8 Yoga Poses to Release Trauma and Build Mental Resilience
By Marlena Bontas
Introduction
We all experience trauma—whether it’s in our family, at school, or in public. It’s no secret that life can get difficult at times. However, LGBTQ+ youth face additional trauma from criticism about their lifestyle or the disapproval of classmates or friends. Being rejected by your loved ones is disheartening and can have long-lasting effects on the brain.
This may lead to isolation, depression, or hopelessness. If these feelings aren’t addressed, they can develop into more serious mental health issues like anxiety or depression.
California-based yoga practitioners Brittany Piper and Em Geeves, who went through traumatic events during their formative years, found that certain yoga poses help their clients reconnect with their bodies and stop the emotional flashbacks associated with trauma.
According to Debra Rose Wilson, a psychology teacher and healthcare professional, emotional flashbacks are experiences where you’re reminded of a past traumatic event. Symptoms include:
Fear
Shame
Sadness
A feeling that something bad is about to happen
They’re not always visual or auditory and can be hard to detect. Geeves and Piper understand the importance of not neglecting these emotional flashbacks, and instead, dealing with them as they arise.
Here are eight yoga poses that Em suggests may help bring relief and restore the nervous system hijacked by trauma:
🧒 1. Child Pose
Why it helps:
Em believes the child pose is nourishing because it provides rest to the already stressed-out nervous system.
“When I come into the shape, I know it will bring me back to the present moment,” she says.
How to do it:
Lean forward, keeping your buttocks on your heels
Rest your forehead on the floor
Move your arms so they’re next to your legs, palms facing up
Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply for at least eight breaths
🪑 2. Chair Pose
Why it helps:
This pose grounds the body and helps release the anxiety accumulated during a traumatic event.
“It’s a pose that strengthens the body and mind,” says Geeves.
How to do it:
Bend your knees and hold a partial squat
Imagine you’re sitting in an invisible chair
Keep your spine long and your arms raised if comfortable
🐶 3. Downward-Facing Dog
Why it helps:
This pose helps slow down your breathing—especially important during emotional flashbacks, when breathing becomes shallow or weak due to adrenaline.
“An emotional flashback feels like you’re back in that situation, needing to protect yourself again.”
Downward dog helps regulate breathing and pull you back to the present.
How to do it:
Keep your head down, ideally touching the floor
Balance your weight between palms and feet
Arms should be straight and shoulder-width apart
Legs stay straight, feet a foot apart
Raise hips as high as possible
🛡️ 4. Warrior II
Why it helps:
This pose helps unleash the mind from emotional negativity.
“When you are doing the pose, you have nowhere to go. You can choose to stay in the present and observe your mind’s reaction.”
How to do it:
Bend your front knee forward to stretch your hips
Extend your arms out from your shoulders
Keep your gaze calm and steady toward your front hand
Remain in the pose until you feel centered again
🦅 5. Eagle Pose
Why it helps:
The eagle pose can bring relief from anxiety or racing thoughts. It forces the mind to quiet down and invites you to accept the present moment and how you feel.
How to do it:
Wrap your arms and legs together
Balance on one foot
This is a full-body posture that requires focus and concentration
💞 6. Reclined Bound Angle
Why it helps:
This pose helps you connect with stored emotions. Trauma may lead you to deny or silence your feelings. Reclined bound angle helps access emotions that are hard to reach during stress.
How to do it:
Lie on your back with arms comfortably away from your body, palms up
Bend your knees and bring your heels toward your pelvis
Let your knees drop out to the sides, soles of your feet together
Lean back into the floor and allow your body to soften
🕊️ 7. Pigeon Pose
Why it helps:
One of the most emotionally charged poses, pigeon often leads to sadness or emotional release. But it also feels like your body is supporting and embracing you.
How to do it:
Sit with one leg bent in front and the other leg extended behind
Keep hands on the floor for balance
Lift your spine and open your chest as you breathe
☁️ 8. Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Why it helps:
The final, and possibly most important pose. Savasana restores calm and safety in the body—something trauma can make you feel disconnected from.
“You feel as if you can’t trust your body. This pose helps you let go and reconnect.”
How to do it:
Lie flat on your back, legs extended and arms at your sides
Close your eyes and breathe
Allow your muscles to fully relax
Feel your body as a safe space again
Conclusion
Emotional flashbacks can be subtle but intense. With inner work, therapy, and even gentle yoga, they can be acknowledged and managed. For LGBTQ+ youth, learning to work through feelings like shame, fear, or rejection can lead to greater confidence, better mental health, and a stronger sense of self.
Remember: healing is not linear—but it is always possible.
