Professional Development in Trauma Informed Care

100-hr Yoga Teacher Training

 Where.

Live Sessions Online via Zoom Platform

* Content material will be pre-recorded and released for viewing every Thursday through the Offering Tree Platform. Live sessions will be recorded and shared to support viewing if attending those sessions are not possible.

* In our experience, participants maximize their experience by being present in person during the live sessions on Wednesdays contributing to the container of collective care. If it’s possible with your time zone and life schedule, we request your presence within the live sessions.

* Recorded content will available to access for 2-months after the course end, until the end of May 2026.

Statement of Training Intent.

Together, develop skills and integrate a trauma informed lens to support people to reclaim a sense of safety within their body. 

• Develop skills to support people reclaim a sense of safety within their body;

• Learn how interpersonal to systemic trauma impacts the nervous system;

• Engage with land-based connection for personal, interpersonal and collective healing

• Explore mindful movement practices for optimal expression of health;

• Reduce harm, foster collective care, and work towards social justice;

• Connection with the Earth contributes to this collective inquiry.

This requires a broader and somatically grounded conversation - come engage with practices that support personal, interpersonal and collective healing. 

***This training includes a 20hr Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga Foundational Training, offering Yoga Alliance and the International Association of Yoga Therapists continuing education credits, in addition to being a prerequisite for the 300 hr Certification with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment.

Contact Us.

Please reach out with any questions to tiponandoffthemat@gmail.com

Your Facilitators.

“The time spent in this training, with these facilitators,

is a gift to yourself.”

TIP Participant

 “I thank Lydia so much for providing the tensegrity series and the zoom extension in the pandemic.

I personally have moved from not really caring for the tensegrity series when first introduced to it years ago, to being VERY taken with it. The focus and depth of it has had a profound effect on my entire being.

It is truly all inclusive, as Lydia has explained, and it makes so much sense to me.

Lydia has a real knack for creating refreshing and novel sequences which address so many aspects of one’s essence.” 

- Bev Hughes Rowely

“I've had the pleasure of knowing Sarah Kinsley for over a decade in multiple capacities. Sarah has assisted me on dozens of 5 day silent meditation retreats and Yin Yoga teacher trainings, acting as both co-teacher and on site therapist. I have witnessed her guiding and supporting students with a high level of skill and capacity. Sarah is incredibly compassionate, wise and warm. Her ability to embody both professionalism and humanity make her a trustworthy guide in the delicate art of integrating Psyche and Spirit. 

Sarah is a dedicated practitioner and life long learner, an eternal student with endless curiosity and humility. Her brilliance and expertise would be of great benefit to any training program.” 

- Carly Forest

“I did the 20-hour TCTSY training with Nicola. I am a 500 EYRT yoga teacher and I specialize in therapeutic yoga for students with injuries and health conditions.  This training was incredible, and allowed me to understand the neurological and physiological realities that are playing out in students’ bodies based on their past histories.  I feel that this is a MUST DO workshop for all yoga teachers, and I would love to see a day where this becomes a standard method of treatment for clinicians working with cases of complex trauma. 

I would like to thank Nicola, and all of the other members of the TCTSY group, for taking the time to develop such an incredible system that I know is going to become a revolutionary new standard in trauma care!”

- Erin Jacob, C-IATY, E-RYT500, RYS200, YACEP

Braided Practice Video.

Contact Us.

Please reach out with any questions to tiponandoffthemat@gmail.com

Investment.

The value of this training is $2400 CAD.

*2 scholarships are available at a 50% reduced rate from the community price tier.

Registration.

*If the registration block does not appear, please click here to register: Trauma Informed Practice: on and off the mat

**We offer a self-determined way to invest in the training based on your access to financial and social resources. All participants receive the same access training material and content.

