Reckoning with Abuse of Power in Yoga Communities • Podcast Interview
Sep 03, 2024
How to teach yoga in a trauma sensitive way is a conversation that floods mainstream yoga spaces these days. And with good reason. Every person has small t traumatic experiences, and most people have also experienced Big T Trauma as well.
It is very easy for yoga and asana to be taught in ways that are not trauma sensitive. Being aware of teacher-student power dynamics and how they impact students with trauma is paramount to skillful teaching.
That is why I am so happy to introduce you to Jenn Turner (she/her). A Co-Director at the Center for Trauma and Embodiment, Jenn is a trauma-informed therapist and yoga teacher, and has been at the forefront of combining those two modalities since the early 2000s.
She has also been involved in two different spiritual and healing communities that experienced abuse of power by the leader, as so many of us have. She has advice and a way forward for communities that have experienced this kind of harm.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- what has changed the most in the landscape of trauma sensitive yoga since 2008
- what is most important for yoga teachers to know about when it comes to trauma informed practice
- how power, self reflection and holding containers are all things we need to be thinking about as yoga teachers
- what communities and individuals can do when they recover from abuse inside places that are supposed to be healing spaces
Listen to more of the Mentor Sessions Podcast with Francesca Cervero at https://www.francescacervero.com/podcast