The Transformation of Ashtanga Yoga: Implicit Memory, Dreams, and Consciousness for Survivors of Complex Trauma

Abstract

This mixed methods study explored whether body-work such as Ashtanga yoga can lead to improved affect regulation and body awareness among survivors of complex childhood trauma. It examined the prevalence of complex trauma among Ashtanga yoga practitioners to determine qualitatively whether their perceptions of emotions, their ability to manage affective states, and their body awareness changed over the course of their practice. In addition, this study also explored relevant dreams and images which arose for participants during the course of their practice. The study is based on the hypothesis that body-work such as yoga can help survivors of complex childhood trauma integrate traumatic experiences, resulting in greater levels of affective regulation and body acceptance. A total of 31 female participants who practiced Ashtanga yoga on a regular basis were administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The findings suggested that the majority of these participants had experienced some form of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and found yoga practice to be helpful in regulating emotions and improving body awareness. Those who scored at least moderate levels in at least one of the subscales for self-reported abuse and neglect were selected for qualitative interviews. A total of 6 participants agreed to qualitative interviews. The emergent themes from the interviews revealed that participants found that practice did help them with affect regulation and body acceptance. Moreover, dreams and images which emerged spontaneously for these participants have been helpful in their psychological growth. Such findings suggest that a consistent Ashtanga yoga practice may help female survivors of complex trauma improve their ability to regulate their emotions as well as improve their body awareness, resulting in improved consciousness of various aspects of experience.

Body‐ and Movement‐Oriented Interventions for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

“…Until now, some specific working mechanisms have been suggested. For instance, habituation to bodily sensations might play an important role (LeBouthillier, Fetzner, & Asmundson, 2016), possibly complemented by the experience of peaceful embodiment, a sense of ownership, and improvement of body awareness (LaChiusa, 2016;Rhodes, 2015). However, these mechanisms need to be studied more in depth, along with potential mediators and modulators.…”

Leisure Motivation and Satisfaction: A Text Mining of Yoga Centres, Yoga Consumers, and Their Interactions

“…The popular styles include ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram, vinyasa, and hatha. More specifically, ashtanga yoga [19] is the physical practice involving drishti (gazing during asanas, i.e., physical poses), pranayama (long and even breathing), and bandhas (engagement of core muscles during poses). Iyengar yoga [20] descends from ashtanga yoga, but has its unique emphasis on precise structural alignment, use of props, and sequencing of poses.…”

A Rapid Review Exploring the Role of Yoga in Healing Psychological Trauma

“…Six of these qualitative studies employed the use of semi-structured interviews, two studies used structured interviews, and one used an online survey. The other three studies had a mixed-methods design [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], one of which involved semi-structured interviews, and the other involved in-person questionnaires. Seven of the studies were observational in nature, and four provided qualitative analysis of larger randomised controlled trials by interviewing or surveying participants who were in the yoga intervention group as opposed to the control group.…”

“…Eight studies explored the impact that trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) has on healing psychological trauma [ 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 25 ]. Two studies used non-TSY yoga interventions, with one looking specifically at Ashtanga yoga [ 24 ] and the other at Kundalini yoga [ 16 ], and one study did not specify the style of yoga used [ 22 ]. TSY is a yoga intervention that is aimed towards individuals with a history of trauma exposure.…”

“…Participants across several studies found that the yoga practice allowed them to develop more effective coping tools and mechanisms [ 16 , 17 , 23 , 24 ]. Studies by Braun et al [ 23 ] and Rhodes [ 17 ] found that participants were inclined to use the yoga postures and breathing exercises as coping mechanisms when their stress and trauma triggers arose in their day-to-day lives.…”