Trauma-informed Somatic Therapy & Bodywork Training
Polyvagal Theory in Somatic Applications (60hrs)
Learning/Course Objectives
1. Understand the basic framework of the Polyvagal Theory in trauma-informed facilitation
2. Experience the interconnectivity of our fascial meridians and its relationship with the nervous system
3. Learn somatic self-regulation tools and simple bodywork techniques for myofascial release
Course summary
Somatic yoga therapy is a holistic embodiment approach that explores how we inhabit in our body-mind and relate to self and others.
Through the exploration of how body systems and developmental movement patterns support and create the imprint in which we move through our daily-life via our nervous system, we can understand and hence reclaim our agency to shift our mind-body states through the study and practice of somatics.
Our mental and physical health corresponds to our ability to regulate our autonomic nervous system. Traumas disrupt this system and can manifest into physical symptoms like pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, chronic conditions, immune system dysfunction, anxiety and depression.
This trauma-informed immersion will shine a light on our habitual but unconscious neurological patterning that manifest into how we breathe, our posturing, and our reactivity to circumstances.
These patterns arise from our life’s experiences, predisposition, developmentally, as well as conditioning. They emerge through the filters of our perceptions and our conceived reality. They shape our expression and communication with the outer world. Our tissues and organs provide the essential components of the patterns from which we weave our personal stories. These stories are then recorded and stored in the templates of our autonomic nervous system in the way we relate to self and others. Our ability to regulate the inflammatory and immune responses, maintain proper organ and metabolic functions, as well as to heal from diseases depend on the proper functioning of our autonomic nervous system. Bringing together movement, breathwork, and hands-on touch to cultivate sensory awareness, we can cultivate a mindful and practical dialogue in healing from pain, injuries, anxiety & stress.
We will also learn to assess, facilitate and regulate the different body-mind states using the movement of others through the physiological framework of the Polyvagal Theory (as developed by Dr Stephen Porges).
Course outline
● The somatic approach & embodiment: cultivating safety & emotional regulation through Proprioception, Neuroception, Interoception and Kinesthetic awareness
● The bottom-up approach of non-linear learning through sensory awareness
● Our body-mind’s relationship with gravity: yielding / propping / collapse
● An overview on the role and functions of our nervous system and the body-mind connection through the Vagus Nerve
● The Polyvagal Theory framework in understanding trauma through its hierarchy
● The role of fascia through the lens of embryology and developmental movement.
● How our nervous system shapes our connective tissues
● Embodiment of myofascial meridians in movement, touch and restorative work
● The pathways of energy and weight transfers
● The art of touch and repatterning movement
● Rehabilitation of chronic pain through the embodiment of spatial sense & functional mobility
● Balance as a dynamic state
● Holistic functional integration of healthy movement patterns
● Postural & movement assessments: developing a clearer understanding of postural habits and holding patterns and how it relates to the nervous system
Who this course is for
● Yoga, sports & fitness practitioners looking for efficiency and sustainability in movement and performance, as well as insight into injury rehabilitation. ● Dance, movement & creative educators looking for more clarity in communicating their work experientially and holistically.
● Therapists, bodyworkers, & healthcare professionals who would like to cultivate tactile awareness and body-reading skills.
● Mental health professionals, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, caregivers and life coaches looking to understand the somatic applications of the Polyvagal Theory as well as learning about interoceptive and hands-on tools to help clients with self-regulation.
● Anyone who is interested in a holistic mind-body practice to heal chronic pain, stress & anxiety.
About Daphne
Daphne is a registered yoga therapist, movement educator, bodyworker, and a specialist in somatic therapy. A self-professed geek, she is always exploring underlying principles of the human body and movement patterns as embodied relational beings. Daphne applies principles of kinesiology and natural movement, somatics, neuroscience, and yoga philosophy in her trauma-informed work. Her work aims to hone sensory awareness, cultivate resilience and regain agency so as to fully experience life.
She has helped people of all ages rehabilitate injuries, regain neuro-motor functions, manage chronic pain, and work through trauma. Daphne also facilitates trainings, workshops and mentorship programs for both individuals and organisations, movement educators and healthcare professionals.
Testimonials from previous participants
"Daphne teaches with authenticity, kindness and love. She possesses immense understanding and knowledge about human anatomy and she makes it so fun to learn. She taught me how to look at my body, my being and my movement in a radically different way. She taught me how movement can be so unique and embodiment is very much an ongoing, lively interaction between what is inside us and that surrounds us. She made it safe for me to venture into bodywork when I came from a space of hesitance towards touch therapy."
~ Yoke Wen, Social Worker & Yoga Teacher
"Daphne’s inquiry-based approach on deep sensing and awareness is such a contemporary and important approach rising above the many yoga schools that are constantly popping up today. The 2 weeks of her training offered so much more than just cognitive and experiential knowledge of anatomy and asanas, but transformed my deepest sense of awareness in my
body. I left feeling like a newborn who never tasted the true feeling of motion, and of being alive and conscious in and of my body. I keep walking, moving and dancing with a sense of pleasure and joy brought about by the awareness and perception of my body as fluid, gentle and a well integrated unit. I can't wait for her next training and I highly recommend her to everybody who's interested in sculpting their yoga from within!"
