Although I had encountered yoga before, it wasn’t until I came across The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk that everything really clicked for me. In this book, Van der Kolk explains how yoga can help people who have experienced trauma reconnect with their bodies, regulate their emotions, and calm their nervous systems.
After being diagnosed with CPTSD, I was looking for ways to alleviate my symptoms. The book is thick and can be overwhelming, but when I saw the chapter on yoga in the table of contents, my interest was immediately sparked. On Curaçao, I knew yoga was accessible, while many other recommendations in the book were difficult or impossible to implement at the time. I opened that chapter, and without exaggeration, I can say it has completely changed my course over the past five years.
Trauma Is Not Just in Your Mind
Many people who have experienced trauma feel disconnected from their bodies or experience constant tension and restlessness. Van der Kolk shows that trauma can dysregulate the nervous system: muscles remain tense, emotions are difficult to manage, and the sense of safety disappears. Yoga can help break this cycle by bringing awareness to the body and teaching people to listen to their boundaries.
Van der Kolk shares in his book the example of Annie, a woman who suffered severe abuse as a child. Through yoga, she gradually learned to feel her body again, follow her breath, and make small, safe movements. This helped her regain a sense of control and safety within her body.
Learning to Reconnect with Your Body
Breath and Body Awareness
A core component of trauma-informed yoga is learning to observe your breath and bodily sensations. By noticing how your chest rises and falls or how your feet touch the ground, you learn that sensations are temporary and can be tolerated. This helps calm the nervous system, especially the parasympathetic system, which promotes relaxation.
Slow, Safe Movements
Yoga in this context is not about performance. It is about moving slowly, feeling your muscles, and noticing what happens in your body. Certain poses, such as the “Happy Baby” pose, can feel intense for people with sexual trauma. Learning to safely assume these poses helps regain control and comfort in one’s own body.
Interoception: Learning to Feel What’s Happening
Yoga helps develop interoception, the ability to feel and interpret signals from the body. People who have experienced trauma are often “shut off” from their bodies and may feel tension or fear without recognising it. Yoga teaches them to observe these sensations without being overwhelmed, supporting emotional regulation.
Scientific Background
Van der Kolk also discusses how yoga affects the autonomic nervous system. People with PTSD often have a dysregulated system, which makes them overreact to stress or shut down. Yoga can help restore balance, for example, through breathwork and poses that synchronise heart rate and respiration. Studies show that people with trauma can improve their arousal regulation and develop a stronger sense of connection with their bodies through yoga.
Yoga as a Complement to Therapy
Yoga supports the recovery process for trauma and PTSD, but does not replace psychotherapy or EMDR. It helps people recognise and tolerate bodily sensations, gradually processing emotions and memories that were previously overwhelming.
Conclusion
Yoga can be a powerful tool to reconnect with your body, regulate emotions, and find inner calm. It helps people with trauma rediscover their bodies, regain safety and control, and gradually reclaim their lives. While not a substitute for therapy, yoga is a valuable complement that supports the healing process and allows the body to become a source of trust and well-being once again.
Would you like to experience trauma-informed yoga in the safe environment of a private session in Curaçao? Feel free to contact me without obligation.