Frequently Asked Questions

In practice, the terms are used interchangeably by most teachers and training programs, including this one. Some clinicians reserve “trauma-sensitive yoga” for clinical, research-backed protocols (like TCTSY) delivered by licensed providers, and use “trauma-informed” more broadly for any teaching approach shaped by an understanding of trauma. If you’re comparing trainings, ask what population and setting the certificate prepares you to teach in, that matters more than which term is used.

The Trauma-informed Yoga & Somatics Certification training is for yoga teachers, therapists, and other wellness professionals who want to teach or work with people who have experienced trauma, which realistically, describes most rooms most teachers will ever be in. You don’t need a clinical license or yoga background to enroll. Typically, therapists or wellness professionals take it to add embodied, somatic tools to talk therapy or 1:1 coaching; yoga teachers take it to teach with more safety, somatic awareness, and nervous system literacy; some come from both worlds.

No, while a 200-hour foundation (or equivalent clinical/somatic training) is a great starting point, you do not have to be certified as a yoga teacher at the 200-hour level to take this training. However, it is recommended to have a personal relationship to yoga and have some knowledge of the physical practice. If you plan to teach public classes at yoga studios or in public spaces, it is recommended to have a 200-hour level yoga teacher certification (either taken before or after this training is completed). 

You’ll leave able to build and adapt a full trauma-informed class using a 5-step class arc, a library of postures and somatic tools mapped to nervous system states, and language that offers choice instead of instruction. The training covers polyvagal theory in plain terms, how to recognize hyperarousal and hypoarousal in a room, titration and pendulation as teaching tools (not just clinical concepts), scope of practice, and cultural humility woven throughout rather than bolted on as a single module.

It applies directly to 1:1 work, and a good portion of the training is built around exactly that. You’ll work through considerations specific to individual sessions: active listening, somatic observation, where the edges of your scope of practice are, and how to recognize and work with transference when it shows up. Therapists integrating movement into talk therapy and yoga teachers doing private client work both use this material regularly.

Yes, the curriculum in the Trauma-informed Yoga & Somatics Training is grounded in polyvagal theory, somatic psychology, and current trauma-informed care research rather than trend-driven wellness language. That said, this is a teacher training, not a clinical certification: it prepares you to teach and hold space skillfully, not to diagnose or treat trauma. If you’re a licensed clinician, this deepens your toolkit; if you’re a yoga teacher, this is where your scope of practice is clearly defined.

Yes, it’s eligible for 25 continuing education hours through Yoga Alliance (YACEP).

Many therapists take this training specifically to bring somatic, body-based tools into their clinical work, since talk therapy alone doesn’t always reach material that lives in the nervous system. This training is not registered with any clinical counselor/social work boards to offer continuing education credit hours, however it may count toward self-study hours if your board allows that. 

General trauma-informed care trainings teach principles, such as safety, choice, collaboration, that apply across any helping profession. This training takes those same principles and translates them into an actual embodied teaching practice: specific postures/practices, sequencing, language, and class-arc structure you can use the next time you teach. It’s built for people who need to do something with the theory, not just understand it.

The training includes weekly live sessions, a video library of lectures and yoga practices, a 75-page training manual, sequencing and class-builder tools, practice scripts and cueing guides, pre-built sequences (15, 30, and 60-minute classes plus a chair yoga sequence), intake and nervous-system assessment forms for 1:1 students, access to session recordings, a peer community space, and optional 1:1 mentoring with Ali.

You start by submitting an application, which is reviewed within 3-5 business days. If accepted, you’ll get an enrollment email with registration details and payment options, then complete enrollment by choosing a payment plan and signing the participation agreement. Once enrolled, you’ll receive a welcome packet with the course schedule, materials list, and learning platform access, plus an invitation to the private community space before the training begins.

The training is led by Ali Bullano, LCSW, E-RYT 500 and Maggie Maxwell co-facilitating with a recovery-informed lens. K. Moxie Bauschke, LMHC, E-RYT guides the Pranayama section & portions of the Yoga History module.