Trauma-Informed Yoga & Somatic Tools for Supporting Youth and Young Adults
Supporting Young People with Stress Overwhelm and Trauma: Yoga and Somatic Tools for Resilience
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Trauma-Informed Yoga & Somatic Tools for Supporting Youth and Young Adults
- 3-Day In-Person Training in Athens, Greece (Option for Live Zoom if unable to join in-person
Hosted by Flower Kids Yoga School
May 8–10, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily
Location: Athens Greece - Flower Kids Yoga
Unable to attend in person? OPTION TO JOIN via LIVE ZOOM - Zoom link will be provided prior to the start of the training.
Address: Ydras 3, Kallithea, Athens, 17676
Where do I stay? There are many AIRBNB options in the area near the studio
Registration Cost:
550 EURO - Early Bird Pricing (plus tax)
650 EURO (plus tax) following
Register Below
Contact XRISTINA MATSI with any questions if you are a Non-US resident.
Please note registration for the course is non-refundable for any and all reasons. By registering and paying you are validating that you understand this policy
Should the training be cancelled for attendance reasons or unexpected circumstances, you will have the option to transfer your payment to an alternative online course or get a full refund.
It is suggested that participants purchase refundable travel and accommodations should any unexpected circumstances arise. We will not be responsible for any cancellation fees for travel or accommodations should the training have to be cancelled for any/all reasons.
Attendance in all 3 days of the training is required for receiving a Certificate of Completion
Overview
This powerful 3-day training is designed for yoga teachers, therapists, educators, and caregivers who support youth and young adults. We’ll explore how trauma and chronic stress impact the developing brain and body—and how trauma-informed yoga and somatic practices can create safety, foster regulation, and empower healing.
What You’ll Learn
- How trauma and unmanaged stress affect young nervous systems
- Polyvagal Theory and the role of the vagus nerve in safety and healing
- Trauma-informed yoga and somatic tools for emotional regulation and resilience
- How to create safe environments rooted in choice, boundaries, and compassion
- Embodied practices to support connection, self-agency, and self-expression
What to Expect
- Experiential trauma-sensitive yoga and somatic practices
- A supportive learning environment grounded in presence and care
- Practical tools for co-regulation, emotional wellbeing, and embodied safety
- Community connection and opportunities for reflection and discussion
Investment
- €550 Early Bird – Register by April 8, 2026
- €650 Regular Pricing after April 8
Takeaways
By the end of this training, you’ll walk away with:
- A deeper understanding of trauma and its impact on youth
- Tools to foster emotional regulation and resilience through yoga and somatics
- Practical strategies to create safe, empowering environments
- Skills to integrate trauma-informed principles into classrooms, studios, and therapeutic settings
Make it a Two-Week Immersion!
- Stay for the following weekend and continue your learning with:Level 1 Yoga for Children and Teens (Autism, Neurodiversity & Diverse Needs)
In-person & Live Zoom | May 15–17, 2026
- Friday & Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SEE DETAILS & REGISTRATION FOR THIS TRAINING
Who This Trauma Training Is For
- Yoga teachers and trainees
- Therapists and mental health professionals
- Educators and school staff
- Caregivers, parents, and youth advocates
- Anyone seeking a trauma-informed lens for working with young people
THIS COURSE IS IN PERSON IN ATHENS, GREECE OR VIA LIVE ZOOM. REGISTRATION IS NON-REFUNDABLE
Course Content
This comprehensive 3-day training is designed to deepen your understanding of trauma and its effects on the mind, body, and spirit while providing practical tools to support healing and empowerment. Rooted in trauma-informed principles, this training integrates education on the neurobiology of trauma, the Polyvagal Theory, and the role of the vagus nerve with yoga and somatic practices to foster resilience, self-agency, and embodied healing.
What You Will Learn:
- Trauma Education: Understand how trauma and unmanaged stress impact physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Learn how unresolved trauma can manifest as chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and challenges with boundaries and relationships
- Polyvagal Theory: Explore how the nervous system responds to trauma and stress through the lens of the Polyvagal Theory. Learn how to create experiences of safety and connection that promote nervous system regulation and healing.
