Yoga For Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga

Trauma-Informed Yoga, Journal Therapy and Ayurveda with Doro Baumfalk | Ep 12

• Liz Albanis - Senior Yoga Teacher • Season 1 • Episode 12

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Join Liz Albanis as she chats with Doro Baumfalk about teaching trauma-informed  Yoga. Yoga for mental health, Ayurveda and journaling.  

Together they explore:

  • Trauma-aware yoga teaching. How props, poses, language, and environment can be triggers. And how to offer students  compassionate options.
  • Dorothy’s personal journey to discovering yoga
  • The  power of combining yoga and journaling. Especially for mental health
  • Real-life stories of transformation, including teaching at a rare cancer community event
  • Practical ways to balance the doshas through everyday tools.
  • The importance of letting go of perfectionism in both yoga and journaling
  • Empowering journal prompts 
  • Journaling offers a powerful way to explore emotions and deepen yoga practice.
  • Ayurveda is accessible. Small shifts  can help bring balance and insight.

About: Doro  is a yoga teacher, Ayurvedic counselor, and journal therapist who brings together movement, mindfulness, and writing to support holistic wellbeing. After more than a decade working in the hotel industry, she experienced firsthand how  demanding modern life can be and how difficult it is to truly switch off. Today, she integrates journaling into her yoga classes to help  students clear the mind and connect more deeply with their practice.  Drawing on Ayurveda, she emphasises the individuality of health and teaches practical ways to recognise and balance the Doshas in daily  life. Dorothee also offers workshops and trainings for yoga teachers, inspiring them to enrich their own classes with Ayurveda and journaling.

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Warning: this episode includes a discussion on trauma aware yoga and may touch on experiences that could be distressing for some listeners, including, but not limited to survivors of sexual abuse, natural disasters, or other distressing events. Extended version available on 3R program.

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The content shared in these conversations is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and it is not suitable for listeners under the age of 18. Please use discretion and consult a qualified professional before making changes to your health or wellness routines.

If you’re interested in being a guest or know someone who might be head to my website: https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/podcast/yoga-for-trauma

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[00:00:00] Before you start listening, this episode includes a discussion on trauma aware yoga and may touch on experiences that could be distressing for some listeners, including, but not limited to survivors of sexual abuse, natural disasters, or other distressing events. I am not a licensed mental health practitioner, and this podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment.

The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you are struggling, please see a licensed mental health care professional if in Australia to call Lifeline on one three Triple one four. I learned that mental health and the body are so intertwined. I don't think a lot of people are aware of that, how much it actually is.

That's when the magic can happen. That's when you might be thinking, oh wow, I didn't [00:01:00] even know that was still on my mind. It the fact that yoga goes way beyond the physical aspect, that makes it so appealing to me, and that's what I also want to convey to my students. It's not just about the process, it's about what happens inside, during class.

Welcome to the Inner Fire of Yoga, a podcast about transformation, resilience, and the power of yoga beyond the mat. I'm Liz Banis, senior yoga teacher and yoga therapist in training. This podcast was born in 2024 after I survived my second fire. Fire has been a recurring theme in my life, not just in the literal sense, but as a metaphor.

It has asked me to burn away what no longer serves me to transform and to rise stronger [00:02:00] each time. This podcast is about that fire, the one that challenges us, but also fuels us to grow. The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host Liz Albana.

The content shared in these conversations is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and it is not suitable. For listeners under the age of 18, please use discretion and consult a qualified professional. Before making changes to your health or wellness routine, I had a lovely conversation recently with Dorothy.

She is a yoga teacher, Ayurvedic counselor and journal therapist who brings together movement, mindfulness, and writing to support holistic wellbeing. After more than a decade working in the hotel industry, she experienced first stand, [00:03:00] how demanding modern life can be and how difficult it is to switch off.

Today she integrates journaling into her yoga classes to help students clear their minds and connect more deeply with their practice. Drawing on Aveda, she emphasizes the individuality of health and teaches practical ways to recognize and balance the doshas in daily life. Dorothy also offers workshops and trainings for yoga teachers, inspiring them to enrich their own classes with a yda and journaling.

Dorothy resides in Germany, so welcome, Dorothy. Thank you. Lovely to have you here. Thanks for the invitation. I just wanted to start with if you could tell [00:04:00] the audience a bit about yourself, especially how you discovered yoga. Oh, it took me quite a few years to discover yoga. I, yeah. I started when I was a teenager because my parents sent me to a class, which was a class for the bath for people who went to school.

I went there and I hated it because I thought it was way too boring. And by that time, yoga was getting more into the mainstream. So I had read a bit about it and I thought, wow, we're gonna do some fancy poses and it's gonna look awesome. And that's not what we were doing. So it was just for back health.

And for me as a kid who still went to school, it was so boring. I just wanted to go out and play and not lie on a mad And Shavasana, I hated it. I didn't like it at all. So I went to the class and when the course was over, I never tried yoga again until a [00:05:00] few years later because then I was already studying at university and I was always someone to get into thought spirals.

