Healing the Mind and Body
Once a month, a yoga teacher works with our clients and teaches a trauma-informed yoga class. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, yoga can, “Help people manage anxiety or depressive symptoms associated with difficult life situations.”
Our yoga instructor also teaches clients how to keep a mindfulness journal, teaching them the importance of paying attention to the trauma stored in their body, recognizing how it manifests itself, and using it to heal.
Teri Devlin Maddox is a survivor of abuse and a yoga teacher. She is also one of our biggest supporters. During her time recovering from abuse, Teri started practicing yoga as a way to heal.
“First, yoga gave me a healthy outlet for moving my body. Also, it was ‘my time.’ It was my own self care, away from my kids. It was, and still is, a place where I don’t have to worry about them or anyone else. It gave me permission to be me, and I learned how to love myself exactly the way I am. Yoga isn’t just about the physical poses. Yoga gives us tools for calming down, how to self regulate, and how to interrupt negative self talk.”
A Tool for Tackling Trauma
“Yoga is a fabulous tool for domestic violence survivors for many reasons. Yoga encourages self-acceptance and self-love. For me, one of the most significant aspects of yoga that I used off the mat was breath work. Learning how to use different breathing techniques to help my calm down during anxiety and panic attacks was amazing. Suddenly I had some control!
I have worked with woman who are victims of domestic violence or have suffered trauma in other ways. They have reported that yoga has given them tools for calming down, more loving and accepting of there bodies, and they are able to recognize earlier when triggers are happening. They are more empowered.” ~Teri Devlin Maddox