- The Vagus Nerve: Discover the critical role of the vagus nerve in managing stress responses and fostering calm and connection. Learn how yoga, breathwork, and somatic practices can improve vagal tone and restore balance.
- Self-Agency and Empowerment: Develop strategies to support self-agency and self-empowerment in yourself and others. Discover how to facilitate choice, autonomy, and active participation in the healing process.
- Boundaries and Safety: Understand the importance of healthy boundaries in trauma recovery and how to create a safe, supportive environment that honors each individual’s needs and capacities.
- Yoga and Somatic Practices: Gain practical skills in trauma-sensitive yoga, somatic movement, grounding exercises, and mindful breathing to support self-regulation, body awareness, and emotional resilience.
- Trauma and unmanaged stress can disrupt a person’s sense of self, boundaries, and ability to make empowered choices, often leaving them feeling disempowered or disconnected. This training focuses on providing tools and practices that not only address the impacts of trauma but also cultivate a sense of safety, empowerment, and agency.
- Experiential practices to explore trauma-sensitive yoga and somatic approaches.
- Discussions on creating trauma-informed environments that honor autonomy and boundaries.
- Practical tools to promote resilience, connection, and emotional wellbeing.
Your Instructor
Shawnee is a C-IAYT -Certified Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, M.Ed., and Educational/Behavioral Specialist. She is the Founder of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs and the Founder/Director of Yoga Therapy for Youth Certification Program. Shawnee has worked with children and adults with and complex and diverse needs for 30 years. She has specialized in working with children and adults with neurodiverse needs, sensory processing challenges, communication differences, developmental disabilities, mental health challenges and trauma backgrounds. Shawnee works with private clients of all brains, bodies and abilities to facilitate health and healing. Her goal is to bring the experience of yoga to all individuals no matter their differences or challenges.
She has written two published a books, Asanas for Autism and Special Needs – Yoga to Help Children with Their Emotions, Self-Regulation and Body Awareness and her second book - Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens.- Embodying a Somatosensory Approach to Mental, Physical and Emotional Wellbeing has just recently been published and is NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE! She is also the creator of the C.A.L.M.M Yoga Toolkit and Body Sensations Curriculum.
She has a Yoga School through Yoga Alliance in order to train others in yoga approaches to support children and adults with neurodiverse needs and children and adults with complex needs needs and travels globally to share her teachings. Shawnee is dedicated to helping support youth and adults in developing strategies to cope with stress in order to live happier, healthier more empowered lives.
Shawnee has experienced first hand the benefits yoga and somatic practices can provide to health and overall well-being as she is a survivor of childhood trauma as well as multiple significant traumas in her adulthood, resulting in a diagnosis of PTSD. She is also a cancer survivor. She has a unique combination of understanding neurodiversity, developmental disability, trauma and other complex needs and knowing how to support people of all ages in connecting to their authentic self and building more capacity and resilience in order to live life in a more embodied and empowered way.
Shawnee has led several workshops at major conferences both in the US and Internationally; including MISTY (Montreal International Symposium for Yoga Therapy) and IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists) SYTAR Conference on Yoga for Sensory Processing and Self-Regulation for children with ASD, BOOST Conference (Best Out of School Time) on Yoga for Children with Special Needs , Yoga and Mindfulness for Youth and Yoga to Reduce Stress and Increase Relaxation for Educators. TRUST Conference (Teens Understanding and Reflecting Stigma Together) on Learning to Breath, Yoga and Mindfulness for Teens, including teens struggling with mental illness and UCSD Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference on Yoga and Mindfulness for Sensory Integration and Self-Regulation.
Shawnee has written for and has had her work featured in several magazines,podcasts and online resources. See media features here.
Shawnee also offers private and small group therapeutic sessions for children and adults as well as yoga and somatic movement workshops and trainings through her company Embodied Wellness Yoga Therapy.