So I thought yoga is exactly what I need. I should like it. I should do it. So I went to another class. And still didn't like it. And then a few years later, I still tried another class and I didn't like the teacher. And then I was like, okay, maybe it's just not for me. But then shortly after, I went on a trip to Asia and I stayed with an American friend who had a roommate who was a yoga teacher.

And with her, it just clicked. And all of a sudden I got into yoga. And when I got back to Germany from my travels, I started doing it on a regular basis and basically never stopped until now. And it didn't took me long to start my teacher [00:06:00] training, which went about two years. And then Corona hit. So I passed my yoga teacher exams in January 2020, and right afterwards there was Covid and the lockdown.

So, I needed a project, so I did some further training in business yoga and in Ayurveda and journal therapy. So that's how my mixture came to be of being a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic counselor, and also journal therapist. Yes, I find the journal therapy part of it very interesting.

If someone came up to you on the street and said, oh, what's your yoga?

How would you describe it? In simple terms, it's a very complex thing, but I do like to ask people this to help demystify it. Yeah. I would probably, if someone came up to me and asked me, I would [00:07:00]probably start by saying what it's not. It is not some sort of fitness training. It's not just relaxation. It can be bold, but it's not just either of those things.

And that's a common misconception that I'm constantly facing because people are like, oh, you're doing yoga. So, you just stretch a little bit and then lie on your back for a few minutes. And other people say, oh no, I cannot do yoga. I'm not athletic, I'm not flexible at all. And I'm like, well, hey, join the club.

I'm not as athletic as well. I never was. So, I would probably say it's something holistic. And I know that word is overused, but it still is holistic. Yoga is very holistic. It's her mind, body, and soul. And it doesn't just. Affect your body. It doesn't just make you flexible, it makes you more patient, it makes you more resilient.

And [00:08:00] it gives me so much that by now I would be totally passionate about telling that person what yoga is to me and what it means to me and what it does for me. So yeah, to sum it all up, I would say it's an ancient practice that's holistic. And even though it's ancient, it's very modern and very applicable to our everyday lives because I feel like today we need the, the effects of yoga more than ever because now we're so stressed and so many things are going on around us, and there's constantly this flood of information and pictures and sounds and.

Yoga is some kind of a little oasis in all of that. Yeah, you're right. We lead such busy [00:09:00] life. We're always on the running. We do, , we even rush to things like that. Should be calming. I remember teaching it a studio, which shut the doors right on the dot and people would be coming on

and they needed that cluster down. Getting through the crazy Melbourne traffic where I was living at the time. We're just constantly on the go, so yeah, that's true. And I like how you tell them what it isn't. Because I like to say that yoga is not gymnastics, it's not mm-hmm. Routine. Yeah. So that's great.

Do you have a favourite quote on yoga or favourite piece of philosophy? Well, the one that comes to mind immediately is the one from the Bama Gita Yoga is the journey of the self through the self to the self. [00:10:00] And that's a quote that I love and that I frequently use as a model for my classes. And I think it's beautiful put because nowadays people often think yoga is some type of self-op optimization program.

And if I do it, I'm goint to be a better person and , I'm going to look better and behave better and everything, and I'm going to be some kind of superior human being that's above all those poor stress little things. And that's not it at all. It's not about becoming someone else, it's coming back to who you actually are.

And I think that quotes sums it up beautifully. It does. It's a well-known one from the Bava Gita one that comes to mind for me too. That's a great one to share. And also it emphasises that doing yoga, we actually spend time with ourselves, which is a daunting thought for a lot of people. I've discovered a [00:11:00] lot of people cannot be alone with themselves.

And their thoughts. And I think that's a pity. I think it's a lot of potential in being with yourself, spending time with yourself and getting to know yourself. Yeah. And getting to know yourself is an integral part of yoga. If it is, you want transformation, but it is just an essential part. If you want to have a good relationship with other people, you need to start by having a good relationship with yourself. Exactly. So, speaking about mental health mm-hmm. You notice that your yoga practice has improved your mental health. Absolutely. It's the reason for me why I started. I know a lot of people come to yoga because of the physical aspect, but for me it was always the mental aspect. Even as a teenager, when my parents sent me to that class, as I said, I had already read a bit about yoga and I thought, oh, [00:12:00]well, maybe that's what I need, because I'm always spiralling.

I'm always anxious and nervous. I get more nervous about daily stuff than other people, and I thought maybe yoga can help me with that. And at first it didn't because I was just so antsy all the time during class. But when I started getting into it and practicing regularly, I noticed a huge shift. I noticed that I can still have those feelings, but I can regulate them better.

I can calm down. I now have tools to react to them in an appropriate way. I also felt it made me a little bit more calm overall. I still get anxious a little bit, and I also have faces where I'm really feeling totally sad and I don't know why. And I read that hip openers can help with that. So one day when I was feeling that my mood was clouding a little bit, I [00:13:00] was like, okay, I'm finishing work early.

