11/30/2025
As an adult survivor of childhood abuse, touch has never been simple for me. Even loving, well-intentioned touch can feel uncomfortable or even triggering. And yet, in the yoga world, there's this belief that a "good" teacher must have their hands on their students.
So I used to wonder...
If I don't touch- does that make me less of a teacher?
The answer I've come to is a grounded, embodied no.
One of the most transformative trainings I've taken - Trauma-Informed Teacher Training with Lara Land at the Sedona Yoga Festival - taught me something I will never forget: trauma-informed teaching doesn't start with what we do in the room. It starts with understanding our own trauma, our own histories, our own triggers, our own nervous systems. It starts with ME.
That training gave me permission to honor my truth: that touch must be intentional, consensual, and deeply purposeful.
I rarely offer manual adjustments. But when I do, they're not about "fixing" or "correcting". They're about creating clarity and comfort- lifting a shoulder, softening a hip, supporting a low back... my hands land only when they will genuinely enhance someone's felt experience, not override it.
The moment my hands touch a student's body, their awareness shifts from their own practice to my presence.
That shift is powerful.
That shift is personal.
And that shift deserves respect.
Choosing when, how, and if I touch does not make me a good or bad teacher. It makes me a conscious, trauma-informed, kick-ass yoga teacher who keeps pace, autonomy, and emotional safety at the center of the room.
Touch with intention.
Teach with heart.
Honor boundaries.
That's the yoga I believe in.
That's the yoga I teach.
📸by Del Sol Photography
