The Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) Foundations Training is a 20-hour program designed to introduce the core principles and practices of trauma-sensitive yoga. This training emphasizes how choice, safety, and present-moment awareness can support people living with the effects of trauma, while also highlighting the ways these principles connect to broader anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approaches.

​​​

Training that Transforms

​

Experiences of psychological trauma can profoundly change our relationship with the body. TCTSY works to restore a felt sense of safety through an embodied, collaborative approach to healing. Using simple yoga forms, invitational language, and the power of authenticity and presence, this practice supports participants in rediscovering connection, agency, and trust in themselves.

​

Evidence-Based Practice

​

TCTSY ​is the first yoga-based empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. Research, including randomized controlled trials, has shown that trauma-sensitive yoga can:

​

• Reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress

• Support emotional regulation and coping capacity

• Strengthen agency, choice, and body connection

• Improve overall quality of life

​

TCTSY is the only yoga model of its kind to be listed in the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) and continues to be applied in clinical, community, and educational settings worldwide.

 

Who This Training Supports

This training welcomes anyone seeking to deepen understanding and practice, including:

• Yoga instructors and somatic practitioners

• Social workers, mental health clinicians, and healthcare professionals

• Educators, activists, and community workers

• Healers and helpers in movement- or relationship-based fields

• No prerequisites. All levels of experience are welcome.

 

What You’ll Explore

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe how complex trauma affects brain, body, and relationships

• Identify core elements of trauma-sensitive yoga and their anti-oppressive connections

• Facilitate choice-centered movement and breath using invitational language

• Support predictability and present-moment awareness in practice

• Integrate trauma-sensitive principles into clinical and movement-based settings

• Reflect on shared, authentic embodiment while honoring survivor pace and choice

​

Core Curriculum At-a-Glance

​

• Whole-system impact of trauma (nervous system, relationships, daily life)

• Psychological and neuroscientific underpinnings relevant to this modality

• Language and facilitation that shares power and supports agency

• Structures for safety, predictability, and choice

• Movement and breath practices that support healing processes

• Anti-oppressive frameworks in trauma-sensitive spaces

​

Experiential Learning

This training is experiential by design. You’ll be invited to:

• Explore your own understanding of trauma’s impact

• Practice choice-based movement and breath

• Participate in small-group practicum with supportive feedback

• Reflect on how to translate these tools to your community or setting

​

Training Format & Hours

• Total: 20 hours

• Live Contact Hours: 14 hours (in person or live via Zoom)

• Self-Study: 6 hours (readings, reflections, practice)

• Learning Modes: Group lectures, guided movement and breath, discussion, and practicum (practice teaching & feedback)​

Continuing Education & Recognition

​

• Yoga Alliance: 20 Continuing Education Hours (CEs)

• International Association of Yoga Therapists: 18 CEs

• NCBTMB: 4 self-care CEs (retroactive to NCBTMB-certified therapists who completed a foundational training after Oct 2022)

• This training is the primary prerequisite for the yearly 300-Hour Certification Program in this modality through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment. 

​

Accessibility & Inclusivity

​

We value safety, choice, and collaboration. Cameras on/off is welcome, movement is invitational, and pacing is individualized. Please share any accessibility needs—together we’ll explore supportive options. 

​

FAQs 

• Do I need prior yoga or clinical experience? No.

• Will sessions be recorded? Yes. 

• Is there homework? Yes—6 hours of guided self-study (readings, reflections, practice).

• Can I join online? Yes—live via Zoom.

• Will I receive a certificate? Yes—upon completion of all hours.

​

Refunds, Transfers, and Attendance

​

• Refunds & Transfers: 100% until self study link is provided via email, after which transfers to another session are welcome.

• Attendance: Live attendance is encouraged; please contact us for access needs.

• CE Documentation: Issued upon completion.

​

This training offers a compassionate, practical path to integrate trauma-sensitive principles into the spaces you hold. You are welcome exactly as you are.

​​

This Foundations Training is a program of the Center for Trauma and Embodiment and is internationally recognized for its innovative, evidence-based approaches to healing from trauma, including the development of Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY).

Through research, training, and community collaboration, the Center for Trauma and Embodiment works to expand access to body-based practices that support recovery and resilience for survivors of complex trauma. Their programs are designed to be anti-oppressive, culturally responsive, and grounded in the latest neuroscience and psychology.

​

By participating in this training, you are engaging with a program that is part of a broader mission: creating safer, more inclusive, and more effective pathways to healing for individuals and communities worldwide.