In too many yoga spaces today, unspoken expectations can quietly alienate those who don’t “fit the mold.” Whether you’re navigating trauma, disability, chronic illness, body shame, or simply feeling out of place, western yoga spaces may not always feel safe or welcoming.
Trauma-sensitive yoga offers a different path.
It doesn’t just include accessibility—it is rooted in it. This practice is built on the belief that every person deserves a space where they can reconnect with their body, breath, and inner wisdom—without pressure, judgment, or the need to perform.
Making yoga accessible is not about simplifying the practice—it’s about broadening the pathways so that everyone, regardless of ability, size, age, trauma history, neurodivergence, or socioeconomic background, feels welcome, safe, and supported.
Accessible, trauma-sensitive yoga doesn’t dilute the practice—it deepens it. t’s a powerful reminder that yoga is not about what we can do, but how we relate to ourselves and others while doing it. It’s a practice of reconnecting—to breath, body, community, and inner truth.
Whether you’re a facilitator, a student, or someone simply curious about yoga, remember: You don’t need to be fixed, changed, or reshaped. You’re welcome to move into a yoga practice however you are showing up in the moment – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Accessibility Is Not an Add-On—It’s the Foundation
In trauma-sensitive yoga, accessibility isn’t a separate offering. It’s the very structure that holds the practice. This is not about making yoga “easier.” It’s about making the practice of yoga deeply respectful of the body’s wisdom.
To make yoga accessible to all bodies is to make yoga aligned with its true purpose. The roots of yoga emphasize union, compassion, and self-awareness. Accessibility honors these principles by ensuring yoga is not just a physical activity, but a holistic, inclusive path to well-being. Accessibility is about removing barriers, not lowering standards. It’s about centering people over postures. And it’s about recognizing that every body is a yoga body—and every nervous system, every story, and every lived experience deserves space to breathe.
Facilitation Tips for Accessibility :
Offer invitations, Not Commands
Yoga is not just a personal practice—it’s a relational practice. Whether we’re guiding a class or participating in one, we’re entering into a shared space shaped by trust, vulnerability, and communication.
And in that space, language matters. The words we use as facilitators don’t just guide movement—they establish tone, shape relationships, and define power dynamics. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, our cues, metaphors, and phrasing can either:
- Empower students to listen inward,
- Or reinforce a hierarchy where the teacher is the authority and the student is expected to comply.
Instead of commands, offer invitational cues like:
- “If it feels useful for you…”
- “One option you might explore could be….”
- “You’re welcome to move out of this form at any time and for any reason.”
Words carry weight. Even well-intentioned adjectives like “comfortably,” “gently,” or “peacefully” can carry subtle expectations. Instead, use descriptive, not prescriptive cues.
Avoid cues that assume a universal outcome, such as:
“Feel the comfort of this pose”
“Let the body melt softly”
“Relax into the support”
These might sound gentle, but they prescribe an experience that not every student will have—especially those with trauma histories, physical discomfort, or heightened nervous system responses.
This language shifts authority from the teacher to the student, fostering a space that allows the participant to empower themselves.
Let Go of the Idea That There’s One “Real” Yoga Form
One of the most harmful messages embedded in mainstream yoga culture—often subtly and unintentionally—is the idea that there’s a “correct,” “full,” or “real” version of a posture. This belief centers a narrow standard rooted in aesthetics, ableism, and performance, not in the true spirit of yoga.
Whether you’re practicing in a chair, using props, modifying a pose, skipping a movement altogether, or simply sitting in stillness—you are doing yoga. There is no hierarchy of value based on what it looks like from the outside
Make it normal to offer a range of ways to engage with a form, including:
- Seated or chair-based options
- Wall-supported variations
- Supine (lying down) alternatives
- Gentle flows or static holds
The purpose of a yoga posture is not to fit your body into a fixed shape—it’s to use the shape as a framework for exploration. All expressions of a yoga form are valid.
Use Props for Exploration
Props are not signs of inadequacy—they’re instruments of exploration. Normalize props by using them yourself and integrating them into every class—not just when “needed.”
- Blocks and bolsters to bring the floor closer
- Chairs or walls for balance and support
- Blankets to cushion knees or assist in seated poses
Create space for participants to engage in the practice
Yoga is not a one-size-fits-all practice. It is a deeply personal, embodied experience that shifts from person to person, and from day to day. When we allow each individual to discover what yoga feels like in their body—on their terms—we are doing more than offering a variation or cue.
We are honoring autonomy, dismantling hierarchy, and inviting healing that is rooted in truth rather than conformity.
Participants could explore:
- How a form feels in their body rather than how it looks
- The possibility of skipping shapes if that feels useful
- Quieter spaces and reducing overwhelming music or scents
- Predictability through class structure & transitions
- Empowerment through choices
- The possibility of participating as much or as little as they would like
Let the Practice Belong to the participant
Creating non-coercive spaces is not about removing structure—it’s about removing assumption. It’s not about removing care—it’s about removing control.
It’s about trusting that when we step back from directing outcomes, we make space for something more powerful to unfold: a genuine, self-directed relationship with breath, body, and presence.
When we focus on giving an experience—something that feels soothing, beautiful, or transformative—we risk centering ourselves as the authority. We risk deciding how someone should feel, move, or heal. And we unintentionally override their nervous system’s signals in favor of our vision for the class.
Our job as facilitators isn’t to make people feel something. It’s to offer exploration points—clear, neutral options that allow each student to decide what supports them in that moment.
Offer Choices, Not Experiences
Every time we offer a choice within a yoga form, we invite students to practice sovereignty. We remind them that:
There is no one right way to do this.
Your body gets to decide.
You don’t need to have a specific experience to be doing it right.
You can support autonomy by:
- Providing several entry points into a pose or shape
- Giving possible choices of embodiment within the form itself
- Letting people know they can skip any movement, stay still, or try something entirely different
- Framing postures as invitations, not expectation
- Stopping, Pausing or moving out of a yoga form as a normalized experience
Honor Inclusivity
At its core, yoga is about dissolving separation—between breath and body, mind and heart, self and other. If certain people are excluded from the space due to ability, body type, identity, trauma history, or financial status, we’re not practicing yoga—we’re practicing exclusivity under the guise of wellness.
Inclusivity is the living practice of yoga’s intention: belonging for all.
- Use language that avoids assumptions
- Create spaces where all students feel seen and heard
- Respect the roots of yoga by acknowledging its South Asian heritage without appropriation
- Highlight voices from diverse backgrounds
Offer rest as legitimate and meaningful
Offer the freedom to choose stillness or movement moment by moment. Avoid linking moving out of a form in a negative light. Why?
- Stillness can be productive
- Skipping a posture is respected
- Students don’t need an “adequate” reason to move out of a form
Accessibility is an evolving commitment.
Accessibility is not a fixed checklist—it’s a living, evolving practice. In yoga, accessibility is not about reaching a final destination where everything is “inclusive enough,” but about continually listening, learning, and adapting in response to the needs, voices, and experiences of those in the space.
Listen, Learn & Adapt –
- Be open to Feedback from participants
- Continue to learn through training, anti-oppression understanding, and trauma-informed practices
- Collaborate with advocates to gain more understanding and awareness
Want to explore trauma-sensitive, accessible yoga? Reach out for resources, class info, or guidance on building inclusive wellness spaces.
#TraumaSensitiveYoga #YogaForAll #HealingInCommunity #EveryBodyIsWelcome #InclusiveWellness #EmpoweredMovement #YogaIsForYou
Stepping into Wellness 