Breakout Session Objectives

Keynote presented by Jenn Lefebre

Our bodies hold physical memories of our experiences.  This program is designed to be an introduction to trauma sensitive yoga for emotional health and healing and is intended for clinicians, yoga teachers, and health professionals wanting to learn about trauma-informed yoga practices.  We will discover how the nervous system is impacted by trauma and explore current empirically validated interventions that will prepare you to begin to implement a practice of restoring connections to mind and body in a variety of practice settings.

Dr. Jenn will lead a brief trauma informed yoga practice, incorporating the trauma sensitive yoga principles and practices discussed.  The practice will be followed by small group discussions on how trauma informed yoga therapy principles were integrated into the practice.

1. Participants will discover how trauma influences the physical, energetic, mental and emotional body, and learning about the evolving research based in neuroscience and integrative practices relating to transforming trauma mind-body responses.
2. Participants will review the elements necessary to create a safe space for trauma survivors.
3. Participants will learn the basic principles of trauma sensitive yoga.
4. Participants will take away specific trauma-informed yoga techniques that they can begin to apply in their settings.

Child and Adolescent Trauma with Jenn Lefebre

As a clinician, yoga teacher, educator or someone working with children in some capacity, you may not know explicitly that the children you work with have experienced trauma.  Therefore, it is vital to keep trauma-informed practices in mind.  Often, the children who are presenting the most challenging behavior or seeking extra attention are also the ones who have experienced trauma, so it’s important we always bring kind and curious attention to our students and what their behavior might be communicating.  This workshop will provide a brief overview of developmental trauma, and provide strategies for applying trauma-informed yoga to our work with this population.

1. Participants will review trauma-informed yoga practices for managing dysregulation and trauma in the body.
2. Participants will learn how to provide students with an opportunity to connect with themselves and feel empowered.
3. Participants will take away specific trauma-informed yoga techniques that they can begin to utilize with children in educational, therapeutic, or other settings.

 

Trauma Informed Yoga for Yoga Teachers with Jenn Lefebre 

This program is designed to help yoga teachers further understand the impact of trauma on their students.  Yoga teachers will develop and refine the skills necessary to use trauma-informed principles within their classes, and how to adjust classes to assist students in developing a greater awareness and understanding of themselves and their practice.

1. Participants will learn modified practices to accommodate diverse settings and support clients with a wide range of abilities.
2. Participants will delve deeper into trauma-sensitive yoga theory and practice.
3. Participants will understand the elements necessary to create a safe space for trauma survivors, and learn how to help students create a safe space for themselves within the their practice.

 

Vicarious Trauma with Gina Furr

• Define vicarious trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue
• Understand who is at risk for vicarious trauma
• Gain an understanding of neurological processes related to empathy, trauma activation, and vicarious trauma
• State signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma
• Recognize preventative and coping strategies related to vicarious trauma
• Opportunities for self-reflection and self-assessment related to vicarious trauma and self-care

 

‘My Body Said What?: Understanding, Noticing and Releasing the Trauma of My Body with Kendra McCallie

• Recognize how and why trauma stores in the body.
• Learn how to notice, listen and understand what my body is telling me.
• Learn tools to regulate my nervous system to release trauma from the body

Avoiding Burnout: Yoga Practices on and off the Mat with Sheila Palmquist

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to identify physical, mental, emotional signs of stress and burnout. Tools will be learned to develop a personalized practice using Yoga (breathing, meditation, and movement) to maintain personal and professional balance and well-being.

Care for Yourself: Mindfulness for Wellbeing with Holly Hatton-Bowers

Working with trauma can be stressful and challenging. Caregiving professionals often sacrifice their own needs to care for others. However, in order to provide optimal care, caregiving professionals must take care of themselves. The cultivation of mindfulness is a way of promoting wellbeing and self-care. This workshop explores our own definitions of wellbeing and discusses mindfulness, potential benefits of mindfulness, and suggestions for cultivating mindfulness.

Yoga Nidra, Benefits and Research: with Jocelyn Richie

Participants will:

• Have a basic understanding of the differences between traditional Yoga Nidra and iRest Yoga Nidra and why I chose to study iRest for my work at the VA
• Have a gist-level understanding of the neurobiology of meditation including the Default Mode Network and the development of a more Present-Centered Network through meditation.
• Be able to identify at least two of the various components of an iRest Yoga Nidra practice
• Be able to state at least two findings from a review of the developing scientific literature regarding the effects of Yoga Nidra
  • EEG
  • Diabetes
  • Sleep
  • Stress Levels
  • PTSD
  • Other
    

    I-Rest: with Jocelyn Richie

    • Personal experience with components of iRest Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation to help illustrates the points above
    • Powerpoint and discussion of how the various components of the iRest Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation was experienced