Trauma-Informed Yoga for Mental Health and Neurodivergence
- Stella Billerey
- Jun 6, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 12, 2025
Trauma-informed yoga is more than a practice—it’s a gateway to healing, self-compassion, and reconnection. For individuals navigating mental health challenges or the complexities of neurodivergence, this approach offers a unique opportunity to explore their authentic selves in a safe and supportive environment.
In this final part of our series, we’ll explore how trauma-informed yoga fosters mental well-being, supports neurodivergent individuals in unmasking, and creates inclusive spaces for everyone.
Trauma-Informed Yoga for Mental Health: Benefits and Approaches
Trauma has profound effects on mental health, often contributing to conditions like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For neurodivergent individuals, these challenges can be further compounded by societal pressures to conform to neurotypical norms, leading to emotional burnout and disconnection.
Trauma-informed yoga helps address these challenges by:
Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System: Gentle breathwork and mindful movement encourage the body’s “rest and digest” mode, reducing stress and promoting a sense of calm.
Fostering Emotional Regulation: Trauma-informed practices help participants explore their emotions in a safe, non-judgmental environment, making it easier to process and manage difficult feelings.
Rebuilding the Mind-Body Connection: Trauma often disrupts the connection between the brain and body. Yoga provides a space to rebuild this connection through movement, breath, and stillness.
Supporting Neurodivergent folk Unmasking through Trauma-Informed Yoga for Mental Health and Neurodivergence
For neurodivergent individuals, masking—suppressing traits or behaviours to appear more “acceptable”—is a common but exhausting survival strategy. Over time, masking can lead to:
Burnout: Emotional and physical exhaustion from constantly suppressing one’s authentic self.
Difficulty Recognising Needs: A disconnection from one’s own emotions and desires.
Physical Symptoms: Headaches, muscle tension, or fatigue caused by prolonged stress.
Trauma-informed yoga offers a space to explore unmasking in a way that feels safe and empowering.
Here’s how:
Body Autonomy: Participants are encouraged to move in ways that feel right for them, without pressure to conform to specific poses or sequences.
Invitational Language: Teachers use language that offers options rather than directives, fostering a sense of choice and self-trust.
Sensory-Friendly Practices: Classes are designed to accommodate sensory sensitivities, with controlled music levels, predictable structures, and optional props.
Reflection and Self-Exploration: Trauma-informed yoga invites participants to reflect on questions like:
What does your authentic self look like?
What fears or beliefs keep you from unmasking more often?
Are there people, places, or activities where you feel safer being yourself?
These practices help neurodivergent individuals reconnect with their authentic selves, free from the pressures of masking or societal expectations
THE ROLE OF SENSORY INTEGRATION IN TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA
As a mental health occupational therapist, I integrate sensory principles into trauma-informed yoga to support neurodivergent individuals and those navigating trauma. Sensory integration plays a crucial role in fostering a sense of safety and grounding.
Proprioception: This refers to the body’s ability to sense its position and movement in space. Trauma-informed yoga incorporates gentle, grounding movements like pressing feet into the floor, slow stretches, or pulsing motions to provide proprioceptive input. These practices help participants feel more anchored and connected to their bodies.
Vestibular System: The vestibular system, which governs balance and spatial orientation, can be supported through gentle rocking, swaying, or flowing movements. These techniques calm the nervous system and promote a sense of stability and ease.
Grounding Techniques: Actions like gently tapping or pressing the body, or using props for support, help participants feel more present and reduce feelings of overwhelm.
By incorporating these sensory principles, trauma-informed yoga provides neurodivergent individuals with tools to self-regulate and reconnect with their bodies in a way that feels safe.
THE IMPORTANCE OF INCLUSIVE SPACES
Trauma-informed yoga prioritises inclusivity, ensuring that all participants, regardless of their background or identity, feel welcome and supported. This includes:
Accessible Venues: In-person sessions are hosted at Forest Hill Friends Meeting House, a wheelchair-accessible space with gender-neutral and disabled toilets.
Sliding Scale Pricing: All services, including yoga classes, private sessions, and ADHD coaching, are offered on a sliding scale to ensure financial inclusivity. Scholarship places are also available for marginalised groups, including queer, BIPOC, disabled, and low-income individuals who do not qualify for DWP Access to Work funding.
Adaptable Practices: Trauma-informed yoga is tailored to meet the unique needs of each participant, whether they are navigating trauma, neurodivergence, or other challenges.
HOW TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA CREATES A SENSE OF BELONGING
One of the most powerful aspects of trauma-informed yoga is its ability to foster connection and belonging. For individuals who feel isolated or excluded, this practice offers a space to:
Build Community: Trauma-informed yoga classes create a sense of shared experience and mutual support.
Feel Seen and Heard: Teachers actively listen to participants’ needs and feedback, ensuring that everyone feels valued.
Reclaim Agency: By prioritising choice and autonomy, trauma-informed yoga empowers participants to advocate for their own needs, both on and off the mat.
A PERSONAL NOTE ON MY APPROACH
My work as a trauma-informed yoga teacher and mental health occupational therapist is guided by principles of intersectionality, critical race theory, and neurodivergence-affirming care. I am committed to creating spaces that honour the unique experiences of each individual, with a focus on inclusivity and accessibility.
To ensure financial inclusivity, all my services—including in-person events, private sessions, and ADHD coaching—are offered on a sliding scale. For individuals from marginalised or disadvantaged groups who do not qualify for DWP Access to Work funding, I also provide two annual scholarship places at 50% off.
This work is an ongoing journey—one that involves listening, learning, and taking action to create a more inclusive and equitable practice.
READY TO BEGIN YOUR HEALING JOURNEY?
If you’re curious about how trauma-informed yoga can support your mental health and well-being, I invite you to join me for a session. I offer occasional public classes as well as private, tailored sessions designed to meet your individual needs.
📍 Sessions are available in-person at Forest Hill Friends Meeting House, 34 Sunderland Rd, SE23 2QA, or remotely via Zoom or phone.
📧 Contact: info@stellabillereytherapies.com
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