quick feedback. I left my session impressed by her listening skills, her observations and helpful recommendations. I felt a sense of relief after the session and I couldn’t stop smiling. It felt good to feel comfortable sharing things I usually keep to myself. I look forward to working with her."