I'm going home. I'm doing a nice yummy yoga class that focuses on hip openers. And I was actually feeling better. And I learned that mental health and the body are so intertwined. I don't think a lot of people are aware of that, how much it actually is. I think a lot of people are like, oh yeah, I knew that.

But for me it was so eye-opening when my grandpa passed away a few years ago. By that time, I was already practicing yoga daily, and I was in the middle of my teacher training, and I had already become way more flexible. And after he died, I tried to practice yoga. And the poses that usually came easily to me, they were just not working.

I felt so stiff [00:14:00] because my mind was stiff with grief. I was grieving so much, and my body wasn't soft. My body could not soften because of all the grief that I had, and it was such an eyeopener for me. And now when I'm actually feeling good, or think I'm feeling good, and I'm on the mat and I'm feeling stiff, it's a sign for me to maybe look after my mental health.

Maybe there is some kind of blockage in my mind that's keeping me from doing the poses that I usually do. I think it's very interesting, the correlation of the mind and the body, and that was a huge discovery for me doing yoga. Yeah. There's more and more research coming out of it. 

Absolutely. So, I'm glad you've discovered that. And I'm sorry about your grandpa, but I'm glad you had yoga to support you during that grieving process. Thank you. Yeah, it was really a support system for [00:15:00] me and after I came to terms with the fact that my body just wasn't operating as it usually does, I just switched to breath work meditation and that came way more easily to me and helped me.

So yeah, it was still hard, but I had a tool to get through. Yeah, it's good to have those tools. Yes, exactly. Have you got any stories you'd like to share or unnamed clients of how you've helped their mental health? I taught at a conference this year. It was a conference of the Chordoma Foundation.

Chordoma is a rare form of cancer and it's a foundation from the states and so far they never had a community day in Germany and they were planning their first one. So, they were reaching out to studios in Frankfurt, asking if [00:16:00] there is a yoga teacher, ideally someone who can also teach journaling. And they contacted the studio I taught at the time, and of course they thought of me and I got in touch with them, had a short zoom call with them, taught there at the conference.

And it was about resilience. It was about yoga and journaling for more resilience, yoga and journaling to get through tough times, not only for the patients, but also for their relatives and friends and caretakers. So, what I did there was I presented journaling. I told them about what it's, what it can do, what forms there are of journaling, how you can do it, how to get started.

And I also tried some journaling methods with them right on the spot and a short yoga session on the chair. And after the conference, a few people came up to me and they were like [00:17:00] wow, I love that journaling session. It's the calmest I have felt in week. It's awesome. Right after I get home, I'm going to buy a notebook and a pen and get started.

And I was so happy to hear that because when I can get people to get into journaling, I'm just over the moon. And that's really a form of self-study too. It is. Especially when you combine it. That reminds me, so you did a course on journaling. Exactly. Can you talk about that course and then how you incorporate it into your work?

Yeah, of course. I love journaling. As a kid I just wrote about my day and how I was feeling and what happened

just stuff that you write in your diary when you're a teenager. Yes, but I still felt it gave me something. It was just my way to vent to a lot of some steam. I always felt better after riding and it was such an awesome [00:18:00] practice and I kept it until I was an adult.

I had a few slums, I have to say, but I always got back into it. I just know how good it makes me feel. And I saw an online ad about that class journal therapy, and I was like, oh my God, that's an opportunity for me to dive deeper into a topic than I already know. And like, so I took that opportunity, I jumped on it.

And also at the time I heard that other yoga teachers were combining yoga and journaling. And I was like, okay, well how are they doing that? And then I saw that just before class or after class, they just gave some journal prompts and that was it. And I was like, there has to be more to that. And then I attended a yin class, which was very eye-opening because in a yin post we would get to reflect on a journal prompt.

And then after getting out of that yin post, we would write about it. And that [00:19:00] class was awesome to me. I felt so great afterwards. I was like, that's something inspiring to me. I want to take that inspiration and work with that because journaling is my passion. Yoga is now also my passion, so why not combine those two?

And I don't teach yin yoga, but for me it worked to do very meditative flows with very natural organic transitions for my classes where I weave journaling into it. So, I have one pose that's static. For example, mountain poles or child's pose or forward full. And then I give them the journal prompt and they can reflect on it.

And then we do a short little flow, a few repetitions, I guess, and then they get to write about it. So first they can just listen to that prompt to [00:20:00] see what resonate. Then they're doing a little flow, then they're writing about it, and then we're doing it all again. So, it's pretty much, yeah. Well it's hard to understand, I guess, if you've never experienced it, because a lot of people I tell about that, uh, that like, uh, well, no, I don't want to interrupt my yoga practice for writing.

That sounds a lot like a good idea to me, but I can guarantee you it's very natural. It feels very natural, and I have learned that a lot of students love it because a lot of people who come to class are still occupied with the thoughts going on in their head. And then if I give them a thought to focus on, instead of all the everyday worries that they're carrying into class, and then they also get to write about it, they love it because they're not alone anymore with their thoughts.

