Survivors on the Yoga Mat: Stories for Those Healing from Trauma

An inspiring collection of essays that reveal the healing power of yoga, Survivors on the Yoga Mat is an ideal companion for trauma survivors and yoga teachers alike. Weaving together stories from her classes, travels, and workshops, author Becky Thompson shows the brave and unique ways that survivors approach yoga: the creative ways that they practice, the challenges they face, and the transformative experiences they discover. Thompson skillfully draws connections between yoga and social-justice activism, demonstrating how a trauma-sensitive approach to yoga makes room for all of us--across race, class, gender, religion and nationality.

Survivors on the Yoga Mat offers stories, reflections, and meditations for people who are healing from a wide range of traumas--sexual abuse, accidents, child abuse, war, illnesses, incarceration, and other injuries. The book consists of 90 true stories--alternately funny, surprising, and irreverent--that together provide a roadmap for survivors on their journey to wholeness. Organized into six sections, the book explores the challenges of beginning a yoga practice; the unique strengths of trauma survivors; the circuitous path of healing; yoga's value as a lifelong practice; the special role of teachers; and the potential of yoga as an avenue for activism. Also included is a description of Pantajali's Eight Limbs of Yoga, a list of resources, an appendix explaining the different styles of yoga, and a beautiful photo glossary with over 100 photos of the yoga postures mentioned in the book.

BECKY THOMPSON, PhD, RYT-500, is a poet, scholar, activist, yoga teacher, and trauma survivor whose work focuses on trauma and healing. Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at Simmons College, she has authored several books on social justice including A Hunger So Wide and So Deep: A Multiracial View of Women’s Eating Problems and A Promise and a Way of Life.