In This Episode
Yoga is the centuries-old practice of stretching and breathing to help quiet the mind and keep the body fit, yet it has a stigma of being only for a certain type of person.
Neal is joined by yoga instructor, Tara Sanders to examine the possibilities of the practice. Tara specializes in trauma-informed yoga which is its own kind of practice.
Yoga, while meditative, can also be very tactile and interactive. Trauma-informed yoga is generally hands-off as well as providing other safeguards for persons in all stages of recovery.
It’s Tara’s mission to make yoga accessible to any who have the desire and her optimism about it is infectious.
Topics Discussed
- Yoga terms
- What brought Tara to yoga
- Who should practice yoga
- Trauma-informed yoga
- Sexual assault stats
- Examples of effectiveness
All About Tara Sanders
Tara Sanders came to her yoga mat to explore and heal. Having a strong commitment to serving the community and advocating for underserved populations, she has taught students at a mental health advocacy agency, homeless youth, and developed a therapeutic yoga & mindfulness program for a domestic violence shelter in Upstate NY.
She is currently working with the Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program in developing trauma-informed yoga programming that is available for free to sexual assault survivors, anyone supporting survivors, and professionals working to support survivors with their healing. She is on the advisory board of Exhale to Inhale, a non-profit organization that brings yoga to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in New York and Los Angeles through free weekly classes at shelters and community-based organizations.
Tara is a 500 hour registered yoga teacher, and has extensively continued her education with an emphasis on trauma-informed yoga, Yoga Nidra, children’s yoga, mindfulness, restorative yoga, adaptive yoga therapeutics, anatomy and bodywork, meditation, and somatic healing. She is currently a student at the Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy and is pursuing her New York State License in Massage Therapy.
Working with adults and youth, it has been a dream come true to share the healing and grounding practice of yoga, and to be a conduit for the practices and teachings that have had such a profound impact on her life.