They're like, okay, I'm allowed to have my. [00:21:00] I can't even write about them. This is awesome. I can now concentrate way more on the physical part of the yoga practice. So that's why they love it. That's why I love it. And usually a writing break is about three minutes. And then I tell students about the brain dump method, which is where you usually set a timer for at least 10 minutes and you write, and you never stop writing during that time that you set.

Even if you don't know what to write anymore, that's when you write, I don't know what to write anymore. Because then what happens, the things that are on top of your mind will flow into paper easily just in the beginning. But then when you don't know what to write anymore and you keep writing, that's when your subconscious mind pops in and then you write about stuff that you might be surprised about afterwards.

And that's when the magic can happen. That's when you might be thinking, oh wow, I didn't even know that was still on my mind. Maybe I need to look [00:22:00] into that again. And so, I encourage student to take these three minutes for a mini brain because a lot of people don't even write the whole three minute. And I encourage them to just keep writing for the three minutes.

Of course, they're also free to just get back into the relaxing post we were in before. So they have the choice. And I have people come up to me after class and they were like, I took a look at my notes that I was so surprised that I still wrote about that topic, which I thought was totally done for me.

But obviously not quite. I haven't let it go yet. Exactly. Ah. So it could help them practice the paragraph, letting it go. Yeah. That's great. I love the idea of this journaling in a yoga class because I might myself, I'm an avid journaler. I find it really [00:23:00] therapeutic. It is. Yeah. And so I just, I heard this about you and I thought, oh wow, that's so cool. Yeah. I love it. And I also love that people are loving it. Could you give an example of something listeners they could take away from this episode if they're practicing at home, what would be a nice journal prompt after they've centered themselves?

A nice journal prompt to, to start the day would be, how am I feeling now and how would I like to feel today? If I had to describe my day in a word, what would I like that word to be and what can I do to get there? That might be a good thing to tune into the day. Also, to tap into your strength and use a prompt like, which obstacles have I overcome?

How did I do that? Or what am I proud of myself for? What can I give myself more credit for? [00:24:00] That's something that boosts your confidence. Yes. And gives you a better feeling walking through the day. Because often times we're like, oh my God, I cannot do anything and I'm such a loser. And it helps to remind yourself of all the things you've already done or the things you've already achieved, and also the hurdles you've overcome.

And if you're journaling right before bed, I would suggest doing something like, what in my day was great? What do I want more of the next day? Or, which feeling did I enjoy today? What do I want to dream about tonight? Or also, on the other hand, what about the day is something that I want to let go of now before I go to sleep?

What do I want to leave in this day before I go to the next day? That makes sense. And then if, when you do the full journal in class, you weave some sort of theme into it, as you said before, [00:25:00] it could actually like that yogic sort of theme, like from the sutures or something? Or is it, or it can be all sorts of themes.

Oh, okay. And yeah, it can be all sorts of themes. And for me it's important to have a theme because I don't pick my journal prompts randomly. I make sure that they fit the topic, that they are in a coherent, um, what's the word? Yes, with that? Um, order Honor, right? Yeah. Sorry. Easy for me with No, no, it's easy for me.

English is my first language much easier. And even then I still have both moments. I was looking for the word I'm like. What the hell? I know what it is and um, okay. But I make sure that they're in a coherent order, that they make sense, and I also make sure that they fit the pose that we're doing before or after.

So for example, [00:26:00] warrior Poses fit very much for prompt. Like, what am I proud of myself for? Or when was a situation where I showed courage and what was it about and what can I learn from that situation? So Warrior Poses are for really empowering thoughts. Yeah. That boost confidence and courage. And then, for example, forward trolls, they're about patience.

They're about letting go. So, I weave journal prompts about patience and letting go to that post. So, for example. To keep it simple. What is something I want to let go of? What is a thought that's been bugging me lately and I would want to let go of. Or also, what can I forgive myself for? That's also a great prong to reflect on in a forward full.

So [00:27:00] yeah, there are a lot of aspects that go into planning a session like that. There would be, yeah, and theming classes can really bring them to life more. I love theming classes because for me, that's when the depth comes in. I love creative sequences and everything, but I don't think that depth comes from creative sequencing all alone.

I feel like it for, for me, it the fact that yoga goes way beyond the physical aspect that makes it so appealing to me. And that's what I also want to convey to my students. It's not just about the process, it's about what happens inside during class. I'm glad you emphasise that. Good to spread the word, isn't it?

Sify yoga and make it more accessible. And it's [00:28:00] wonderful. You've done some work with the rare cancer because cancer's just such a horrible disease. My mother had a rare form of coma. Mm-hmm. And they didn't really know what to do with herb. Hard on the patient. Mm-hmm. So hard on the patient's loved ones as well.

So, I think sharing the gift of yoga for such people is really important. Yeah. Yeah, it is. And I was so honoured that they invited me and. So honoured to also meet those people and talk to them and hear about their stories. And also during coffee break, there was another speaker who approached me, she's a doctor at a hospital in another German city and she was like, I love the journaling aspect and I love the yoga aspect.

