Healing Without Harm – A Yoga Therapist’s Guide to Navigating Mental & Emotional Injuries
The Cleanest Healers Are Healed First

As a healer and a yoga therapist, I have witnessed the profound healing power of Yoga, but I have also seen how easily it can reopen old wounds. A student suddenly dissolves into tears during hip-opening poses. A patient experiences a panic-attack during Shavasana. A fellow-therapist burns out from absorbing too much emotional weight. I myself have had to keep a wide smile on, and a calm and collected voice going, even through the toughest personal moments that were slowly taking their toll. Yoga can heal, but only when we approach it with deep awareness, compassion, and professional integrity. We can honour mental and emotional injuries in our patients and students, but mainly in ourselves, without causing ourselves and others further harm.

Recognising the Signs | When Yoga Touches a Wound
The body remembers what the mind tries to forget. In yoga, where breath meets movement, suppressed emotions often surface. Some common signs include:
Trauma responses – a student dissociates in a bind, or a supine pose triggers a flashback
Sudden emotional release – anger, sobbing, or numbness mid-practice
Overstimulation or shutdown – intense pranayama could worsen anxiety; prolonged stillness could deepen depression. Keep an eye out for facial twitches, bodily spasms or rigidity, frowns.
Spiritual bypassing – using yoga to avoid pain ("Just breathe through it", without true processing)
Vicarious trauma (for teachers) – absorbing clients’ pain until it becomes your own

Early in my teaching career, I once cued a class to "release" certain muscles. A yogini later confessed she felt pressured to cry, even when nothing arose, nothing felt "released". That moment taught me that our cues must create space, not expectations.

Protecting Yourself First | The Healer’s Ethical Duty

As they say, you cannot pour from an empty cup, especially when working with emotional wounds.
For Yoga Therapists & Instructors:
Do your own work/sadhna. Regular therapy, somatic healing, or supervision is not optional. Unprocessed trauma will seep into your teaching.
Set energetic boundaries. After sessions, shake off residual energy (literally, physically, try shaking or stomping).
Be careful of how you use your words. Try not to use the usual prescriptive cues and stay with neutral invitations, to feel and observe.
Know when to seek help; know when to refer. Yoga therapy is integrative and complementary, but it is not a replacement. If mental healthcare and help is needed, seek it for yourself, and also when needed, refer your student/patient to trusted hands.
For Practitioners:
Honour your limits – modify or skip poses that feel destabilising
Communicate – a simple "I prefer not to be adjusted today" is enough. Let your therapist know.
Integrate gently – put your thoughts together after emotional releases; do not rush back to what would be considered a "normal" state of being

Trauma-Informed Teaching | Safety Before Depth
Language Matters:
Avoid – "Surrender your pain."
Try – "You might notice sensations; let them be as they are."
Empower; do not assume – "Would you like to stay here or shift?" (Important = safety; feeling safe).
When Emotional Release Happens:
Stay grounded – your calm nervous system regulates theirs
Normalise, do not interpret – "It’s okay. Take your time." (No need to "fix" it)
Offer post-class resources – have therapy referrals or grounding techniques ready
Class Structure adaptations:
Start grounded – seated with bolster or light weights on thighs for calming pressure
Avoid "ambush openers" – e.g., no deep hip stretches before warm-up
Close with sovereignty – let students choose their own Shavasana (no uninvited adjustments)

The Healer’s Reset | 5-Minute Practices for Therapists/Instructors
After heavy sessions, try these:
Shake it out – literally tremble out residual energy (1 minute)
Inhale in 4 counts, hold for 6 counts, exhale in 8 counts (calms the nervous system)
Abhyanga with an aromatic body oil, and then a warm shower/bath
Your own Mantra (silently or aloud)

Yoga’s magic lies in its ability to reveal and mend but only when we, as guides, have done our own mending. The most powerful teaching does not come from our wounds; it comes from the space between them, in which we have learned to breathe, integrate, and hold ourselves with tenderness. When we heal ourselves first, our presence becomes permission for others to do the same.

Article by Swati Chaudhuri
swachau@gmail.com