Yoga For Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga

Taking a little break. You’ll hear from me in September. 

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

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This week I'm sharing an episode of a The Native Yoga Toddcast with Todd Mclaughlin on which I was a guest on in October 2025.  Thank you Todd for this great interview and letting me share it on my feed the following year.
Here are Todd's show notes minus my introduction.

Key Takeaways:

• Trauma-Informed Approach: Liz emphasizes the importance of trauma-informed practices in yoga to cater to individuals with mental health challenges.
• Diverse Yoga Practices: Transitioning from Bikram to Iyengar and LifeForce Yoga, Liz illustrates how different styles can support mental well-being.
• Personalized Care: The episode highlights the significance of personalized programs in addressing individual needs and injuries in yoga.
• Creating Safe Spaces: Liz shares practical tips on making yoga environments inclusive and non-triggering for trauma survivors.
• Resilience Through Yoga: Personal anecdotes reveal how yoga empowered Liz to quit smoking and cope with PTSD.

Thanks for listening to this episode. Check out: 👇
8IN8 Ashtanga Yoga for Beginners Course Online- Learn 8 Limb Yoga in 8 Days - Get FREE coupon code for a limited time only (Regular price $88) https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/8in8-ashtanga-yoga-for-beginners-8-limbs-in-8-days/

Practice with Native Yoga Online - New classes EVERY day - Use Code FIRSTMONTHFREE https://nativeyogacenter.teachable.com/p/today-s-community-class

Subscribe to Native Yoga Center and view this podcast on Youtube.

Thank you Bryce Allyn for the show tunes. Check out Bryce’s website: bryceallynband.comand sign up on his newsletter to stay in touch. Listen here to his original music from his bands Boxelder, B-Liminal and Bryce Allyn Band on Spotify.

Please email special requests and feedback to [email protected]

https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/8in8-ashtanga-yoga-for-beginners-8-limbs-in-8-days/

Support the show

Native Yoga website: here
YouTube: here
Instagram: @nativeyoga
Twitter: @nativeyoga
Facebook: @nativeyogacenter
LinkedIn: Todd McLaughlin 

Further episode info: https://toddasanayoga.com/2025/10/10/liz-albanis-the-inner-fire-of-healing-yoga-pilates-resilience/

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

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A quick note before you listen: this episode was recorded in less-than-perfect audio conditions, so you may notice a few sound quality issues along the way. We appreciate your understanding and hope you'll stay with us, as the conversation contains valuable insights that we didn't want you to miss.

Liz Albanis welcomes back Rebel Tucker for another insightful conversation. The wellness world loves big promises, but what happens when the very practices meant to help people are the ones doing harm? We dig into the uncomfortable edge of modern yoga and breathwork: quick certifications, charismatic authority, and emotionally intense techniques that can feel “cathartic” while leaving someone more destabilised than before. Our north star is discernment, learning when to trust, when to question, and how to keep your power in your own hands rather than handing it to a teacher, a brand, or a trend.  unpack why not all breathwork is pranayama, why contraindications matter, and how teachers can accidentally step far outside their scope of practice. We talk about real risks in large-group “release” processes, the importance of agency and opt-outs, and why trauma-aware yoga is not the same as trauma therapy. We also get practical about professional standards: what ethical marketing looks like, why insurance may not cover you when you overreach, and what many Australian yoga teachers don’t realise about unregistered health practitioner codes of conduct. the rise of short online add-on certifications like yin yoga “teacher” trainings that may skip the foundations needed for safe cueing, anatomy basics, and real teaching skill. If you’re a student, a teacher, or someone returning to yoga after trauma or PTSD, you’ll leave with sharper questions to ask, clearer red flags to notice, and a more grounded way to seek support without chasing a quick fix. 

