Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training
A training to deepen your understanding of trauma and explore how that understanding can inform the way you teach yoga.
We’ll look at trauma, stress and the nervous system, and how past experiences can influence the way someone experiences their body, movement, choice, touch and the environment around them. From there, we’ll explore what this means practically for the way we teach — from language and cueing to class structure, consent, boundaries and the choices we offer.
The aim is not to train yoga teachers to treat trauma, but to help you teach with greater awareness, recognise the limits of your role and create practices that leave more space for individual experience and choice.
Next Course: 2027
The Space Belleville, Paris
20 hours
In-person training
Taught in English, with discussion and support in French
20-hour training · Paris · 525€
Full training details and pricing at the bottom of the page.
THE SPACE ACADEMY
Teaching Yoga with greater awareness
Trauma-informed yoga isn’t a particular style of yoga or a collection of poses. It is an approach to teaching that begins with understanding that people arrive in our classes with different histories, experiences and relationships with their bodies.
Throughout the training, we’ll explore trauma, stress and the nervous system, and consider how these can influence movement, sensation, attention and the experience of being in a yoga class.
From there, we’ll look closely at our role as teachers — the language we use, the choices we offer, how we approach touch and consent, and the environment we create. The aim is not to diagnose or treat trauma, but to teach with greater awareness while understanding the boundaries of our role.
25%
Understanding Trauma & Stress
Exploring what we mean by stress and trauma, how they differ, and how experiences of trauma can influence the body, behaviour and our relationship with movement.
20%
The Nervous System
Understanding the nervous system and different responses to stress, alongside how this knowledge can inform the way we approach yoga practice and teaching.
20%
Trauma-Informed Teaching
Exploring language, cueing, choice, consent, touch, boundaries and the teaching environment, and how small changes in the way we teach can make a meaningful difference.
20%
Practical Experience
Considering how trauma-informed principles can be applied when teaching different people and contexts, with practical exercises, teaching experience, observation and feedback.
15%
Recognising Trauma & Your Role
Learning to recognise possible responses to trauma while understanding the scope and limits of the yoga teacher’s role. Knowing when our role is simply to teach, when additional support may be appropriate, and what falls outside our professional boundaries.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
A different way of teaching
A trauma-informed approach begins with understanding what trauma is, how it differs from stress and the ways our nervous system can respond when something feels overwhelming or unsafe.
Throughout the training, we’ll connect this understanding directly to yoga teaching. We’ll explore how the environment, language, touch, choice, movement and even seemingly small interactions within a class can be experienced differently depending on the person in front of us.
The aim isn’t to make assumptions about students or to identify who has experienced trauma. It is to develop a way of teaching that recognises different experiences, offers greater agency and choice, and remains clear about the role and boundaries of a yoga teacher.
Understanding Trauma & Stress
Develop a clearer understanding of what we mean by stress and trauma, how they differ and why the same experience may affect different people in very different ways.
We’ll explore what can happen when an experience becomes overwhelming and how this may influence someone’s relationship with their body, movement, sensation and the environment around them.
Rather than trying to identify or categorise students according to their experiences, the emphasis is on understanding trauma as something that may be present in the people we teach and allowing that awareness to inform our approach.
Recognising Trauma Responses
Trauma does not have one particular appearance. We’ll explore some of the ways responses to stress and trauma may present within a yoga environment and how greater awareness can help us respond more thoughtfully as teachers.
We’ll consider changes in behaviour, attention, engagement and responses to movement or the environment, while remaining careful not to interpret these as proof that someone has experienced trauma.
The role of a yoga teacher is not to diagnose. Instead, we’ll focus on noticing what is happening in the room, responding to the person in front of us and knowing when something requires support beyond our own role.
Consent & Teaching Different Populations
Explore touch and physical adjustments through the lens of consent, choice and individual experience. We’ll look at how consent is communicated, the power dynamic between teacher and student and why previous permission does not necessarily mean someone wants to be touched in every moment or every class.
We’ll also consider how trauma-informed principles can be applied when teaching different populations and in different environments.
Rather than creating fixed rules for particular groups, we’ll focus on avoiding assumptions and developing teaching approaches that allow for different needs, experiences and responses within the same space.
HOW THE TRAINING WORKS
From understanding trauma to changing the way we teach
The training takes place in person in Paris, combining theory, discussion, practical exploration and teaching experience.
We’ll move between understanding trauma and the nervous system and looking at what that knowledge means in a real yoga class. We might explore a particular nervous system response before considering how language, choice or the structure of a class could influence someone’s experience, or examine consent and boundaries through practical teaching situations.
Throughout the training, you’ll have time to question familiar teaching habits, explore different approaches and practice applying trauma-informed principles in ways that still feel natural to your own teaching.
TRAINING DATES
A weekend to understand
Dates to be announced
THE TRAINING IN PRACTICE
Putting trauma-informed principles into practice
Throughout the training, you’ll move between theory, discussion and practical teaching, giving you opportunities to explore how trauma-informed principles work in real teaching situations.
You’ll experiment with language, cueing, choice, pacing, consent and boundaries, noticing how small changes in the way something is offered can change the experience of a practice.
