TRAUMA-INFORMED BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT FOR YOGA TEACHERS

A COMPASSIONATE, PRACTICE-BASED APPROACH TO REGULATION, RESILIENCE AND INCLUSION.

YACEP Approved Continuting Professional Development Workshop BY GUEST TEACHER CHERYL ALBRIGHT (OTR/L, C-IAYT, E-RYT 200, YACEP)

hosted by Hersha Yoga Academy in collaboration with YAMA Foundation.

Day 1

Establishing Safety & Regulation

Morning Practice

• Theme: Grounding, Safety & Predictability

• Breath, rhythm, and anchoring

• Choice-based movement and pacing

• Establishing safety through structure and repetition

• Reflection: What supported a sense of safety and ease?

Module 1: Trauma-Informed Foundations in Yoga

• Trauma-informed teaching in yoga spaces

• Stress, overwhelm, and behaviour as communication

• Shifting from control toward regulation and connection

• Creating safety, trust, and choice

Module 2: Nervous System Awareness & Behaviour

• Fight, flight, freeze, and shutdown

• Window of tolerance in classes and sessions

• How yoga can support or challenge regulation

• Recognising early signs of dysregulation

Module 3: Sensory Awareness & Yoga Tools

• Sensory sensitivity, seeking, and avoidance

• Adapting environment: sound, light, space, pacing

• Using breath, movement, pressure, and rhythm intentionally

• When stillness is not regulating

Day 1 Closing: Guided Relaxation

• Support nervous system settling

• Model a trauma-informed class closing

• Integrate learning from the day

Day 2

Co-Regulation, Case Studies & Integration

Morning Practice

• Theme: Co-Regulation & Emotional Support

• Teacher presence as a regulation tool

• Voice, pacing, and attunement

• Supporting emotional release with care and containment

• Reflection: How does co-regulation show up in your teaching?

Module 4: Co-Regulation in Yoga Spaces

• Why does co-regulation comes before self-regulation

• Teacher nervous system awareness

• Non-verbal supports: tone, proximity, modelling

• Repair and reconnection

Module 5: Case Studies & Real-World Application

• Dedicated Interactive Section

• Facilitator-Led Case Studies

• Emotional overwhelm during class

• Behavioural escalation in group settings

• Neurodivergent students and sensory needs

• Trauma responses during breath or stillness

• Family dynamics in yoga spaces, including siblings who attend, observe, or are indirectly impacted

Participant Case Studies

• Participants bring real teaching experiences

• Small-group discussion and guided facilitation

• Reframing challenges through a nervous-system and relational lens

• Exploring compassionate, ethical response options

Module 6: Integration, Culture & Relational Awareness

• Honouring cultural context and lived experience

• Recognising sibling roles and family systems

• Supporting the “well” sibling who may be unseen

• Preventing burnout and nervous system fatigue

Day 2 Closing: Guided Relaxation

• Support integration and grounding

• Model an end-of-training nervous system reset

• Honour the collective experience of learning and connection.