Would you come teach at my hospital as well? [00:29:00] So she invited me and I am going in September and I'm really looking forward to that. And yeah, it's another session about yoga and journaling for, uh, more resilience to get through hard times and I'm so looking forward to that because I feel that's so fulfilling.

Well, it is fulfilling, but congratulations, that's a wonderful opportunity and it shows how much you're helping people and it's good to give back. It is, yeah. Yeah. Definitely is. I've been working in the hotel in industry for. 13 years. Right now. I'm not in the hotel industry anymore, but I'm still doing marketing and having a corporate job like that, it makes it so much more fulfilling to teach yoga on the side because that's so meaningful

I love the corporate side and I also love the idealistic teaching yoga helping people side. So, I think that combination is really [00:30:00] nourishing to me. It's nice to give back and to do things that you're passionate about, makes your Oh, totally.

Live out your dharma. Yeah. It's nice that you are helping people create more resilience because I think that's one of the main gifts of yoga, making us more resilient. Oh yes. Coping with curve balls better. Yeah. That's what it is for me. That's the greatest gift yoga has given me personally, dealing with anxiety and depression and panic and all of that.

I just feel happy to share it with people, and that's probably what encouraged you to do some extra training in mental health and trauma. Yeah, I did further training in trauma sensitive yoga and yoga for anxiety, trauma and depression because. It concerns me with anxiety and also depression, unfortunately.

[00:31:00] So I was hoping to get some useful tools from it for myself, but also for my teaching because that's now the thing that I'm most focused on to give people the gift of a calm mind when they leave my class. That's also because I incorporated the journaling because I feel like people, often times, they come to the mat, but they cannot relax.

They're still so much in their thoughts about the day and their problems and their to-do list that they can't really focus on the practice, and by weaving journaling into that, I make it easier for them because they get a little channel for their thoughts. They can just. Put them on paper out of their head and then concentrate on the yoga.

And also they feel like, oh, I'm allowed to contemplate during class. I even get to write about it. [00:32:00] So there's less pressure to be that calm, serene yogi or your Guinea that you see on Instagram, you know? And on the other hand, a lot of people find journaling daunting because they're like, oh no, I cannot write, my handwriting looks so bad and I make mistakes and I don’t know where to put a comma.

And also, I'm just not calm enough to just sit down and write for a i, I don't know, half an hour maybe. I'm just not calm enough to do that. And for those people, it's a gift to combine journaling with movement. So it's just a win-win situation for both. And I feel like that's really. A gift for those who are to fancy to just do yoga, quote unquote, and those who just don't want to do journaling alone.

So, combining those two can really speak to both of those groups. That's true. And the training you did with mental health and trauma, mm-hmm. [00:33:00] Did that change the way you teach yoga? It didn't change my style. I would say it changed the way I look at my words and the way I use cues. Yeah. It was very interesting and we learned a lot, and there are a lot of triggers out there.

I feel like the word trigger is overused. And me personally dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, I oftentimes find it a little bit annoying when people. Just like, oh my gosh, someone honked at me. I was so triggered. No, you were not triggered. You were just a little bit annoyed. Yeah, and but in this class we were talking about real triggers and I became very sensitive to them, and I try to work around them.

So, for example, I don't darken the room completely for Shavasana because that can be triggering for some people. [00:34:00] I always make sure to tell people, Hey, I'm closing the door, but you can leave any time. It's not locked. Feel free to go to the bathroom. Feel free to go outside if you just need to catch some air.

Or if you just want to, you can always leave. You can always go outside. That's something I always make sure to do. Then also, I love incense, but a lot of scents can be triggering to people and also candles, like open flames can be very triggering to people. And I think with you being from Australia and having experienced the fires, I think you know better than anyone else that an innocent candle can be a trigger for somebody.

That's great. Really pleased to hear that. Yeah. And also some uh, props. Uh, so we, we learned in that class that the teacher who gave the class, she had a student [00:35:00] who was beaten up by her father with a belt. Mm-hmm. And she got triggered by the yoga strap. Mm-hmm. So, it's a lot. And I think a lot of people listening to this are like, oh yeah, but anything can be a trigger. So, I won't even try. But I think we can still do our best to cater to everyone.

Yeah. I think that's a great attitude to have because I've had a few yoga teachers say to me, well go to a trauma sensitive class only, or there's no guarantees. And that's true. We could still trigger someone. Mm-hmm. They could still have a panic attack. Something could still go wrong. But I think especially when we think of Ahimsa, non harming mm-hmm.

To others, yeah. It's an honour to hold space with people and to do it with sincerity and try our best not to. And I know I've made many mistakes over the past 13 years of [00:36:00] teaching, but we just try to do better. And I never expect that. I won't in future trigger someone, but I'll do my best and I'll learn from my experiences and often our students can be our greatest teachers.

Yeah. That's all we can do. That's all we can do Our best. And just hope that people are honest with us and tell us when they don't like something. Sometimes they're unable to really tell because maybe they are triggered and then they cannot articulate like, Hey Liz, now I'm triggered, so I'm going to leave your class.

