A Trauma-Informed Approach to Yoga: A New Season, a New Director, and a New Beginning
Stepping into the role of Director of Yoga at Stella Luna fills me with purpose. From day one, my mission has been clear: to offer trauma-informed, accessible, and empowering yoga to our community. This work isn’t just a teaching style—it’s a living philosophy. More importantly, it reflects a belief that every person deserves to feel safe, supported, and met exactly as they are when they walk through our doors.
Yoga offered me healing long before it became part of my life’s work. My journey into this practice began not with perfect poses, but with emotion, release, and a surprising sense of clarity.
My Story: How Yoga Found Me When I Needed It Most
Back in 2012, I walked into my first yoga class with no expectations and very little knowledge. Yet something profound happened. During savasana—the final resting pose—tears moved quietly down my face. Interestingly, I wasn’t sad; I was releasing years of tension I didn’t realize I was holding. In that stillness, peace became possible.
I returned for a few more classes and found a little more clarity, breath, and calm each time. Eventually, though, an intimidating experience with an instructor pushed me away from the practice. Life moved forward, responsibilities grew, and the years slipped by. However, during the early days of COVID, I found my way back—camera off, practicing alone at home, rediscovering that same emotional release in silence.
Through that return, I realized something essential: yoga isn’t about the shape of the pose. Instead, it’s about the shape of your experience. It can be about healing. It can be about feeling seen. Ultimately, it can be about coming home to yourself.
That understanding is now the foundation of Stella Luna’s trauma-informed approach—and the heartbeat of the studio I feel honored to lead.
The Heart of Our Teaching
At Stella Luna, we want every student to feel safe, supported, and welcomed exactly as they are. For that reason, our teachers are trained to teach through a trauma-informed lens. This does not turn our classes into a separate style of yoga. Rather, it serves as the foundation for how and why we teach.
Being trauma-informed means recognizing that each person arrives with a unique nervous system, lived experience, and story. Therefore, our teachers guide with sensitivity, choice, and respect. You will always be invited—not pressured. You will receive options—not corrections. And your internal experience will always matter more than the outer appearance of a pose.
Why This Season Is the Perfect Time to Practice
The holiday season brings joy, celebration, and connection. However, it can also bring stress, busyness, and emotional overwhelm. Because of that, late November through January becomes one of the most valuable times to integrate yoga into daily life.
Here’s why:
✨ 1. Nervous System Support
Trauma-informed yoga gently shifts the body out of fight-or-flight. As a result, even one mindful class can offer grounding and emotional regulation.
✨ 2. A Pause in the Holiday Chaos
During the busiest weeks of the year, practice creates a pocket of peace—a moment to breathe, reset, and reconnect.
✨ 3. Winter Mobility & Warmth
As temperatures drop and muscles tighten, movement increases circulation, comfort, and mobility.
✨ 4. Emotional Balance & Release
Memories and expectations often surface during the holidays. In response, yoga offers a safe space to process and soften.
✨ 5. A Compassionate Start to the New Year
Rather than forcing resolutions, yoga encourages sustainable goals rooted in self-compassion—not pressure.
Through this trauma-informed lens, you remain in control of your pace, your body, and your experience.
A Gentle December Schedule + A Full New Year Lineup
As we enter the holiday season, we’re beginning intentionally—with a gentle December schedule. This soft launch allows students to ease in, explore different class styles, and settle into the studio at a comfortable rhythm. Additionally, a slower start supports the nervous system during a season when life can feel fast and full.
In January, we’ll open our full schedule, bringing a wider range of classes, special workshops, and deeper wellness opportunities. The new year will also mark our official grand opening—a moment when our complete vision comes to life.
Whether you join now to ground yourself during the holidays or arrive in January with fresh energy, you will be welcomed with warmth, intention, and community.
My Vision as Your New Director
As we step into this next season, my vision is clear:
✨ every student feels safe
✨ every body is welcomed
✨ every practice is empowering
✨ and healing—not perfection—leads the way
Come exactly as you are.
Your mat will meet you there—
and so will we.