~ Lucie Krobova, Dancer & Dance Teacher, Amsterdam
1. Understand the basic framework of the Polyvagal Theory in trauma-informed facilitation
2. Experience the interconnectivity of our fascial meridians and its relationship with the nervous system
3. Learn somatic self-regulation tools and simple bodywork techniques for myofascial release
Course summary
Somatic yoga therapy is a holistic embodiment approach that explores how we inhabit in our body-mind and relate to self and others.
Through the exploration of how body systems and developmental movement patterns support and create the imprint in which we move through our daily-life via our nervous system, we can understand and hence reclaim our agency to shift our mind-body states through the study and practice of somatics.
Our mental and physical health corresponds to our ability to regulate our autonomic nervous system. Traumas disrupt this system and can manifest into physical symptoms like pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, chronic conditions, immune system dysfunction, anxiety and depression.
This trauma-informed immersion will shine a light on our habitual but unconscious neurological patterning that manifest into how we breathe, our posturing, and our reactivity to circumstances.
These patterns arise from our life’s experiences, predisposition, developmentally, as well as conditioning. They emerge through the filters of our perceptions and our conceived reality. They shape our expression and communication with the outer world. Our tissues and organs provide the essential components of the patterns from which we weave our personal stories. These stories are then recorded and stored in the templates of our autonomic nervous system in the way we relate to self and others. Our ability to regulate the inflammatory and immune responses, maintain proper organ and metabolic functions, as well as to heal from diseases depend on the proper functioning of our autonomic nervous system. Bringing together movement, breathwork, and hands-on touch to cultivate sensory awareness, we can cultivate a mindful and practical dialogue in healing from pain, injuries, anxiety & stress.
We will also learn to assess, facilitate and regulate the different body-mind states using the movement of others through the physiological framework of the Polyvagal Theory (as developed by Dr Stephen Porges).
Course outline
● The somatic approach & embodiment: cultivating safety & emotional regulation through Proprioception, Neuroception, Interoception and Kinesthetic awareness
● The bottom-up approach of non-linear learning through sensory awareness
● Our body-mind’s relationship with gravity: yielding / propping / collapse
● An overview on the role and functions of our nervous system and the body-mind connection through the Vagus Nerve
● The Polyvagal Theory framework in understanding trauma through its hierarchy
● The role of fascia through the lens of embryology and developmental movement.
● How our nervous system shapes our connective tissues
● Embodiment of myofascial meridians in movement, touch and restorative work
- Deep Front line & Lateral lines
- Superficial front and back lines
- Spiral lines & functional lines
● The pathways of energy and weight transfers
● The art of touch and repatterning movement
● Rehabilitation of chronic pain through the embodiment of spatial sense & functional mobility
● Balance as a dynamic state
● Holistic functional integration of healthy movement patterns
● Postural & movement assessments: developing a clearer understanding of postural habits and holding patterns and how it relates to the nervous system
Who this course is for
● Yoga, sports & fitness practitioners looking for efficiency and sustainability in movement and performance, as well as insight into injury rehabilitation. ● Dance, movement & creative educators looking for more clarity in communicating their work experientially and holistically.
● Therapists, bodyworkers, & healthcare professionals who would like to cultivate tactile awareness and body-reading skills.
● Mental health professionals, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, caregivers and life coaches looking to understand the somatic applications of the Polyvagal Theory as well as learning about interoceptive and hands-on tools to help clients with self-regulation.
● Anyone who is interested in a holistic mind-body practice to heal chronic pain, stress & anxiety.
About Daphne
Daphne is a registered yoga therapist, movement educator, bodyworker, and a specialist in somatic therapy. A self-professed geek, she is always exploring underlying principles of the human body and movement patterns as embodied relational beings. Daphne applies principles of kinesiology and natural movement, somatics, neuroscience, and yoga philosophy in her trauma-informed work. Her work aims to hone sensory awareness, cultivate resilience and regain agency so as to fully experience life.
She has helped people of all ages rehabilitate injuries, regain neuro-motor functions, manage chronic pain, and work through trauma. Daphne also facilitates trainings, workshops and mentorship programs for both individuals and organisations, movement educators and healthcare professionals.
Testimonials from previous participants
"Daphne teaches with authenticity, kindness and love. She possesses immense understanding and knowledge about human anatomy and she makes it so fun to learn. She taught me how to look at my body, my being and my movement in a radically different way. She taught me how movement can be so unique and embodiment is very much an ongoing, lively interaction between what is inside us and that surrounds us. She made it safe for me to venture into bodywork when I came from a space of hesitance towards touch therapy."
~ Yoke Wen, Social Worker & Yoga Teacher
"Daphne’s inquiry-based approach on deep sensing and awareness is such a contemporary and important approach rising above the many yoga schools that are constantly popping up today. The 2 weeks of her training offered so much more than just cognitive and experiential knowledge of anatomy and asanas, but transformed my deepest sense of awareness in my
body. I left feeling like a newborn who never tasted the true feeling of motion, and of being alive and conscious in and of my body. I keep walking, moving and dancing with a sense of pleasure and joy brought about by the awareness and perception of my body as fluid, gentle and a well integrated unit. I can't wait for her next training and I highly recommend her to everybody who's interested in sculpting their yoga from within!"
~ Lucie Krobova, Dancer & Dance Teacher, Amsterdam