That's not how it works. But yeah, we can still try and get feedback and learn from the reactions in the class. Read the room a little bit. Yeah. Read the room. Exactly. That's one thing I encourage people to do when I mentor them, is to look at body language, read the room. Exactly. That's great. But a lot of yoga teachers think it's just a matter of avoiding [00:37:00] physical adjustments.

Mm-hmm. And it's not that simple. And you can still offer physical adjustments, but uh, things like consent tokens can make a lot of difference with that. And, but I like that you pointed out about the yoga belt because. As you would know being a yoga teacher, there are poses where we bind like restorative poses, even with like Supta Baddha Konasana, the reclined bound angled. Mm-hmm. They get the Strat or even the restorative versions of bridge posts that are on bolsters and I've done restorative training and I was trained to put belts wrap one around the thighs and then the calves. But it never occurred to me, even though I've got PTSD myself, that could trigger someone because they'd be like, mm-hmm I'm tied down here.

Yeah. Get out. Or even someone like one like me who's been in a fire might be thinking for themselves, hang on a minute, I can get the belt off, but it's going to take me so [00:38:00] much longer to run out of the room if there's a fire or something like that. So that's the thing. Yeah. We can still use them, but we can say, look, if you wanna use them, great.

Go ahead. It's a great thing to bring up about the belts I love. Yeah, exactly. Always give them a choice to touch, to be touched or not be touched. To use the props or to not use the props. And like you, I didn't think there were people who could be triggered by child's pose. For example, I thought child's pose is like the epitome of I'm safe and I'm grounding it.

And it's not like in that class I learned that there were people who had to seek shelter during an earthquake and they were covering their head ats and going into China's post reminded them of the post that they took when the earthquake hit and the furniture was crumbling around them and everything.

So, I never thought of that. And another great thing that I learned in that class was that if you're doing sequences or flows [00:39:00] several times, then always. Count down how many times are still left or how long it's going to take. Because if someone feels uncomfortable, they know there's an end to this. And they know when a change in the movement is coming.

Because on the other hand, some people might feel comfortable with the repetition and the flowy movements, and then they are triggered when all of a sudden now we're doing something different. So, it's good for both people if you have both of them in your class. One is triggered when there's a sudden change and one is triggered when a movement is going on for too long.

So always tell them how much longer it's goint to take until a change is coming, until you're doing a different movement, until you're doing a different flow so that they know what's coming and they're not totally unprepared. You mean like how many more rounds of sun salutation aim? Exactly. Or how many more breaths are we holding [00:40:00] Warrior one.

Exactly. Yes. And that's exactly it. Yes. Yeah. And the option to come out as well. I'm interested about the child's pose because that is not always emphasised in trauma training. What advice did they give to you? Give them the option to try a different pose. Well, yeah, first there's the option to lie down on your back to just keep it simple.

If they cannot take being that crunched down with their face facing down, if that's uncomfortable for them, you can have them lie on their back. You can also encourage them to take a huge pillow or a bolster underneath, and not lie directly on the floor, but on the bolster with the side of your head on the bolster.

So, you're looking to the side, your face is not facing to the ground, and that might be comfortable for some people when they're hugging the pillow and lying with their face on the pillow instead of their forehead on the floor. [00:41:00] That makes a lot of sense too. I'm really glad you brought that up because it's something I'm passionate about helping yoga teachers learn more about being trauma aware and myself becoming more trauma aware and helping yoga students find yoga practices that cater to their needs.

That's an important thing, and that's also what intrigued me during the journal therapy training because I learned that it's applied in group therapy and also singular therapy. In individual therapy. There's a lot you can do with that even. Dealing with addiction, with grief, with trauma, with depression.

Writing about it can help you through it. I'm not a psychotherapist, so I don't try to cure anyone in my classes. I just try to make them feel better and not trigger them. That's another thing that we were told in the trauma sensitive class. Be very careful when shaking practices. Yeah. A lot of people love the [00:42:00] shaking me meditation and I'm one of them.

I love shaking meditation. It's awesome to me. I feel so much better when I do it, but it's also a very powerful practice where a lot of feelings can come loose. They were stuck before and being stuck means okay. Maybe they're there, but it's like the spider on the wall. Yeah, it's there and I don't dare to take it out myself, but ready just.

Sitting here, and I'm slowly getting a little bit used to it, sitting there, and I'm calming down a little bit. But once it starts moving, I'm like, and it's the same with these emotions that can come loose when you're shaking. So we don't want to trigger these emotions by loosening them. If we cannot provide the appropriate hell afterwards, we cannot support them in an appropriate way because we're not psychotherapists.

I'm not a psychotherapist. If they are triggered and an emotion suddenly appears, then [00:43:00] they had carefully start away. I cannot offer them the support that they need in that moment. So, we were told to be very cautious with practices like this. Even though loosening up these emotions can be a good thing, but only if there is someone to guide you through that.

