Yoga – Nadeeka Karunaratne, PhD

In my work with survivors of sexual and relationship violence, I have seen how culturally-sustaining and power-conscious services like trauma-healing yoga can foster radical healing. Engaging in yoga has been found to reduce the effects of trauma by decreasing post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Yoga can also support connection to one’s body and can promote self-compassion.

Program structures include one-time trauma-informed yoga sessions and multi-week trauma-healing yoga series, typically ranging from 3 to 8 weeks. I teach virtual programs and series as well as in-person yoga sessions.

I cater to the specific needs of organizations and institutions in designing a trauma-informed yoga program that best suits your goals; I have collaborated with various departments (e.g. cultural centers, advocacy offices) on multiple campuses to lead trauma-healing yoga programs.

contact about me your yoga programming needs

Trauma-informed yoga instruction is a form of teaching yoga that embodies principles of trauma-informed care such as choice, empowerment, and consistency. As an instructor, I use invitational language, provide options for poses and engagement, create a physical environment that helps participants feel less vulnerable, and do not offer physical assists in postures. I consider the role of intersecting systems of oppression in my yoga facilitation, always sharing the origins of yoga, reading quotes from women of color authors, displaying visual images of diverse bodies, and playing music by artists of color. Whether in the community or on a college campus, the central goal of my yoga instruction is to empower trauma survivors and minoritized individuals to make choices about their bodies and find affirming outlets for healing.