TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA TRAINING

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JP Centre Yoga

670 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA

Boston, MA

Program Instances

Hybrid

Dates: TBD

100 hours • TBD

Boston, MA, US

Led by

Daniel Max

CYT-L3

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Purpose

Over the course of 35 hours, you’ll build a robust toolbox for trauma-informed, nervous-system-responsive embodiment practices for both individuals and groups. You’ll learn strategies — within your own professional scope of practice — to support students and clients in cultivating nervous system regulation, embodied resilience, greater self-awareness, and ability to respond to one’s own needs.

What to expect

Part One: Foundations Training In-person or asynchronous at your own pace via recording
A curated introduction to nervous-system awareness, adaptive human responses to stress and trauma, and best practices in trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness. The training includes weekly educational modules with presentation and discussion. You’ll also participate in weekly yoga classes to help you feel trauma-informed teaching in action, with space to debrief and extrapolate learning from the practice on the mat. The training is supplemented by additional resources and weekly written reflection homework between sessions.
Part Two: Skills Immersion, Practice, and MentorshipIn-person only
This immersive module deepens your practical skills and confidence. You’ll engage in:
- Small-group teaching practice
- 1:1 partner exchanges to simulate individual client work
- Give and receive feedback from peers to hone your skills
- Opportunities for feedback and mentorship from Alex
- Group discussion, self-study, and opportunities to experience trauma-informed approaches in your own body and nervous system
Trainees complete a final asynchronous assignment after the training to receive their certificate of completion.

Part One focuses on establishing the foundation of trauma-informed education and embodied practice. Then Part Two helps you put concepts into action with supportive mentorship and skillful guidance. Working within your unique scope of professional practice, you will gain strategies to support nervous system regulation and trauma resilience, on and off the yoga mat.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS: All participants must take at least one yoga class with Alex beforehand (in person or via a 48-hour recording window).

Trainees may enroll in Part One only, but must complete Part One or have previously completed a trauma-informed training with Alex* in order to join Part Two.
Part One is available in person, or on your own schedule through recordings. Each weekly session recording is available for 7 days and must be completed before the next session.
Part

Style/Lineage

For anyone looking to hold safer, more therapeutic, and deeply embodied healing space: join Alex Bauermeister (she/her) and an incredible cohort of humans for this educational and experiential 35-hour Trauma-Informed Yoga Training.

Core competencies

By the end of this program, graduates will be able to…

Teaching Skills	Evaluate the consent practices in a yoga program for alignment with trauma-informed standards of student autonomy and safety. Develop a communication style guide for trauma-informed yoga teaching that covers tone, word choice, and how to address the group versus individuals. Evaluate a yoga space and session for inclusivity and safety using a trauma-informed lens that addresses both physical and social factors.
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Evaluate the accuracy of nervous system language used in yoga class instructions to ensure it is helpful and not misleading. Examine how unresolved trauma can be stored in the body and how yoga movement may support or disrupt that process. Design a movement exploration that invites students to discover their own comfortable range of motion without external correction.
Practice Skills	Apply trauma-informed sequencing principles to build a class that moves between activation and rest in a thoughtful, supported way. Analyze a recorded or written class for examples of directive or shaming language and explain their potential impact on students. Evaluate a class for body diversity inclusion by reviewing whether the language and options offered reflect the full range of students present. Evaluate your own nervous system state before and during teaching and assess how it may affect your presence and responsiveness. Design a combined flow-and-restore sequence that serves students who are both under-activated and over-activated in a single class. Create a somatic awareness sequence that integrates breath, sensation tracking, and gentle movement for nervous system support. Apply injury prevention principles to teach a class that avoids high-risk movements and encourages students to move from their own body signals. Apply grounding and anchoring practices during a trauma-informed class using invitational language and multiple options that allow students to remain in contact with the present moment.
Yoga History & Theory	Design a class introduction that clearly communicates trauma-informed values and sets a tone of safety and choice for all students. Develop a brief orientation statement for students that acknowledges the presence of trauma without pathologizing or singling anyone out. Create a nervous system literacy guide for students that explains the stress response states and social engagement in accessible terms. Design a short somatic sequence that guides students through activation and release to support stress cycle completion.
Business Skills	Describe how ongoing supervision, peer consultation, and advanced training support the long-term competency and ethical grounding of trauma-informed yoga teachers.
Lifestyle & Ethics	Explain the ethical responsibilities of a trauma-informed yoga teacher, including confidentiality, role clarity, and do-no-harm principles. Write a personal teaching values statement that names what you want to teach, model, and help students learn, unlearn, and practice. Analyze how unexamined social privilege shapes teaching decisions, language choices, and assumptions about who yoga is for and what healing looks like.