Especially if they've got acute trauma, they're better off working one-on-one. Mm-hmm. Psychotherapist. Exactly. Yeah. And that's the thing, some yoga therapists are qualified as well, but yeah, if it's acute trauma especially. But the other thing is some students are goint to shake regardless, even if it's not a shake patient.

As I've just gotten myself with my own shaking after. Yeah. You raised a very good point. We've got to stay within our scope of practice. Yeah. So, you also did some training with Aveda. Mm-hmm. Describe, because I know I've heard you describe this before beautifully in another podcast, what [00:44:00]Aveda is. Ayurveda is a healing practice.

It's something that's, well, I think it's pretty much the oldest, at least I read that. I think people might disagree on that, but that's what I read and it kind of developed hand in hand with yoga. And while yoga was more a practice for the mind, Ayurveda is aimed at the body to make the body feel good.

So, they both go hand in hand because real health is not just the body, it's also the mental health. And Ayurveda is based on the three doshas, and those are based on the Ayurvedic elements, which are ether, fire, water, air, and earth. And these elements are inside all of us. So, when people say, oh, my dosha is Pitta, well, your predominant dosha is pita, but you have all doshas inside of you because [00:45:00]otherwise you could not exist.

You need all the elements inside of you. You need the air to breathe. You need the earth, which stands for everything that's solid in your body. For example, your bones, your teeth, your nails, even your. Water, all the fluids inside your body, and it goes on and on like that. So, you need all the doshas and how the doshas appear in your body.

That's how your personality and your body type is determined. And when I talk about Ayurveda, I'm often asked, oh, just three. But that's not enough to just categorise every person on earth. Right? That's a little bit too vague. Yeah. And then I love to tell them about the three primary colours, because there are only three primary colours and they form every other colour there is.

So it's exactly the same with the three Doshas. You and I, we might have a lot of [00:46:00] similarities, similar interests and similar approaches when it comes to teaching yoga, but at the same time, we're totally different people and we will have. Way different portions of each dosha inside of us. And I think that's a very beautiful thing, and very much getting back to the thing we talked about before, getting to know yourself better.

For me, that's what Ayurveda is about. For me. That's what Ayurveda brought me. Knowing my constitution, my personal mixture of the doshas, if you will, helped me get to know myself so much more, so much better. And it also helped me be more gentle with myself because if I'm overreacting, I understand what's going on in my body and also makes me feel empowered because now I know, okay, there's something I can do about that.

And contrary to what people might believe, it's not hard, it's not complicated. You don't need to have some fancy herbs in your kitchen all [00:47:00] the time. It's the little things in your life that can still balance your constitution and then that. Could you give an example of when you notice an imbalance, like what you've done about it?

Yeah. I have a concrete example. One summer it was really hot and I was talking to my mom on the phone and I was getting so annoyed at her and she didn't even do anything. So, when I hung up the phone, I was like, why am I so annoyed? Why am I so mad at her? I'm fuming. I cannot explain why. And then I was like, okay, well wait a second.

I know that my predominant dosha is Pitta, which is influenced by the fire element and we also have it in our everyday language. She's a fiery personality, and I have a burning passion for this and that. I think pe people know what fire means and. [00:48:00] Then we have the very simple rule in Ayurveda that the same thing enhances the same thing and s balance each other.

So, I knew I have a lot of P, which is also warm, and it's a very hot summer day, so probably my pizza is enhanced. And when pizza gets out of hand, you might get irritated very easily. And I felt like that was happening to me because not only was it hot and I'm a pizza person anyways, but I was also working very hard and being on top of your game and working and everything.

That's also P Peter Energy, decent drive. Exactly. And then I was like, okay, maybe I'm just experiencing a pizza imbalance, so maybe I just need some cooling stuff. So, what's cooling in Ayurveda, for example? Coconut water, for example. Sweet fruits [00:49:00] like mango melons. So, I had a glass of coconut water and ate some mango and it sounds so pain helping boost.

And it worked. It still worked. , I was like, okay, well, drinking a glass of coconut water and eating some fruits, I don't know if that's going to calm me down, but it actually did.

And that was great. And it was such an empowering feeling because that was the first time. I actually realised, okay, now I'm acting this way because of a Doha imbalance and I know what to do about it. And I was so proud. Not only because I had memorized what I had learned, but also because I was like, oh my God, that's awesome.

I didn't even do anything fancy. I just did the most ordinary stuff. I just consumed something that was already in my fridge and it helped and that was such a cool feeling to me. I [00:50:00] find Ayurveda fascinating, and it's part of my yoga therapy studies. They go hand in hand. When I offer an Ayurvedic consultation, I always include yoga.

Yeah. So you're an Ayurvedic counselor? Mm-hmm. So, it's different to an Ayurvedic doctor and it's different to like a yoga therapist. Yes. How many hours training was that? It was a year of training. I don't know the exact hours right now, but it was a year of training and also practicum of like 30 hours.

And I'm not a doctor, I'm not a health specialist in any way. So, I can call myself a health counselor. So, what I do is I determine the constitution of the person, but I ask you about several things. I do a little interview with the people, and then I determine what their constitution is, and then I ask them.

