Confused About the Difference Between Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, Trauma-Informed Yoga, and General Yoga?
Here’s How Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Can Actually Support Deep Healing
If you’ve ever felt confused by all the different types of yoga out there, you’re not alone.
You might see the terms trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive being used—but what do they really mean?
And how are they different from each other and from a typical yoga class?
If you’ve been in therapy for years and still feel stuck—if you understand your trauma, have maybe read books on the subject, have talked endlessly about the story but can’t stop the triggers, can’t turn the switch off — there’s nothing wrong with you,
You just haven’t brought your body into the healing yet.
That’s where trauma-sensitive yoga comes in.
Unlike mainstream yoga classes focused on flexibility or fitness, trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) isn’t about getting it right. It’s not about touching your toes or mastering a pose.
It’s about reclaiming choice, rebuilding safety, and learning how to feel again—at a pace your nervous system can actually handle.
Until the body feels safe again, it’s almost impossible to heal.
That’s where trauma-sensitive yoga comes in.
Trauma-Sensitive vs Trauma-Informed vs General Yoga: What’s the Difference?
General yoga is what you’ll find in most studios. The focus is often on physical fitness, flexibility, sometimes “flowing through the poses.” or sometimes the emphasis may be on correct alignment within the pose. These classes may be supportive, but they aren’t designed with trauma in mind. In fact, they can sometimes unknowingly re-trigger people through touch, language, fast-paced sequences or even some of the poses themselves. With trauma, there is usually a need to feel safe, to not stand out - so you perhaps dissociate or shut down in order not to feel triggered. Here’s the rub though, yoga is designed to open the flow of energy and remove the blockages. So you end up fighting your own healing responses.
Trauma-informed yoga means the teacher understands how trauma impacts the nervous system and takes that into account—maybe offering more choice, avoiding hands-on adjustments, and using invitational language. It’s a great start, but it’s often still structured like a traditional class.
Trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) goes deeper. It’s not just about changing how the class is delivered. It’s an entirely different approach to movement, sensation, and relationship with the body. Some Trauma Sensitive Yoga like TCTSY (my training school) is a validated clinical adjunct therapy and has its foundations in trauma theory, attachment theory, neuroscience and hatha yoga. The focus is not on the poses—it’s on presence, safety, and reconnection.
TSY uses the vehicle of yoga to explore choice making, interoception ( noticing sensations inside your body) and eventually exploring titration and taking effective action. Another key element is a shared authentic experience; it is a shared practice between participant/s and facillitator, each making choices and being present for their own individual experience. It isn’t just about doing poses differently—it’s about creating a space where you’re invited to notice, feel, and choose.
If trauma took your choice away, especially in childhood, then healing is about reclaiming that choice—slowly, gently, and over time.
In Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, you’re not told what to do. You’re invited to explore movement and sensation at your own pace.
TSY is about healing, not performance.
It’s about feeling, not achieving.
And it’s about choice, always—because trauma is the absence of choice.
If you’ve been in therapy for years and still feel stuck—if you understand your trauma, have maybe read books on the subject, have talked endlessly about it but can’t stop the triggers, can’t turn the switch off — there’s nothing wrong with you,
You just haven’t brought your body into the healing yet.
That’s where trauma-sensitive yoga comes in.
Unlike mainstream yoga classes focused on flexibility or fitness, trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) isn’t about getting it right. It’s not about touching your toes or mastering a pose.
It’s about reclaiming choice, rebuilding safety, and learning how to feel again—at a pace your nervous system can actually handle.
Why is the body so important in trauma healing?
Because trauma lives in the body.
Not just as memory, but as sensation, reaction, contraction. You might know you’re safe now, but your body still flinches. Still braces. Still shuts down.
Many of my clients say things like:
“I understand my past, but I still feel anxious all the time.”
“I go into freeze mode—everything goes numb.”
“I know I’m triggered, but I can’t stop it.”
These are nervous system responses. They aren’t logical. And they don’t shift just because you cognitively understand what caused them.
To truly heal, your body needs to feel safe again.
And that’s exactly what trauma-sensitive yoga supports.
So what is trauma-sensitive yoga, really?
At its heart, trauma-sensitive yoga is a gentle, invitational practice. It’s rooted in creating choice, cultivating awareness, and reconnecting you to your body—on your terms.
Here’s how it differs from a typical yoga class:
Choice over compliance – You’re never told what to do. You’re invited to explore what feels right for you.
No physical adjustments – Your body is yours. There’s no hands-on correction.
Interoception over appearance – Instead of focusing on what the pose looks like, we focus on how it feels from the inside.
Present-moment awareness – The goal isn’t to “achieve” anything. It’s to notice—gently—what’s happening now.
Relational safety – You’re met with care, not critique. There’s no right or wrong.
It’s not yoga to perform.
It’s yoga to come home to yourself.
Who is it for?
Trauma-sensitive yoga is for anyone who:
Feels disconnected from their body
Struggles with anxiety, numbness, or chronic overwhelm
Has a history of trauma—especially developmental or complex trauma
Has hit a wall with talk therapy alone
Longs to feel more present, alive, and emotionally connected
And it’s especially supportive for people who say things like:
“I don’t know how to feel.”
“I live in my head.”
“I want to feel more, but I don’t know how.”
What does healing through TSY look like?
Starting to notice subtle sensations again—without shutting down
Feeling more grounded and present in daily life
Less reactivity, more choice in how you respond
Growing a sense of trust in your body
Feeling safe enough to feel
And eventually… feeling joy, intimacy, connection again
This isn’t a quick fix. It’s a slow return. A rewiring. A remembering.
But it works—not because it pushes, but because it meets you exactly where you are.
If you’re curious to explore this kind of healing, I offer 1:1 trauma-sensitive yoga sessions online.
They’re gentle, grounded, and completely tailored to you.
Or join my newsletter for somatic tools and reflections to support your healing journey.