By: Michelle Scandurro
My dog stands in ant piles. It used to drive me crazy. For a while, I even tried to teach her to
recognize and avoid them. After a little comical trial and error and a lot of mutual
misunderstanding, I realized that she just can’t see the difference between an ant pile and not
an ant pile. Actually, she just doesn’t seem to care. So, I let go of trying to teach her to know the
difference.
As soon as I let go, I enjoyed our walks so much more. I came to see my role as her guide – not
to prevent every ant bite, but to help her avoid them when I can. When I remember, I can
survey the landscape and guide her gently away from ant piles. And if she stands in one and I
miss it, I help her if I can.
Yoga is a system that fosters self-awareness. Trauma takes us away from our selves; yoga can
help bring us back. Complex Trauma happens within relationships, so healing must happen
within relationships. If you’re reading this, chances are you have felt the healing power of yoga
in your own life. You can probably see how yoga could be a powerful antidote to trauma
symptoms.
Over the past year I’ve studied Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), which was
developed through 20 years of research about how yoga can treat Complex Trauma. Because
TCTSY is primarily focused on connecting to the felt sense of one’s body in the safe presence of
others, it can be a powerful tool to treat many dissociative disorders like addiction, body
dysmorphia, and disordered eating.
At the core, trauma is an experience of harming. Sometimes it’s a result of someone crossing a
boundary, or being too attached. In the spirit of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, TCTSY seeks to “cultivate
the opposite” of trauma with a focus, in particular, on two of the yamas, or moral principles:
ahimsa (non-harming) & aparigraha (non-grasping).
The concepts sound simple, but they are often not easy in practice (at least for me). But I want
to figure them out, because my nervous system affects the other nervous systems around me,
whether I’m teaching yoga or running errands.
ahimsa– non-harming
What is harmful? Of course we should avoid harming others physically or emotionally, which
includes things like unkind words, judging others, and unhealthy boundaries. Preventing
someone from getting what they need, whether intentionally or not, is another form of harm.
The list can be daunting as it is, but the clincher for me is when I also consider not harming
myself. Then it can seem impossible.
Take judging for example. I’m constantly judging myself. Sometimes it’s so subconscious that I
don’t realize how harsh I am with myself. Is it harmful to myself if I criticize the angle of my
torso to my thighs in a forward fold or to be disappointed in myself when my shoulders lift off
the floor in ananda balasana (happy baby)? Am I a failure as a dog mom if my baby gets bitten
by ants?
In facilitating TCTSY, I’ve learned that I can help participants practice ahimsa toward themselves
by using cues such as “any amount toward your thighs” and “one or both shoulders might lift
from the floor.” I’ve started encouraging participants to find their version of a yoga shape rather
than cueing from the ideal form, and acknowledging that today your body may want to fold
more or less than it did yesterday.
Unhealthy boundaries can also be harmful. I have a reflex to fix other people’s problems
and ask questions later. Maybe ahimsa doesn’t mean that it’s my responsibility to prevent all
harm to others. I can’t prevent my dog from stepping in ant piles, and it’s not my job to. As a
yoga teacher, healthy boundaries would be to provide the opportunity for yogis to experience
alignment, and then let go. In a TCTSY practice, we don’t offer alignment cues or adjustments. In
a regular yoga class, whether you’re a teacher or a yogi, you might experiment with holding
alignment cues lightly. Which brings me to…
aparigraha– not grasping
Jack Kornfield said: “Suffering is like a rope burn. We need to let go.” I could dedicate my whole
life to understanding what it is I grasp for and why, but two things come easily to mind:
1) I grasp at outcomes. I want to see a measurable difference if I’ve put the effort in.
2) As my dog has noticed and I’ve already mentioned, I’m attached to fixing other beings’ problems.
Here’s a story from Buddhism that I find helpful: A person has a burning coal in their hand, and
she’s holding it tightly. Someone else walks up and says to her “That coal is burning your hand!
Let go!” Her reply is something like this: “I’m used to it. Besides, I don’t know what will happen
if I dropped it.” And she chooses to carry the coal with her. Sometimes the grasping is so familiar
that it’s comforting to us, and we can’t see that we’re suffering.
I’ve never heard the rest of the story: what the observer did next. Maybe she followed the other around trying to knock the
coal out of her hand. Maybe she let it go and got on with her life. Maybe she let her dog sniff
around without micromanaging his every step.
For those who’ve experienced trauma, grasping can also look like being afraid to be in a
different shape than others. When we’re practicing yoga, we can practice aparigraha by
remembering that we have permission to make different choices than the teacher is suggesting.
If we’re teaching, we can offer choices and remind yogis they can do something different than
us. Another moment of healing can occur when we notice discomfort or pain and adjust our
body position; taking effective action on our own behalf is the opposite of harm. Small shifts
build up over time and can carve new neural pathways. These nuanced teachings are the
bedrock of TCTSY. Asanas are secondary; they are only the vehicles for healing.
Yoga is a powerful path through which we can facilitate deep healing. Moving consciously and
deliberately and making choices with our bodies in the presence of others can aid in the unwinding of complex layers of pain left by trauma. And, if we can add non-harming and non-grasping into our practice, we may find the healing process accelerates and freedom in our bodies is on the horizon.
On the mat:
PERSONAL PRACTICE-
Create an internal beginning-of-class ritual in which you recall your specific intentions for your body. Then ask yourself how much you’re willing to loosen your grasp on those intentions.
Throughout the practice, remind yourself that you might choose to do something different than the instructor or others in the room.
Experiment with internal mantras for practice that hone in on non-harming of yourself.
Examples might be:
“Today my body doesn’t want to…”
“Today my body wants to…”
“I notice comfort/discomfort in this pose.”
“What can I let go of right now?”
“Any amount.”
TEACHERS-
Focus cues on encouraging self-inquiry.
Avoid “I want you to” and commanding syntax, which can shut down self-inquiry and
create expectations to keep up with the pace or achieve the “correct” form of an asana.
Provide choices in each asana. (ex: warrior– hand placement options, downward facing
dog– knees bent or straight, any asana– you can choose to add some gentle movement
or remain in stillness…)
More cues you might consider:
“I’m [placing my knee on the mat]; you might choose something different.”
“You might know a better way for your body today.”
“One option is to move your [torso toward the floor], any amount.”
“You might notice how this feels and decide on a different version of this shape.”
“You can scan your body for discomfort and adjust as needed.”
Resources:
If you’re curious to learn more about TCTSY, here’s a place to start:
https://www.traumasensitiveyoga.com/About
If you’d like to peruse the research concerning TCTSY, click here:
https://www.healwithcfte.org/research/
Quotes:
Non Harming
● “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother’s eye.” -Jesus
● “Inner conscience knows when our acts are harmful and recognizes that a lack of integrity will
bring suffering for ourselves. … Outer conscience seeks to act in ways respected by others and
to avoid painful consequences for those around us. … Without this connection we can cause
great harm.” -Jack Kornfield
Leƫng Go
● “The more we grasp, the more we experience suffering.” -Jack Kornfield
● “Pain is physical, suffering is mental. Suffering is due entirely to clinging or resisƟng. It
is a sign of our unwillingness to move, to flow with life.” -Nisargadatta
● “If you let go a little, you will have little peace. If you let go more, you will have more
peace. And if you let go completely, whatever happens, your heart will be free.” -Ajahn
Chah
● “Do not worry about tomorrow.” -Jesus
● “Thy will be done.” -Jesus, the Lord’s Prayer