How Yoga Can Help You Release Your Withheld Trauma
Trauma affects more than our minds – it can also be held deep within our bodies, causing many physical issues until the situation is rectified and/or said trauma is dealt with. It can manifest its self in many different physical and mental ailments… and cause you quite a bit of trouble down the line.
Recent evidence suggests that body-based therapies and psychotherapy work best for people who have experienced and are still dealing with trauma. Traditional “talk” therapy alone can bring up painful memories and rekindle the pain. The effects of what happened—the terror, rage, helplessness, and depression that later manifest in the body—cannot be undone even though the mind may spend countless hours replaying the incident and recounting the story.
This is where yoga can come into play.
So How Does Yoga Help?
According to research, trauma needs to be rectified with a two-prong approach. This also means that trauma-informed yoga combines treating the effects of trauma on the mind and body with improving spiritual well-being and consciousness. Regaining control, love, or acceptance that may have been threatened during a traumatic experience is possible through this safe connection with your body.
People frequently picture trauma as a one-time occurrence that happens and is then over. One and done, you could say. However, trauma is the leftovers from past events that have found their way into your body.
In essence, stress, particularly from experiencing trauma, can cause our chakra(s) to fall out of alignment and balance. This dis-alignment can result in a variety of physical and emotional symptoms that have an impact on how well one functions. People who have experienced trauma develop a fear of their bodily sensations, causing shallow breathing, tension, and anxiety about what they are feeling internally. They carry stress in their muscles and bones; they can feel pain, stress, anxiety, and more.
In turn, increasing our knowledge of how trauma affects our spiritual selves through the chakra system opens up avenues for both people and healers to investigate and address these issues.
Yoga itself encourages us to develop a mindful awareness of the interplay of our body, mind, and breath. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which, in turn, helps bring our body back in line with our default, trauma-free setting.
The effects of trauma on our minds, bodies, and spirits of us as people are pervasive. However, our capacity to heal ourselves through methods like trauma-informed yoga offers a great deal of hope. When you feel ready, seek a yoga instructor knowledgeable about this particular style of yoga so they can support you in the best way possible.
Need a stunning and tranquil setting to aid in the release of a long-held trauma from your body?
Begin or continue your journey at the lovely Anamaya Yoga and Health Retreat Center, a place to relax, renew your body, mind, and soul, get away from the stresses of daily life, and find an inner peace uncommon in today’s world.
For more information, get in touch with us immediately on our “Contact Page”, or send us an email for more information.
