7 Day 85-Hour Trauma-Informed Somatic Yin Yoga Teacher Training in Tuscany, Italy

Certifications

The course/hours count as Continuing Education hours for Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®) only.

You will also receive a somatic therapy certificate issued by the CMA Complementary Medical Association. The somatic therapy certification is available to anyone working in the field of holistic medicine.

Why train with Chandra Karuna Yoga?

This unique training combines advanced somatic therapies (body-oriented) and the gentle practices of Yin yoga to create a safe and therapeutic space for students who have experienced trauma and difficulty regulating their emotions.

During the course, you will be encouraged to explore the most introspective and profund aspects of the practice and to work on authentic movements and the release of tension, focusing on the myofascial system and points of accumulation and vulnerability known as trigger points.

You will be guided step by step by expert psychologists and qualified yoga teachers who have carefully designed this program to help you overcome all possible obstacles and common challenges in your work as a teacher and therapist.

This intensive training provides practical tools and somatic practices to assist your students and clients in becoming more safely embodied. You will develop a basic grasp of how to work in a trauma-aware, nervous system-friendly manner, incorporating ideas of safety, choice, boundary, and empowerment into your teaching.

Somatosensory psychotherapy and somatic experiencing techniques for working with bodily felt-senses for genuine personal development will be introduced to you, along with Yin yoga tailored exercises that you can use on a daily basis and subsequently include in your teaching.

Course overview

Discover the healing power of Somatic Yin yoga for trauma healing and nervous system regulation.

The training will focus on both Yin yoga practice and trauma-informed somatic therapy. It is addressed to yoga teachers and body-work professionals, and involves integrating somatic (body-oriented) practices into teaching to create a safe and therapeutic space for students, especially the ones with trauma histories.

The fundamental concepts of the training include: encouraging autonomy and choice, using trauma-sensitive language, promoting body awareness, and understanding the polyvagal theory of the nervous system.

Yoga teachers are well aware of the impact yoga has on the body and mind; in this specialized training, you will learn to provide tools for emotional self-regulation, supporting students’ autonomy and teaching techniques to achieve balance and mental regeneration.

Yin yoga focus:

You will learn how to safely and fluidly guide and sequence a Yin yoga practice that is inclusive and focused on releasing negative emotions and trauma accumulated in the body. You will learn about the main meridians of traditional Chinese medicine and the specific Yin yoga poses that promote the flow of Chi through the meridians and the body.

Somatic focus:

This approach recognizes that trauma tends to be stored in the body, leading to chronic tension or heightened stress responses with a major impact on mental and physical health. Somatic therapy helps people connect deeply with their bodies to process emotions and release repressed memories and thoughts.

Trauma-informed techniques:

Teaching from a trauma-informed perspective means creating an environment that prioritizes safety, choice, trust, and the restoration of self-esteem for all students, particularly those with a history of trauma, anxiety and depression, and sensory processing disorders such as ADHD.

De-escalation protocols:

Individual and group work to recognize and respond promptly to traumatic reactions during a class or session, using advanced sensorimotor therapy techniques such as pendulation and titration.

Program

Arrival day

• 12:00 Welcome ceremony and orientation briefing. Distribution of programs and materials
• 14:00 Trauma and complex trauma: workshop on integrating knowledge into informed practice
• 15:30 Nervous system mapping workshop (Polyvagal Theory)
• 17:00 Series of breathing exercises: co-regulation of the nervous system

Day 2

• 7:00 Yin yoga and meditation practice.
• 09:00 Basic somatic therapy techniques workshop: pendulation and titration
• 10:30 Somatic release principles workshop with a trauma-informed approach
• 13:30 Gentle activation: integrated practice series and dynamic staging
• 15:30 Pair activity: tracking sensations and building trust
• 17:00 Yin yoga practice

Day 3

• 07:00 Yin yoga practice and meditation
• 09:00 Somatic experience: the senses as a gateway to self-awareness – workshop
• 10:30 Emotions as bodily signals: containment and expression – workshop
• 13:30 Somatic movement for self-expression: practical activity
• 15:30 Guided trauma release: TRE (Trauma and Tension Release Exercises) series, tremors, and catharsis
• 17:00 Yin yoga practice with somatic release (series for the pelvic area and legs)

Day 4

• 7:00 Yin yoga practice and meditation
• 9:00 Somatic boundary containment flow – workshop
• 11:00 Somatic release (series for shoulders, arms, and chest)
• 13:30 Somatic release (series for head and neck)
• 15:30 Conclusion: personalized group sequence with a trauma-informed approach
• 17:00 Yin yoga practice

Day 5

• 7:00 Yin yoga and meditation practice
• 9:00 What is Yin yoga, its benefits and principles, the history of Yin yoga—workshop
• 11:00 Exploration of Yin yoga positions part 1
• 13:30 Exploration of Yin yoga positions part 2
• 15:30 Anatomy of Yin yoga workshop
• 17:00 Yin yoga practice workshop

Day 6

• 07:00 Yin yoga and meditation practice
• 09:00 – 12:00 Meridians in Yin yoga workshop
• 14:00 The art of sequencing a Yin yoga class workshop
• 15:30 Open questions and practical tests

Day 7

• 7:30 Meditation and somatic integration session and group evaluation
• 9:30 End-of-course briefing
• 11:30 Closing ceremony and certificate presentation