Flex Yoga TO – A look into one of our conference presenters

This month, we sat down with Sarah Yeung, a social worker and a trauma-informed yoga teacher with lived experience. 

This year she will be running a workshop at CICMH’s Whole Campus Healthy Communities Conference. 

The workshop reviews the manifestation of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress in the body and mind. With an integrated approach to breathing exercises, movement and meditation, this exploratory workshop will cultivate awareness and reduce stress. 

Flex yoga is a service that bridges the gap between conventional and traditional mental health programs. It is meant to be an adjunct to counselling, therapy, medications (if applicable) for students who may be experiencing mental health and addictions challenges. 

Every pose and flow is done with purpose. Trauma informed yoga is intentional about resetting the nervous system. It allows participants to reconnect with their bodies and feel safe in their bodies. It rewires the stress pathways, allowing one to be in rest mode as opposed to flight mode.  Mind-body practices will help participants reset their nervous system, reconnect with their bodies, and increase their ability to be in the present moment.

Workshop participants can expect to experientially learn how trauma-informed yoga uniquely enhances the brain’s capacity to heal itself by rewiring stress response pathways and why trauma-informed yoga is taught functionally, rather than aesthetically. Participants will not only learn how to activate the parasympathetic nervous system through breath, movement, meditation and mindfulness but also how to balance the mind and body to reduce anxiety, sharpen concentration, and increase motivation.

Participants will learn a variety of self-care and self-regulation tools that can be applied on a daily basis, on and off the yoga mat.

Make sure you register for Sarah’s session in advance of the conference!