When Yoga Makes Trauma Worse

Why “trauma-informed” isn’t always what it claims to be

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I love yoga. It’s my dharma, the Sanskrit word for calling, and has been part of my own healing for decades. But the longer I teach and train clinicians, the more I realize that yoga, in the wrong setting, can actually make trauma symptoms worse.

I know that sounds strange — yoga is often marketed as the antidote to stress, anxiety, and trauma. But not every form of yoga supports direct nervous system regulation, and not every teacher has the training to recognize when a student is being pushed beyond their capacity.

Let’s talk about that.

When Yoga Re-Triggers Instead of Regulates

Certain styles of yoga can overstimulate the nervous system — and for someone living with trauma, that overstimulation can feel like threat rather than release.

• Hot or heated classes can spike heart rate, mimic the physiological sensations of panic, and confuse the body’s sense of safety.

• Power or flow-based classes often demand endurance and intensity, which can replicate trauma dynamics around pushing through discomfort or overriding bodily cues.

• Language that’s authoritarian or shaming (“don’t quit,” “push into the pose,” “if you have to modify / can't do the full pose”) can reinforce patterns of disconnection from the body — the very opposite of what trauma recovery needs.

• Physical adjustments or unexpected touch is inappropriate and can be invasive, even if the teacher’s intent is kind, or the student isn't comfortable saying no.

• Competitive culture (mirrors, perfectionism, performative, comparison) reactivates the same shame responses that many survivors are trying to heal from.

It’s not that these styles are “bad.” They simply aren’t therapeutic for trauma. They weren’t designed for trauma recovery.

The Problem with “Trauma-Informed” Yoga

The phrase trauma-informed yoga is everywhere now. And while it’s a good sign that awareness has grown, it’s also become almost meaningless.

What I see too often is this: a teacher takes one workshop, hears a few terms about the nervous system, and then rebrands their gentle yoga class.

Generally speaking, in the yoga community Trauma-Informed Yoga seems to mean to many yoga teachers: “I’ve been informed that there’s a word called trauma.”

The result? A softer playlist, dimmed lights, and a few disclaimers about doing what feels right for you. That’s not inherently wrong — but it’s not enough.

Being trauma-informed isn’t about tone of voice or using gentle stretches. It’s about

understanding how the nervous system functions, how dissociation works, how trauma patterns live in the body, and how to titrate experience safely.

It’s about knowing what to do when someone’s body starts shaking or when a student goes blank or suddenly looks confused. It’s about noticing, not fixing. And that’s a skill that comes from clinical understanding and somatic literacy, not just good intentions.

Right now, there’s no regulation for trauma-informed yoga. No licensing, no standardized curriculum, no accountability. That means anyone can use the label — and many do.

When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

I’ve seen even respected teachers — people I otherwise admire — completely miss what trauma-sensitive practice requires. They mean well, but they’ll tell students to “stay with the discomfort” when the nervous system is already maxed out, or they’ll lead intense breathwork without knowing that hyperventilation can trigger panic.

When we don’t understand trauma physiology, we risk re-creating the same experiences of overwhelm, helplessness, or loss of agency that students came to yoga to heal.

That’s why, at Clinical Yoga Institute, we focus on clinically-informed evidence based yoga rather than just trauma-informed yoga. It means combining yoga’s ancient wisdom with evidence-based nervous system science — and teaching clinicians how to recognize what’s happening in the body rather than just trying to teach a class that's gentle.

What True Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Looks Like

• Choice and agency at every step

• Language that invites rather than commands

• Options for stillness and movement — without pressure to “release” anything

• Awareness of breath pacing (no forced deep breathing)

• Understanding signs of hyper- or hypoarousal in the room

• A commitment to do your own regulation work before trying to guide others

When yoga is taught this way, it becomes something entirely different: not just a class, but a nervous system re-education. It can be gentle, powerful, and deeply safe — but only when taught with integrity.

A Final Thought

Yoga has the potential to be one of the most effective somatic tools for trauma recovery — but only when it honors the techniques and methods that have been shown through research to heal trauma, not just a restorative or gentle yoga class.

We don’t need more “trauma-informed” labels. We need more trauma literate teachers — clinicians and practitioners who understand what’s actually happening under the surface.

That’s how we move from well-intentioned yoga to truly healing yoga.