Key Topics:

• Discernment in yoga and breathwork, what ethical teaching looks like, and how to choose support that protects your agency and mental health. 
• Power dynamics in yoga spaces and why “guru” culture can be risky 
• Discernment (viveka) as a core yogic skill rather than blind trust 
• Breathwork versus pranayama and why contraindications matter 
• Real-world harm when emotionally intense practices remove choice 
• Scope of practice, insurance limits, and why liability gets ignored 
• Australia’s unregistered health practitioner codes and what teachers should know 
• Quick certifications, yin yoga misunderstandings, and safety problems 
• Why practical assessment beats quiz-based “certificate” models 
• Trauma-aware teaching as agency, choice, and careful language 

About this episode's Guest: Rebel Tucker is a yoga therapist, naturopath. And senior yoga teacher with over 40 years of experience. She runs a yoga studio on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Where she specialises in helping individuals restore well-being through the energetic body. Traditional yoga practices, and evidence-based methods. As a board member of Yoga Australia. Rebel is dedicated to the professional growth of the yoga community. And making yoga accessible to everyone.

https://yogarebel.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/yogireb/?hl=en

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

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As a celebration of Yoga Week here in Australia, a compilation of past guests on the show. Their definition of yoga and what it has done for them. Yoga gets sold as flexibility, activewear, and picture-perfect poses, but that story leaves a lot of people feeling like they don’t belong.  
A rich mix of teacher perspectives and real-life stories grounds it all: yoga as an anchor through grief and change, an unexpected emotional release in class, a practice that shifts with age towards mindfulness and longevity, and the way yoga can support the nervous system and ease anxiety. If you’re curious about yoga therapy, trauma-sensitive yoga, meditation, and holistic health, you’ll leave with a clearer sense of what yoga is actually for, plus permission to make it your ownf, ageing, resilience, and everyday presence. 
• Yoga as a work-in rather than a workout 
• Common myths around flexibility, thinness, and activewear 
• Why yoga postures are optional and not the point 
• Yoga as union, relationship, and oneness 
• Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the “still mind” definition 
• Asana as a tool to notice reactions and practise self-compassion 
• Yoga as grounding through loss, anxiety, and nervous system overload 
• Taking yoga off the mat through mindfulness and self-inquiry 
• How practice changes with age, health goals, and longevity.

Thanks to my guests!  Lisa Weller, Karen Fabian, Rob Dorgan, Doro Baumfalk, Mel Ferrier, Rebel Tucker, Justine Janssen and Kristin Klipp.
If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who thinks yoga “isn’t for them”, 

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
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In honour of the 2026 International Day of Yoga. 

Please note: Real life doesn't always come with studio-quality sound! This recording has a few audio imperfections, but the content was too good not to share. Thanks for listening with an open mind—we hope you find the conversation helpful and inspiring.

A bonus episode on self inquiry (Atma Vicharya). This is vedanta. But in the opinion of Liz Albanis and Rebel Tucker's, yoga doesn't exist without vedanta and vice versa. 

Grief can distort time, memory, and even what feels real. We sit down with Rebel to talk about the moment yoga stopped being exercise and became a way to survive a mind in pain after the devastating loss of a brother to suicide. Rebel shares, with honesty and care, how practice creates a bridge back to the present: sensing the body, steadying attention, and learning to recognise when the mind is replaying a memory rather than living what’s here.

From there we widen out into yoga philosophy and Vedanta, where the question “Who am I?” becomes a practical form of self-inquiry, not an abstract idea. We explore why “Why me?” can trap us in unanswerable loops, while “Who am I really?” opens a bigger lens on identity, consciousness, and meaning. Along the way we unpack a deceptively simple tool for mental health and emotional resilience: cultivating the opposite, meeting sadness with one small uplift, fear with a deliberate step towards courage, and self-destructive spirals with a health-giving choice.

We also talk about service, and the subtle difference between wanting to help and feeling responsible for fixing people. Rebel reflects on how yoga matures that impulse into something steadier: guiding others towards their own insight, and remembering that real change comes from practice, not just theory. If you’re drawn to yoga for mental health, mindfulness, trauma-informed grounding, Vedanta, or the “witness” behind your thoughts, this conversation will give you language and direction you can actually use. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway.

We talk with Rebel about how yoga becomes a mental lifeline after the shock of a brother’s suicide, bringing the mind back from painful memories to what’s real. We follow the thread from Vedanta self-inquiry to service, and why the real shift happens when the philosophy becomes lived experience. 

• yoga as a grounding skill after trauma and grief 

• separating memory from the present moment through practice 

• cultivating the opposite as a tool for hard emotions 

• choosing a health-creating mindset rather than chasing pathology 

• “Who am I?” as a better question than “Why me?” 

• Vedanta, mahavakyas, and asking the big questions out loud 

• service as helping others help themselves 

• theory versus experience and meeting the inner witness

About Rebel Tucker:

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan. 

