A trauma-sensitive, body-led pathway to settling the nervous system “Within the aliveness of the relational field – despite the pain of the present, the traumas of the past, and the broken dreams of the future – you may see that it was only love after all, taking whatever form it must so that it may unfold itself into this world, in ways the mind may never understand.” — Matt Licata I remember lying in Śavāsana, completely still, but something in me was still moving — thought

Yoga, the Kleshas, and the Practice of Clear Seeing Across cultures and generations, human beings have wondered why certain patterns seem to repeat themselves. We see it in families, in relationships, and sometimes in the quiet ways we respond to our own lives. A reaction arises that feels strangely familiar. A dynamic returns that we thought we had already worked through. At times it can feel a little like déjà vu  — the sense that we have somehow been here before. Over the

Vagus nerve mind-body pathway. Polyvagal Theory Polyvagal Theory is currently being called “untenable” by a group of scientists. There are formal critiques. There are published responses. There is strong opinion on both sides. As a yoga therapist who has worked clinically with bodies for more than three decades, I find this moment neither alarming nor dismissible. It invites reflection. Whenever a dominant framework is challenged, we are given an opportunity to examine what w

Have you ever been told to “connect with your body” but didn’t know how? Interoception — our sixth sense — can become muted through stress and trauma. Discover how somatic Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) helps rebuild inner listening in a way that honours choice, pacing, and relationship.

Why you might feel worse before you feel better? After 35 years as a reflexologist, the question I am asked most often is: “How many sessions will I need?” And my answer is usually this: let’s see how you respond in the next 24 hours. Because what happens after a session tells us so much. Sometimes people leave feeling lighter immediately. Sometimes they sleep deeply that night. And sometimes — and this is important — they feel a little worse before they feel better. I always

Yoga Therapy happens within a therapeutic relationship. Yoga therapy is a trauma-sensitive, somatic approach  that works with the nervous system, supporting people living with PTSD, complex trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, and stress-related conditions. Yoga classes can be a supportive practice for wellbeing. Yoga therapy, however, is a clinically informed, personalised somatic therapy  designed to support people living with PTSD, complex trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, and ner

Trauma-sensitive yoga practice supporting ethical living What might living yoga look like for you? When we practise yoga over time, something subtle begins to happen. We start listening more closely — to the body, to our inner responses, to what feels true. From that listening, a sense of alignment can begin to form. Some things ask to shift. Some to soften. Some simply to be accepted. For me, yoga created a pause where this kind of listening became possible. A respect for in

I’ve been sitting with something I heard recently in a conversation about mental health diagnosis — and it’s stayed with me. More than that, it’s left me feeling quietly hopeful. Perhaps we’re headed toward a day where a diagnosis is less of an albatross for an individual and more of a red flag that an entire system needs to be attended to — perhaps healed. This reflection, shared by Dave Emerson , names something many people already sense in their bodies. For a long time, me

Why Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Therapy Has Always Worked With Titration and Pendulation The Rhythmic Intelligence Yoga Has Always Known In trauma-aware healing today, we often hear the words titration  and pendulation  — terms used in somatic trauma therapy to describe how the nervous system restores itself safely. What’s important to name is this: Yoga therapy has always understood these principles. Long before modern neuroscience, yoga recognised that healing does not occur thro

I remember hearing Thich Nhat Hanh say something like, “If you haven’t cried in meditation, you haven’t really started meditating.”  At the time, it settled somewhere in the background of my meditation practice. Years later, after an emergency caesarean, it came back to me through my body. I was in a yoga class, in child’s pose, crying. Something was moving that needed room. My body had been guided through survival, and afterwards there was still a lot unfolding. The teacher

Discover how an 8-week Trauma-Sensitive Yoga program can support emotional steadiness, self-connection, and nervous-system safety for people living with BPD, trauma, or ADHD traits.

In this reflective essay, Kendra explores the meeting point between somatics, sacred geometry, and expressive arts — a return to nature’s patterns as pathways for balance and belonging. Written after a week of creative immersion in the Balinese jungle, this piece invites you to rediscover the body as its own mandala and creativity as a gentle act of healing.

Understanding Ahimsa in Yoga - 'doing no harm'. Ahimsa, traditionally meaning non-harming , has always been central to yoga’s ethical path. In trauma healing, however, it softens into something more intimate: an invitation to live with a more embodied intention. It becomes a practice of noticing within the body, allowing tenderness and safety to be nurtured. As Yoga Therapist Matthew Taylor writes: “Conscious ahimsa is simply awareness. What we don’t notice, we can’t protect.

Discover sacred somatics — the balance of kundalini kriya (fire) and soma (moon nectar). Learn how yoga therapy and TRE frame shaking as prana’s intelligence, supporting containment, safety, and embodied belonging.

sculpture of man expressing pain Understanding Pain and Somatic Therapy: 4 Myths That Might Be Keeping You Stuck If you’re living with...

women using neurogenic tremors for somatic healing How TRE Trauma Release Supports Trauma-Informed Somatic Healing If you’ve tried to...

Your Gut Knows First: Why Interoception Is the Sixth Sense We’ve Been Ignoring You know that moment your chest tightens before your mind...

Learning to live from the inside out and in relationship with others, arises from that healing place of human relationship.

Photo by Cynthia Sciberras I was recently on Yuin Country in a ceremony with First Nations yoga teachers , in the spirit of...

by Matt Erb and Kristine Weber This material originally appeared in Yoga Therapy Today, published by the International Association of...