Integration

The koshas are interconnected and work together. For example, when we are depressed, we slouch and our breath becomes shallow. In this way, our psychological mood, associated with our mental-emotional body (manamayakosha), affects our physical body (annamayakosha), as well as our breath and energy body (pranamayakosha). In a yoga classes and therapy practice, we begin to bring greater integration to the physical body with yoga asanas and to the breath body with yogic breathing or pranayama. As the flow of vital energy is freed up in the physical body and breath body, this in turn creates greater vitality and integration in our mental-emotional body.
In much the same way, all the different practices, theories, and strategies that we have learned over this course are interconnected. There is not one particular method that is a trauma-informed method. Instead we must see the trauma-informed perspectives as a facet of good teaching. We will strike up a balance of the trauma informed perspective based on our own and our students’ contexts.

Pardasani et al (2014) has a succinct explanation of the integration of all the koshas and how it can lead to growth and development. Read the section entitled “Holistic Growth and Development” on page 853 for a deeper understanding of this integration.

• How can an integration of the learning help us to become better yoga teachers?
• How is a trauma informed perspective a pivotal aspect of this integration?

As we leave our course, please look over this document from Hanover Research which provides numerous strategies for trauma informed instruction.

Homework

Something to think about –

• How might trauma informed teaching be beneficial for all students? Can you teach without being trauma-informed?

Something to do –

• Be intentional with your wording - in your conversations, be conscious of what you will say and re-frame the wording. For example, “My student is resistant to do the exercise” to “My student is curious do the exercise”.
• Is it easier to do? Harder?

Something to write about –

• Answer the following questions in a journal.
• How is your approach to fostering safety in the classroom changed through this course?