The scale is based on your self-determined access to resources, privilege, & social capital. In your self-determination, please consider your positionality of privilege. You are encouraged to self-assess this based on aspects of your personhood (e.g. race, gender & sexual identity, socio-economic status, educational background, able-bodied-ness, etc.) that do, or do not, grant you access to social and financial capital.

Please choose the self-determined amount register with your payment.

Space is limited for the online event.

If you have any questions please scroll down to the FAQ section, reach out to tiponandoffthemat@gmail.com, or subscribe to the newsletter.

Financial Opportunities Available.

Scholarships

* If you recognize your positionality impacts access to this training, there are 2 scholarships available for 50% reduced rate from the community tier. Please take time to apply providing some insight into your reason for a scholarship request.

These places are for people who fulfil the following criteria:

• Those whose positionality impacts access

• Those who would not otherwise be able to afford to attend the foundational training

• Those intending to bring a movement practice and trauma informed lens back to their community

  Thank you so much for taking time to fill out the application! We value hearing from you and unfortunately cannot support all requests.

THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING YOUR POSITIONALITY!

The scholarship application can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)?

This anti-oppressive approach to healing supports recovery from individual and collective long-term trauma through movement, present moment experiences, and choice. As an evidence-based practice with robust research validating the practice, TCTSY is considered an adjunctive clinical treatment for complex trauma or CPTSD.  It is a movement and breath-based practice informed by principles of complex trauma, attachment theory, and neuroscience to support reclaiming one’s body. It is a practice accessible to all bodies and expressions of identity.  A 20 hr module in TCTSY is embedded in this 100 hr YTT supporting participants to develop a trauma informed lens.  This module is a prerequisite for the 300 hr Certification through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment, allowing people to facilitate TCTSY classes.

Q. What is tensegrity?

The Tensegrity Series is a sequence of movements done mostly in a supine position (on your back) with your legs and arms moving gently from a contained abdomen and spine. It can feel more like mindful bodywork than classical yoga forms, since there is continual movement in the sets of exercises.  It is designed to break down adhesions, rehydrate, tone, strengthen and bring more flexibility and function to the body's connective tissue system (fascia). The series sets an intelligent foundation for all yoga and movement practices, and is a full practice in and of itself.  It is accessible to everyone. 

“Lydia was the first teacher to help me connect the dots between mega flexibility and over activation within my nervous system. I took some classes with her on the tensegrity series and the practice felt like a tune up and a warm hug: grounding, insulating, and nourishing. Lydia's knowledge about anatomy and her insights into ways we can experientially deepen into our body through curiosity and listening was super helpful - it led me to a stronger awareness of my joint space and connected me more clearly to some of the "noise" my body was producing in motion. One of the things I value most about this practice is how it highlights the relationship between ease of movement, strength, and tensional balance in the body in a way that benefits my whole posture practice as well as other disciplines of movement and physical activity that I take.”

Q. What are mindfulness-based practices?

Dr. Jon-Kabat-Zinn (2003), founder of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR), describes mindfulness as “…the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”

Mindfulness is an ontology (a way of being) that can be established by all humans. Throughout time and space, cultures have developed skills and techniques to become more awake and aware of their internal environment (thoughts, emotions and body sensations) and their external environment (known through the senses) and the connection between the two. This may be referred to as meta-awareness: the ability to notice what we notice while being cognizant of the ever changing nature of reality.

Mindfulness-based practices (MBP) are the specific practices used to cultivate this skill within us to be aware.  Formal practices include: breath meditations, body scans, loving-kindness/compassion meditations, and mindful movements. Informal practices include being mindful (aware) of doing everyday things; for example, washing the dishes, biking to work or engaging in conversation.  While practicing MBPs one is invited to adopt an attitude of curiosity, non-abandoning, and non-interfering to what is being noticed in the present moment as best as possible while offering ourselves, other beings, and the planet kindness and compassion (Forest, 2017).   

