Facilitating Trauma-Informed Yoga Through the Lens of the Koshas

It’s estimated that 70% of adults globally experience some form of trauma in their lifetime, and although psychotherapy is the gold standard treatment, many people are turning to yoga to help them manage their trauma-related symptoms (English et al., 2022).

Understanding trauma through a yogic lens and knowing how to facilitate a trauma-informed session can therefore significantly shape your participants’ experience.

What is trauma?

There are many different definitions of trauma. Here are a few:

Trauma overwhelms the ordinary adaptation to life. Traumatic events generally involve threats to life or bodily integrity, or a close personal encounter with violence and death (Herman, 1992).

Psychology Today describes it as a person’s emotional distress in response to an event that overwhelms their capacity to emotionally digest it.

The Australian Psychological Society states that very frightening or distressing events may result in psychological harm. This harm is called trauma and can affect a person’s ability to cope or function normally.

My favourite definition comes from Peter Levine (2010), who says trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.

It’s important to remember however, that not everyone who experiences a traumatic event goes on to receive a trauma diagnosis such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD. If you’re unsure of the difference, PTSD is generally linked to a single incident, whereas Complex PTSD involves multiple events, often repeated over an extended period and mainly in interpersonal contexts.

Core trauma-informed principles for facilitators

During traumatic experiences, choice and agency are usually taken away. Part of healing and recovery is therefore regaining a sense of agency and autonomy (Herman, 1998). As facilitators, we need to avoid being prescriptive or making assumptions, because what benefits one person won’t benefit everyone.

Best practice is to use choice-based, invitational language and create an environment with enough structure to be somewhat predictable. Showing up as your true authentic self and creating a collaborative experience which minimises power dynamics is also key.

Most Western allied health professionals view trauma through a medical diagnostic lens, and while it may be beneficial for yoga teachers to have a baseline understanding of these diagnoses, looking at trauma through the lens of the koshas helps us to stay within our scope of practice.

Because trauma can affect people physically, energetically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, the koshas provide yoga facilitators with a unique whole-being framework for understanding and supporting people who have experienced trauma.

1. Annamaya Kosha (Physical Body)

Trauma often shows up physically as chronic tension, muscle tightness, headaches or digestive issues. You may also notice trembling, sweating, or a participant who seems disconnected from their body.

When facilitating in a trauma-informed manner, the focus is often on how you share rather than what you share. This is where predictability, choice and invitational cues are foundational. This can feel clunky at first, especially if your style is more instructional, but it often becomes more natural with practice. You’ll also see your participants’ practice shift as they grow familiar with a more empowered experience.

If you’re wondering what to teach, I recommend drawing on the gunas and meeting people where they are. Some will prefer a more dynamic practice, while others will want something grounded.

2. Pranamaya Kosha (Energy Body)

Trauma can disrupt the flow of energy in the body, leading to heaviness, numbness or hypervigilance. We can often see this disruption in a participant’s breathing, which may be shallow, rapid or held.

One way to support this kosha is to invite curiosity to the breath. You might ask participants to notice how their breath impacts their energy levels or maybe invite them to be curious about whether the inhalation or exhalation is longer, or to notice the temperature of the breath.

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of pranamaya in mental health, stress reduction and trauma (Haller, Mitzinger and Cramer, 2023; Jain, 2025; Hopper et al., 2019; Zaccaro et al., 2018). Even so, these practices may not suit everyone.

Trauma-informed facilitation means remembering each participant’s unique physiology. There is no one-size-fits-all method, so remember to invite curiosity around every pranayama practice.

3. Manamaya Kosha (Mind/Emotional Body)

Trauma often distorts mental patterns, leading to negative thought loops, emotional dysregulation, memory loss and difficulty with concentration. It can also affect emotional resilience, triggering fear, avoidance or distrust of others.

Guided mindfulness can help participants observe their thoughts and emotions. The key is supporting them to do so without judgement. Many people can observe their thoughts, but the non-judgemental part is where the real practice lies.

If you’re working one-on-one, you can co-create a mindfulness practice that suits the person. In a group setting, I recommend Yoga Nidra over guided visualisation, as some imagery may be triggering for some participants (Gibson, 2024; Wästlund, Salvesen and Stige, 2023).

4. Vijnanamaya Kosha (Wisdom Body)

People who have experienced trauma may lose their ability to trust their inner wisdom – that gut instinct feeling.

Although trauma-informed yoga focuses on offering choice, sometimes participants don’t want to make one, and that’s okay too. Choice-making can be draining, so ensure participants know they can also choose to copy you. Rebuilding trust with one’s internal world may take time.

Yoga facilitators often discuss whether to facilitate on or off the mat. I was originally taught to teach off the mat, giving verbal cues, because demonstrating postures was seen as doing my own practice rather than teaching.

Now I see the benefits of practising alongside participants, having a shared experience. This also gives people the choice to follow what I’m doing, and it creates a shared, authentic experience, which is what many of us are craving. Always remember however, that your role is first and foremost to be the facilitator of the session.

5. Anandamaya Kosha (Bliss Body)

The deepest and most subtle layer, the Anandamaya kosha, represents bliss and joy. Trauma can block access to our true natural self, leaving people with a sense of feeling disconnected from feeling peace and happiness.

You can support this kosha by creating a safe, predictable and nurturing environment, with time and space for participants to rediscover moments of joy and contentment in their own way and in their own time.

Like sleep or meditation, bliss can’t be forced. What we can do is create the conditions for it to arise spontaneously.

Staying within your scope

I’m passionate about creating trauma-informed environments and a trauma-informed world, where we all have space to heal and a sense of belonging, and where we can show up as our authentic selves.

As a yoga facilitator, you can play a pivotal role by offering physical practices, breathwork and mindfulness in a trauma-informed way. This can have a significant impact on people who come to your sessions hoping yoga will support their trauma-related symptoms.

It’s equally important to stay within your scope of practice as a yoga facilitator, always remembering to refer participants who need extra support. I’d suggest having a list of trauma-informed yoga therapists and counsellors that you can recommend when required.