Can yoga help to heal trauma? Some experts believe it can and are incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into services for survivors. To learn more about what trauma-sensitive yoga is and how it helps we talk with Myra Strand, a trainer and yoga instructor who has been working with survivors of trauma since 1995. Part 1 of our conversation explores an overview of yoga, what it means to be trauma-sensitive, how trauma is stored in the body, and the benefits of blending physical movement with traditional therapy.
Myra Strand, MA, CA, is the owner of Strand² Squared Solutions where she provides training, education, and technical assistance. All of her services are available in person, virtually and on-demand. Since its inception in 2017, Strand squared Solutions has worked with thousands of responding professionals helping to pave the path from trauma to transcendence.
Myra began working with people who live with trauma in 1995. She has experience working with youth who have complex trauma and/or serious mental illness, people with developmental disabilities, youth in competing war zones, offenders, with death notification and with victims of all crime types. Myra places a special emphasis on holistic health as it relates to organizational trauma.
For nearly 10 years, Myra taught issues of violence, sexuality and applied intersectionality at Northern Arizona University and/or Coconino Community College. She has also taught social justice classes in the Detention Center working on issues of violence and healing.