We’ll also work with different scenarios and teaching contexts, creating space to ask questions, examine habitual ways of teaching and practice responding without assuming what a student needs or why they may be responding in a particular way.
WHO THIS TRAINING IS FOR
A training for everyone
This training is designed for yoga teachers who want to understand trauma more deeply and explore how that understanding can inform the way they teach.
It is also relevant for people working with movement, counselling or psychology who want to develop greater awareness around trauma, trauma-informed yoga, the nervous system, consent, boundaries and individual experience.
You don’t need previous experience of trauma-informed yoga to take part. The training begins with the foundations of stress, trauma and the nervous system before gradually bringing this understanding into practical teaching situations.
This is an educational training rather than a qualification to diagnose or treat trauma, and we’ll remain clear throughout about the scope and boundaries of the yoga teacher’s role.
YOUR TRAINING TEAM
Louise Cutler – Lead Trainer
Experience rooted in movement, observation and curiosity
Louise has been teaching yoga since 2013 and training teachers since 2018. Her approach to movement has increasingly moved away from focusing on external shapes and towards understanding how movement is experienced from within.
Her teaching brings together yoga, somatic movement, anatomy and an understanding of the nervous system, with an emphasis on curiosity rather than correction. She encourages students to explore sensation, recognise their own patterns and discover different possibilities rather than working towards one prescribed way of moving.
Throughout the training, Louise shares this approach through both theory and practical exploration, helping you develop the understanding and teaching skills to bring somatic principles into your own practice and classes.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Simple, transparent pricing
The full price of the Trauma-Informed Yoga Training is 525€.
A deposit is required to confirm your place, with the remaining balance due 14 days before the training begins.
The training fee includes the full in-person training in Paris, your training manual and course resources, all yoga equipment used during the course, assessment and your The Space Academy certificate following successful completion of the training requirements.
CERTIFICATION
Bringing your learning together
Assessment takes place once the training has come to an end with a practical assessment and a written exam.
The assessments give you the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of trauma, stress and the nervous system, as well as your ability to apply trauma-informed principles to the way you teach.
The emphasis is not on identifying or diagnosing trauma, but on showing that you can make considered teaching choices, understand the boundaries of your role and apply the principles explored throughout the training.
Following successful completion of the training and assessment requirements, you’ll receive your Trauma-Informed Yoga Training certificate from The Space Academy.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A few practical questions before you join us
A Trauma-Informed Yoga training can bring up questions about previous experience, what trauma-informed teaching actually means, the role and boundaries of a yoga teacher, and how you’ll be able to use what you learn afterwards.
Here you’ll find answers to some of the questions we’re asked most often.
Do I need to be a yoga teacher to take part?
No. The training is relevant for yoga teachers as well as people working in movement or wellbeing, counsellors, psychologists, and anyone who wants to develop a greater understanding of trauma-informed approaches. However, if you wish to teach trauma-informed yoga, you will need to already hold a 200-hour yoga teacher training certificate.
Do I need previous experience of trauma-informed yoga?
No. We’ll begin with the foundations of stress, trauma and the nervous system before exploring how this understanding can be applied practically.
Will this training qualify me to work with or treat trauma?
No. This is a trauma-informed yoga training, not a qualification in trauma therapy, psychotherapy or counselling. An important part of the training is understanding the scope and boundaries of our role and recognising when someone may need support from an appropriately qualified professional.
Will we study the nervous system?
Yes. We’ll explore the anatomy and function of the nervous system, responses to stress and perceived threat, and how this understanding can inform the choices we make when teaching.
Will we learn how to recognise trauma?
We’ll explore some of the ways responses to trauma and stress may present within a yoga environment. The aim is to develop greater awareness, not to diagnose trauma or make assumptions about someone based on their behaviour.
Will we cover touch and consent?
Yes. We’ll look at touch, physical adjustments, consent, personal boundaries and the relationship between teacher and student, including how to create meaningful choices around touch.
Is trauma-informed yoga a particular style of yoga?
No. It is an approach that can inform the way we teach rather than a particular sequence or style. We’ll explore language, cueing, choice, pacing, class structure, boundaries and environment so that these principles can be integrated into your existing teaching.
Will we practice teaching?
Yes. Practical exercises and teaching practice are integrated throughout the training, giving you opportunities to apply what you’re learning, observe different approaches and receive feedback.
How is the training assessed?
Assessment takes place after the training has come to an end. You will need to submit a practical exam, giving you the opportunity to bring together what you have learned during the course and demonstrate your understanding of trauma-informed teaching.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. Following successful completion of the training and its assessment requirements, you’ll receive your Trauma-Informed Yoga Training certificate from The Space Academy.
20-HOUR TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
Teach with greater awareness
Deepen your understanding of trauma, stress and the nervous system, and explore how this knowledge can change the way you teach.
Through theory, discussion and practical teaching experience, you’ll explore language, choice, consent, boundaries and the role of the yoga teacher — developing an approach that gives students greater agency while remaining clear about the limits of your role.
Join us in Paris for our next Trauma-Informed Yoga Training in 2027.
Have a question before applying? You can use the same form to get in touch — we’re happy to talk things through with you.
