Trauma Sensitive Yoga for Females on Zoom

Trauma Sensitive Yoga for Females on Zoom is a free, gentle online yoga class for female survivors, offered by YogaSong and Victim Services Inc. It is led by Rachel Allen, a Registered Yoga Teacher who works from a trauma informed framework, and it takes place live on Zoom, so you can practice from wherever you feel most at ease.

The class is part of an ongoing series, and no yoga experience is needed. Everyone is warmly welcomed into an accepting environment.

What to Expect

The class runs for one hour in the evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. It is a trauma sensitive yoga (TSY) practice, which means it is gentle and built around choice. Throughout the class, options and choices are offered, so you can shape the practice to suit your own body and your own needs in the moment.

The focus is on tools and supports for nervous system integration, and on carrying this practice off the mat and into daily life. The aim is not to perform poses but to find ways of being with yourself that you can return to later, long after the class has ended.

About Rachel Allen

Rachel Allen is a Certified Music Practitioner, Sound Healer, Reiki Master and Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher who works from a trauma informed, social justice framework. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology and is based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, serving the greater Pittsburgh region and working with individuals and organizations virtually.

Her work merges music, yoga and community, with the aim of creating healthy, diverse and joyful communities. Music is at the heart of her offerings. Her yoga classes are usually theme-based and bring together yogic philosophy, breathwork, asana, live music and meditation. She also leads community singing and sound healing, using chant, mantra and free movement, drawing on her own compositions as well as songs from her years of group singing across cultures and from the Yogic tradition.

Before You Go

This class is free, and no experience is necessary. Pre-registration is required for everyone, and the Zoom link is sent to people who register by email with Victim Services. If you know someone for whom this support would be relevant, you are welcome to invite them, and they will need to register as well.

Because the class is online, all you need is a device with Zoom and a space where you can move comfortably. You are free to take the practice in whatever way feels right, and to change or rest whenever you need to.