Instagram:  Youtube

Liz Albanis continues her conversation with Anna Rahe. Exploring fascia, the body-wide tissue network that changes how we understand trauma. Chronic stress, pain, and even the way we cue “good form” in movement practices. Why trauma is not only something we carry in the mind, but something that can be reflected in tissue tone, breath patterns, and protective shapes driven by stress hormones.   

If you’ve ever left a yoga, pilates or fitness class feeling more tense than when you walked in. This conversation puts words and physiology to that experience

• Trauma as physiology and tissue patterning, not just mindset 
• Why stress chemicals drive protective contraction through breath, ribs, and spine 
• Cueing in Pilates and Yoga that can mimic a stress state 
• Why muscle-dominant training may keep the nervous system on high alert.
• Fascia-first movement as a whole-body approach to pain, migraines, and regulation 
• Fascia as “tubes not sticks” as a simple body map for safer practice 
• Why to avoid diagnosing where trauma is “stored” 
• Quiet unwinding versus chasing catharsis and performance release 
• The limits of psoas obsession and the role of the thoracolumbar fascia and adrenal belt 
• Why myof-ascia only thinking can repeat old medical silos 
• why changes in breathing, organs, and head pain can be connected through the same system.  
• Tips for teachers: internal movement under the pose, interoception, traction, and length-based strength 
• Honesty about the current hype around somatic release
• why big cathartic experiences aren’t automatically healing and how quiet unwinding can be more stabilising
• Why teachers need to stay inside scope when working with trauma-informed yoga.
• Practical ways to practise yoga that keeps the body open, supple, and steady. 
  
  

About Anna: is a leading innovator in the health and wellness industry, with over 25 years of pioneering work in fascia science. As the founder and CEO of GST Body, she has developed a proprietary system that helps people restore vitality, prevent injury, and unlock physical resilience through fascia-focused movement and care. Her method has gained recognition among top athletes, physicians, and wellness experts, and she has been a featured speaker at the 2019 Goop League as well as numerous masterclasses, webinars, and events. Anna is a member of the Fascia Research Society and is building a new category of body care rooted in science, performance, and self-healing.

Special Offer

Anna would love to share the 7-Day Body Revival, a free introductory experience designed to help people begin getting to know their own body in a deeper way. It is not a challenge, but rather a gentle introduction to GST and an invitation into more awareness, connection, and understanding of how their body responds.

Connect With Anna: https://www.annarahe.com/
https://gstbody.com/  https://www.instagram.com/gstbody/

https://www.youtube.com/@TheGSTBody

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan. 

Instagram:  Youtube

In part 1 of this conversation, fascia expert, Anna Rahe joins the show to discuss its importance in relation to trauma and mental health overall. Fascia being the connective tissue network that also functions like a body-wide communication field. Anna explains how fascia registers load and stress, how it distributes force, and how it carries the analogue “texture” of experience into the brain. we connect the dots between trauma and the nervous system: when the brain predicts danger, it mixes a biochemical cocktail that tightens breath, raises tonus, and builds protective armour in tissue. This lens helps explain why certain yoga postures or somatic practices can bring up emotion, and why trauma release should feel stabilising, not chaotic or forced.

You’ll also hear a powerful story about self-connection and the moment the body finally feels ready to speak. 

Key Topics:

• Pain reframed as communication rather than damage 
• Trauma as struggle filtered through skills, support, and meaning
• Movement as the core tool to metabolise load and stress 
• Fascia as a body-wide communication field with dense sensory input
• Trauma imprinting as patterns of tension, torsion, and protective bracing
• Brain as a “digital” processor creating a hormonal stress response 
• Why releasing trauma can feel stabilising and calm rather than cathartic
• Risks of pushing somatic release too fast and going outside scope 
• A personal turning point through self-connection and compassion 

About Anna: is a leading innovator in the health and wellness industry, with over 25 years of pioneering work in fascia science. As the founder and CEO of GST Body, she has developed a proprietary system that helps people restore vitality, prevent injury, and unlock physical resilience through fascia-focused movement and care. Her method has gained recognition among top athletes, physicians, and wellness experts, and she has been a featured speaker at the 2019 Goop League as well as numerous masterclasses, webinars, and events. Anna is a member of the Fascia Research Society and is building a new category of body care rooted in science, performance, and self-healing.

Special Offer

Anna would love to share the 7-Day Body Revival, a free introductory experience designed to help people begin getting to know their own body in a deeper way. It is not a challenge, but rather a gentle introduction to GST and an invitation into more awareness, connection, and understanding of how their body responds.