Q. What credentials will I gain in this 100-hr training?

• Letter of Completion for TCTSY - prerequisite for 300 hr Certification

• 100-hr Continuing Education Hours with Yoga Alliance

• 18-hr Continuing Education Hours with International Association of Yoga Therapists

Q. What will I be prepared to teach at the end of this training? 

• The integration of a trauma informed lens into yoga, movement practices and diverse contexts. 

• Applied skills for practicing and guiding mindfulness-based practices. 

• An understanding of the tensegrity series for personal practice and basic skills for facilitating the series from a trauma informed lens.

Q. Will I be able to teach a trauma sensitive yoga class after this training?

You will be able to integrate a trauma informed lens into a yoga class (ie: Trauma Informed Yoga Class).  You are required to take the 300-hr TCTSY Certification to teach a trauma sensitive yoga class through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment.  Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga is a trademarked modality with specific protocols.

Q. Will I be a certified Tensegrity Instructor?

You will be able to integrate tensegrity movement into your classes after this training, however this is not a tensegrity certification process.

Q. Will I be certified to teach Mindfulness-based Practices?

You will be able to integrate mindfulness-based practices with a trauma informed lens into your professional context.  This is not a regulated field with a regulatory body, you are encouraged to remain within your scope of practice.  

Q. What objectives will be fulfilled by the end of this training?

• Land-based connection

• Social justice framework

• Nervous system education

• Understanding of oscillating movement to support releasing of fascial adhesions

Q. What are the prerequisites to take this training? 

A 200-hr Yoga Teacher Certification, or the completion of previous TCTSY Foundational Training with Nicola, or a regular yoga home or studio practice over a duration of time.

Q. Do I need insurance once this training has been completed? 

As a certified yoga teacher, you are required to have liability insurance.  If you are registered with another regulatory body, please check on insurance requirements. 

Q. What are the specific training dates and times?

Program Orientation: Wednesday October 29, 2025 5pm-8pm MT

Experiential Engagement: 3 Wednesdays/month, 5pm-6pm MT, starting November 5, 2025-April 29, 2026

Collective Closing Of Each Module: 4th Wednesday of each module once a month from 5pm-7pm MT. First Collective Closing is November 26, 2025.

Pre-recorded Seminar Released: Weekly on Thursday mornings starting Thursday October 30, 2025

*No content or live calls will be offered the weeks of December 25 and 31, 2025.

Q. How much of the training dates can I miss? 

If the timing works for you, we suggest attending all the live sessions. The live sessions will be an opportunity to connect with the facilitators and ask any questions that might arise, engage in discussion around the content and participate in an embodiment practice. If you are in a different time zone and can't make those times, the facilitators will be available via email for any questions or comments that might arise.  We appreciate being informed about any absences.

Q. How much of this training will be recorded? 

Every Thursday, pre-recorded seminars will be released of course content material. The 1-hr live Experiential Engagement sessions on Wednesdays will be recorded. The Collective Closing sessions at the end of each module will be recorded, except for the Sangha/community and collective conversation. This portion of the closing will not be recorded. In our experience, participants maximize their experience being present in person within the container of collective care when it is possible.

Q. What is required of me each month of the training? 

• If time zones and your life schedule permits, participate in 3 live 1-hr sessions on Wednesdays

• If time zones and your life schedule permits, participate in 1 live 2-hr session on Wednesday to close each module.

• Be prepared to teach movement or mindfulness-based practices with your triad partners

• Meet with your triad partners regularly for 1-hr to discuss and process independent learning

• Engage with independent learning curriculum and personal practice throughout the duration of the training (movement, land-based inquiry, mindfulness-based practices)

Q. How might I prepare myself for the training?

Although the workshop is facilitated in a respectful and professional manner, it can be emotionally, physically, and intellectually demanding. This is not a trauma processing program, therefore we recommend creating a self-care plan for our time together during the modules or accessing your supports between sessions, as there is the possibility of being activated and dysregulated by course or discussion content.