Can We Be Trauma-Informed? A Conversation With Joanne Spence.
Have you ever called yourself “trauma-informed”? Have you ever wondered what it means to be a trauma-informed yoga teacher?
This episode is an evolving conversations episode, where we take conversations we been having within our industry and push them forward to new places. “trauma-informed” is definitely one of those conversations, so I’ve called in the expert of all experts…Joanne Spence.
Take a listen, friends. She drops some serious wisdom on us.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
*PTSD and trauma are common words that we like to throw around in our culture. Making sure that we use the correct language when defining what you are speaking about is important. So many of us have experienced trauma, but calling everything “trauma, or PTSD” isn’t always helpful for us or the people in our rooms.
*Hospitality and choices are two big parts of being a trauma-informed teacher, and if you go back to the red flags podcast, these two things are the biggest red flags listed by students of the practice. Be welcoming. Give choices. If you only do two things, do those.
*As usual, thinking deeply about how, when, and why we touch are students is in the forefront of how we can be trauma-informed.
*Trauma-informed teaching can happen in any space. Accessible yoga spaces, hot-power-flow spaces, and everything in between.
*The practice that is the best for you is the one that you do.Thank you Joanne for that lovely quote. We, as yoga professionals, need to hear that as many times as our students do.
*And finally, Intentionality matters in how we practice for ourselves. We have to show up for ourselves with the same vigor and dedication that we show up for other people.
Also, Joanne mentioned that I do have an article published in the current issue of Yoga Therapy Today on building SEVA into our business models. If you want to take a read, the link to that article is in the show notes.
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