134: Reckoning With Abuse Of Power In Our Lineage With Trauma Expert Jenn Turner
How to teach yoga in a trauma sensitive way is a conversation that floods mainstream yoga spaces these days. And with good reason; almost everyperson in the world has had some experience of trauma, so our yoga classes are filled with people who have had exposure to trauma.
It is very easy for yoga and asana to be taught in ways that are not trauma sensitive. Being aware of teacher-student power dynamics and how they impact students with trauma is paramount to skillful teaching.
That is why I am so happy to introduce you to Jenn Turner (she/her). She is a trauma-informed therapist and yoga teacher, and has been at the forefront of combining those two modalities since the early 2000s.
She has also been involved in two different spiritual and healing communities that experienced abuse of power by the leader, as so many of us have. She has advice and a way forward for communities that have experienced this kind of harm.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
what has changed the most in the landscape of trauma sensitive yoga since 2008
what is most important for yoga teachers to know about when it comes to trauma informed practice
how power, self reflection and holding containers are all things we need to be thinking about as yoga teachers
what communities and individuals can do when they recover from abuse inside places that are supposed to be healing spaces
Learn More From Jenn:
This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. The best thing about OfferingTree is you can get up and running in 10 minutes with no tech skills needed. As an added bonus, If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I’m proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.
Recent Podcast Episodes
In episode 148 I collected all my best advice for new teachers. The episode centered around the idea that the most important thing new teachers can do is start teaching and figure out what kind of teacher they want to be.
But once you’ve started that process, there are some important business foundations you want to have in place so you have solid ground upon which to build. This episode (152) is a deep dive into those business fundamentals, including lots of recommendations for specific software.
If you are a new teacher, or an experienced teacher without an online presence, this episode is a must listen!