Connect: https://www.annarahe.com/
https://gstbody.com/  https://www.instagram.com/gstbody/

https://www.youtube.com/@TheGSTBody

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan. 

Instagram:  Youtube

On national Smoke Alarm Action Day in Australia. Host, Liz Albanis shares how surviving two fires reshapes her dharma.  How  yoga can be  mind training rather than a pose chasing habit. She share why interconnected smoke alarms matter. Why Australia’s smoke alarm legislation needs tightening, and how steady practice helps her keep pushing when people dismiss the message. 
• Content warning and personal context around house fire fatalities and legislation 
• Dharma as a life path shaped by what happens to us 
• Crow Pose as a mirror for fear and giving up early 
• Abhyasa and vairagya as consistent effort with non attachment 
• Yoga as mind training that supports change but does not replace work 
• Why working smoke alarms save lives 
• The importance of interconnected smoke alarms  
• Insurance risk when homes do not meet smoke alarm requirements 
• Liz's efforts with lobbying to state, territory governments. 
Be the voice, write the email, make the call, push for change.house fire doesn’t just burn timber and walls, it rewires what you notice, what you fear, and what you refuse to ignore. I’m Liz Albanis, and this season of Yoga for Trauma sits right at that edge where personal healing meets practical action. This is a raw, personal listen with a content warning: we talk about house fire fatalities, house fires, and smoke alarm legislation in Australia. Please take care of yourself, and if you’re struggling, reach out to a licensed healthcare professional or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If this hits home, please share it with someone you love, check your smoke alarms today, and consider writing to your local member. Subscribe, leave a review, and help me keep this conversation loud enough to save lives.

Update: thanks to 2CC Radio Canberra for having me on very early this morning!

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan. 

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This week I'm doing something different. I'm sharing an episode of a Confidence Through Health Podcast where I was a  guest on in October 2025. Where I share how trauma can be held in the body with host Jerry Snider.  Thanks to Jerry for giving me the authority to re-share this episode. Thanks to the Social Media Cowboys who edited it as well.

The traumas that happen to us during our life get stored in our body, sometimes hiding for years until a certain trigger causes them to wreak havoc on physical and emotional being. Liz Albanis has found a healing strategy through yoga to release the trauma, relax the body, and restore the health of the body.

Liz Albanis shares her personal story of finding healing through her yoga practice. She also shares how:

• Trauma lives in the fascia and nervous system, shown through her own experience with involuntary post-fire trauma tremors
• Certain yoga poses spike anxiety and restless nights, while others lower blood pressure and support mental health
• Somatic yoga is different from traditional yoga when it comes to processing trauma and improving emotional well-being
• Creating a personalized practice empowers you to process loss, rebuild inner stability, & find strength in uncertainty

Visit ConfidenceThroughHealth.com to find discounts to some of our favorite products.

Follow me via All In Health and Wellness on Facebook or Instagram.

Find my books on Amazon: No More Sugar Coating: Finding Your Happiness in a Crowded World and Confidence Through Health: Live the Healthy Lifestyle God Designed

Production credit: Social Media Cowboys

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan. 

Instagram:  Youtube

Host Liz Albanis invites you to take a slow, deliberate walk. Mindfulness in motion, using simple noticing to reconnect with breath. Body sensations, and your surroundings. No special technique, no “perfect” meditation face, just ordinary steps and a steady return to what is happening right now.

An invitation to take notice of the rhythm of our feet, the movement of legs and arms, the feel of air on skin, and the small details we usually miss when we’re rushing. 

A guided a gentle mindful walk that turns ordinary movement into a steady anchor for awareness, breath, and grounding. We practise noticing sensations, letting thoughts come and go. Finishing with a quiet standstill check-in that helps you feel supported and present.

If you wish to find out more about how I can help you book a discovery call.

Important disclaimer: about the words “healing,” “recovery” and “therapeutic”: These terms are used throughout this podcast and accompanying content in a general, educational and experiential sense. They are not intended to imply or guarantee that yoga, yoga therapy, somatic practices or any other practice will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent trauma, PTSD, anxiety or any other medical or mental health condition. Individual experiences and outcomes vary. This content is for general informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or other professional healthcare. Please seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional regarding your individual circumstances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review!
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan. 

Instagram:  Youtube