About The Exhale Project
The Exhale Project is a grant funded project* that offers free yoga classes to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking and other related traumas. We also invite non-offending family members and support personnel to join the classes, which aids in addressing secondary trauma and helps to create a sense of safety for survivors.
Our mission is to provide a holistic healing alternative for survivors of trauma through the practice of trauma informed yoga.
Our vision is to equip ALL survivors with functional tools to self-regulate both on and off the mat, allowing them to live healthier, happier lives and to increase the use of yoga in the treatment of trauma.
We do this by:
Offering free yoga sessions for survivors in east central Iowa
Providing educational and informational discussion in the community about trauma informed yoga and the advantages of using body centered therapies for managing the symptoms of trauma.
Training yoga teachers in trauma informed yoga techniques and best practices for working with survivors of sexual violence.
Classes are offered in Lynn, Johnson, Mahaska, Marshall, Poweshiek and Washington counties in East Central Iowa and welcomes participants regardless of where they live.
Click here to see a list of frequently asked questions.
Trauma Informed Yoga is a gentle form of yoga designed specifically for survivors of trauma. Classes are generally gentle and nurturing in nature with plenty of time to be still, breathe and restore in a safe and controlled environment, empowering them to turn inward and befriend their body again.
From the viewpoint of yoga, trauma is not the event itself but rather the body’s response to the event. Because everybody is unique with their own unique set of circumstances, every person’s response to an adverse event is different.
The practice of trauma informed yoga therefore, is about helping survivors to manage symptoms and learn how to bring the body and nervous system back to balance through awareness and self-regulation techniques.
Participants are encouraged to bring attention and awareness to sensations in the body and then trained to follow ques from their own body about how to proceed and to utilize their own sense of choice.
During group yoga sessions, teachers address where each trauma survivor is in their healing process and take into account their specific needs. Teachers that are versed in trauma informed techniques work to create a safe environment for participants and do everything possible to mitigate actions and conditions that could be re-traumatizing. Moreover, teachers are aware of trauma symptoms and are well equipped to handle them.
Trauma informed yoga has been scientifically proven to be a highly effective means of managing trauma and functions well in conjunction with other forms of therapy addressing symptoms from both the bottom up (yoga) and top down (talk therapy).
A Letter From The Director
Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in the Exhale Project. It is both my experience and my belief that healing must involve the body. Talk therapy as a healing modality for trauma is effective, but together with a body centered approach like yoga, you have the potential to transform your life! It is from this idea that the Exhale Project was born.
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