As therapeutic yoga providers a large part of how I practice therapy and yoga anymore is via technology.  The pandemic really changed the game of how services are provided in the industry.  Honestly we all think it’s really refreshing that we are able to resource technology in this way to be more accessible.   Our movement teachers/facilitators  have clients from all over Texas and yoga clients from all over the world. We regularly will have students attend yoga classes from every time zone in America. How cool is that! 

The type of yoga that we at AP Counseling and Yoga teach whether it is in a 1:1 or a group format is trauma informed and therapeutic in nature. Many of our classes are also focused on  eating disorder recovery. In a group class structure it is not uncommon to have the majority of students keep their camera’s off and our teachers usually will record only themselves and provide the playback to the students so they can revisit the class if they would like.  

Keeping in mind the population and the therapeutic nature of our classes we have been asked the question at times how does a teacher keep their classes safe? We are very clear that yoga and movement classes are themed to provide tools and practices that may be supportive as an adjunct to their mental health treatment.  This is not a replacement for mental health therapy and I am not assessing, diagnosing, or processing.  We are utilizing clinical adaptations of hatha yoga as a way to integrate mind and body connection. 

In our paperwork waivers and intake forms we ask the student to certify that they are medically stable, provide a name of their dietitian or therapist, and explain that they hold responsibility to adjust their movements whenever they experience or is needed.

Our classes are therapeutic in nature and tend to be taught in a gentle style.  As trauma informed facilitators and teachers we encourage throughout the entire class to notice sensations and provide multiple options for with permission to attune to their needs.  We also aim to be accessible and offer variations of shapes to be inclusive of differences in ranges of movement.

We clearly label our classes as either mat or chair based offerings and encourage anyone with any differences in range of movement, injuries, or anything else they are experiencing in their body to reach out to us via email.  Our teachers before a program starts will also send out a bcc welcome email to participants asking these same questions.  

 We do our best to have awareness and to foster a sense of safety and agency for participants both physically and also emotionally. As we teach in a therapeutic setting with many of our classes designed as an adjunct support for mental health we have increased training and awareness of the needs of our populations we serve. 

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We all have been trained to be trauma informed, eating disorder informed, and to teach trauma sensitive classes. We have all taught in behavioral health, substance abuse, and eating disorder recovery treatment centers and hospitals that treat all levels of acuity. We open all our classes acknowledging that we want all participants to honor their bodies and their needs.  If they are triggered or activated and need to take a break we encourage that.  We encourage that in person and in virtual settings.  We encourage our participants to reach out to their therapists to process anything that may come up in a movement session and we are trained in emotional regulation and grounding techniques and design our classes to have them woven throughout intentionally to provide opportunities for regulation during the class. 

In short our goal with our movement classes is to provide a space that is trauma informed, eating disorder informed, and aim to be accessible as an adjunct support for mental health.  We encourage and foster an environment of agency and choice. Our hope is that through these movement classes a participant will develop a stronger sense of self trust and agency to be able to care for themselves during their classes.