If there is [00:51:00] anything they would like to work on in their everyday life. And that's how I give my tips to them. I give them journal prompts, of course, that's always part of my practice. I give them nutrition tips. I give them routine tips. Of course, yoga is always part of that as well, because no Ayurveda without yoga and I try to do it in a preventive way because I can say, okay, well this dosha is predominant for you and your lifestyle is that way, so you're most likely to develop an imbalance of this and that ion.

So how we can work on that is the following. So, it's more a preve a preventive thing. It's not a curative thing. Yeah. Prevention is better than cure. A Veda is a holistic approach to health. It is then a reductionist approach.

So just to finish up, do you have any final takeaways [00:52:00] for, uh, listeners today?

My main takeaway is probably the thing that was the hardest for me, it's let go of your perfectionism. Nobody is reading what you write in your journal, so it doesn't need to look great. It doesn't have to be correct in all places and it doesn't have to be correct at all. You can write like a little child for all I care, you know?

But also with the yoga, if you cannot touch your toes, so what nobody cares, even if you're in the class. And if you still don't feel comfortable, just do it at home. And I think letting go of perfectionism is something that's really important because that's the hurdle for a lot of people. They think they need to be flexible to start yoga.

No, it's a welcome side effect of yoga, but it's not. Something that's required for you to start. And with the journaling, let go of your perfectionism as well, because [00:53:00] what you write is only for your eyes. And if you want to share, you can always do that. But you should write with keeping in mind that it's just for you.

You're not writing for anybody else. You're not writing a book that's going to be published. You're just writing for yourself and your wellbeing. So just start, be gentle with yourself. Don't care about what it looks like, what you're writing. It's still valid what you're writing, even if it doesn't look nice.

And another takeaway for the journaling might be honest, but don't be dramatic. Be honest when you write. And embrace the negative feelings as well. But try to not dwell on them. Try to not have every page full of self-pity. And I think that's a balance that comes with practice. Yeah. Yoga helps us with quietening, that inner critic because we are often our own toughest.

It really [00:54:00] does. Yeah. As Amy says in her book, she's big on that. To finish off, Dorothy, how can people connect and work with you? They can connect with me on my website, which is the writing yoi.com. And I think there's probably a link. I'll definitely put links to all this in the show notes. Yeah. And I also write a blog on my website, which is both in German and English.

And I regularly share journal prompts also on my Instagram, which is also at the Writing Yogini with points in between the words. And if you are yoga teacher looking for some inspiration. I know how daunting it can be when you're in training and thinking, oh my god. Now I just taught a great class and I don't know where I'm going to get my inspiration from during the next years.

I always have to do something new and it's overwhelming. I am teaching [00:55:00] a class on a platform called Asana at home, and my course is called Journaling for Yoga Classes, retreats, and Workshops. And in this class I help other yoga teachers incorporate journaling into their teaching and also use journaling for their own growth, both professionally and personally.

It's a course in English, and I'm also working on my own course, which will be in German. Oh, that's fantastic. Yeah. Asana at home. I've heard of them because Bernie Clark. Yeah, he's on there too.  And so, is that course self-paced or is it live?

Yeah, it is. It's totally self-paced and I am still there to support. There's also a call with me involved, so you will learn how to use journaling for your professional growth as a yoga teacher. You will learn how to use it for your personal growth. You will learn how to establish your own [00:56:00] source of inspiration by journaling, and you will learn how to incorporate journaling into your classes.

And by the end of the class, you will have your very own individual source of inspiration. You will not need to rely on Instagram videos anymore. You will have your very own source of inspiration and you will have planned your first very own yoga class with journaling by the end of the class. So yeah, that's an exciting project for everyone that participates.

It sounds like great. I will get you to send me a link so I can add that to the show notes as well. Yep. And and I'm sure that would be great ways for yoga teachers to enhance their teaching by giving themselves feedback and what went well today with my class. Exactly. Sounds great. I would love to that, to the show notes.

Yeah, and if you're not a yoga teacher, you can still come work with me. On my website, I offer Ayurvedic consultations from a very [00:57:00] basic package with just the Constitution and some tips free everyday life to more elaborate packages with tailor made journal prompts and yoga exercises for your individual type.

So, you can just reach out. It's all online. It's all both in German and English, so feel free. Well, that sounds great, Dorothy. I love what you offer. With your services. It's been lovely having you as a guest on my podcast. Thank you so much for inviting me. It's a pleasure. Thank you for joining me on podcast.

I hope today's episode has left you feeling inspired and informed and empowered to take meaningful steps towards your wellbeing. If there's a topic you'd like me to cover, or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you. Just fill in the form on the podcast page of my website. Your voice is an important part of this journey.

I want this podcast to reflect the conversations that [00:58:00] matter most to my listeners. If today's episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might benefit from these conversations. Don't forget to subscribe. It helps grow this incredible community of resilience and support. Until next time, take care of yourself and never forget the power, the possibilities of a regular yoga practice.

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Liz Albanis

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Dorothee (Doro) Baumfalk

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