Reclaim Calm and Safety with Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy Near Santa Monica
Reconnect with your body and restore balance through mindful movement
Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy combines gentle movement, breathwork, and mindfulness to help you reconnect with your body in a safe and supportive way. This approach is designed to calm the nervous system, release stored tension, and cultivate a sense of grounded presence. It is suitable for anyone seeking healing from trauma, stress, or emotional overwhelm.
What Is Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy?
A Mind-Body Approach to Healing
Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy is an integrative practice that uses yoga postures, conscious breathing, guided imagery, and mindfulness to create safety within the body. The practice is gentle, non-invasive, and adapted to each individual’s physical and emotional comfort level.
This method recognizes that trauma is not just a mental or emotional experience but also a physiological one. The body holds the memory of past stress and trauma, and through intentional movement and breath, we can help release that stored energy. By increasing awareness of bodily sensations, clients learn to self-regulate and rebuild trust in their physical experience.
How It's Different from a Typical Yoga Class
Several things set this practice apart from a studio class:
-
Invitational language: You'll hear options like "you might try..." rather than commands.
-
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.
-
Full choice at every moment: You're always free to modify, skip, or simply rest.
-
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:
-
Feel disconnected from, uncertain about, or unsafe within your body.
-
Notice their nervous system swinging between high alert and shutdown.
-
Have gained insight through talk therapy but want a more embodied dimension to their healing.
-
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.
The Therapeutic Benefits of Trauma-Informed Yoga
Supporting the Nervous System and Emotional Well-Being
Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy focuses on activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest, recovery, and relaxation. Regular practice can help reduce the effects of an overactive fight-or-flight response, bringing the body and mind back into balance.
Some of the benefits include:
-
Support for anxiety and emotional reactivity
-
Gentle ways to notice and ease physical tension
-
Enhanced body awareness and self-compassion
-
Greater emotional stability and resilience
Each session encourages self-agency and choice, empowering you to listen to your body and move at your own pace.
Who Can Benefit from Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy
Creating Safety and Connection for Every Body
This approach is ideal for individuals recovering from trauma, chronic stress, or burnout, as well as those who feel disconnected from their bodies. It can be beneficial for:
-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
-
Anxiety and panic symptoms
-
Depression and emotional numbness
-
Chronic pain and tension
-
Dissociation or feeling detached from the body
Because trauma affects everyone differently, Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy meets you where you are. You do not need prior yoga experience, flexibility, or strength to benefit. The goal is not performance, but presence.
The Science of Body-Based Healing
Why the Body Is Central to Trauma Recovery
Many trauma clinicians and researchers describe how stress and trauma can show up in the body and that healing occurs when the body feels safe enough to relax and release stored energy. Traditional talk therapy focuses on cognitive processing, while yoga therapy helps integrate these insights physically and emotionally.
By slowing down, breathing deeply, and noticing bodily sensations, clients begin to rewire their nervous systems for safety and connection. This embodied awareness creates lasting change because the nervous system learns that it is safe to rest, feel, and trust again.
Through gentle guidance and mindful movement, Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy complements talk therapy by working directly with the body.
What to Expect in a Yoga Therapy Session
Gentle, Grounded, and Centered in Safety
Each session begins with a short check-in to assess how your body and mind are feeling in the moment. You will be guided through breathwork, simple postures, and grounding techniques designed to promote relaxation and awareness.
You are encouraged to move at your own pace, pause when needed, and focus on sensations rather than appearance or alignment. Sessions may incorporate meditation, visualization, or guided relaxation to deepen the mind-body connection.
Whether you attend in-person or virtually, the environment is calm, respectful, and supportive. The goal is to build a relationship with your body that feels safe, nurturing, and empowering.
Integrating Yoga Therapy with Other Modalities
A Holistic and Personalized Healing Experience
Jacklynne often combines Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy with Somatic Therapy, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to provide a fully integrative approach to trauma healing.
This combination allows clients to process trauma through multiple channels: physical, emotional, and psychological. The result is deeper nervous system regulation, increased body awareness, and sustainable emotional recovery.
Begin Your Journey Toward Balance and Peace
You deserve to feel at home in your body. Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy offers a gentle path to healing, calm, and self-connection. Start your journey today.
Frequently asked questions
